Outer Sounds 003 - January 2021
The selection for January 2021 is Joshua Abrams’ Represencing LP reissued by Aguirre Records, it was originally released in 2012 on Eremite Records. After a number of years playing in the acoustic, minimalist, chamber folk group, Town & Country as well as being a fixture in the Chicago improvised music scene on bass, Abrams really started developing his own music on his first major solo album Natural Information (released on Eremite in 2010). This was the birth of a revolving ensemble of musicians that would become the Natural Information Society (aka NIS). The music is a direct progression from the Town & Country albums, but moving even deeper into world music, minimalism, trance, psychedelic & spiritual jazz zones (the band name is surely a nod to Don Cherry’s Organic Music Society which seems to be a major touchstone for the NIS music). The main sonic element that anchors the music & makes NIS so distinctive is the gimbri, a 3 stringed lute from Morocco with a rattling, percussive bass tone primarily used in traditional Gnawa ritual / trance ceremonies. (We can trace a direct line back to the Moroccan karkabas used on ‘Blue Lotus Feet’ & his first appearance on gimbri(?) on ‘Fields and Parks of Easy Access’ & ‘Cloud Seeding’ from Town & Country’s final album from 2006, Up Above). Abrams first encountered the gimbri on a trip to Morocco in the late 90s. He centers the pulse, vibe and drive of the band with the gimbri and then weaves a rich tapestry of colors around it in various ways utilizing a wide array of instruments and players: bells, harmonium, autoharp, chimes, percussion, guitar, drums, vibes, organ, synths, winds, strings, etc. While Natural Information was the genesis of the project, things really started to come together for this second album. Abrams recorded this album at home bringing in a who’s who of the Chicago music scene (Chad Taylor, David Boykin, Tomeka Reid, Nicole Mitchell, Jeff Parker, Michael Zerang and more) to contribute to his expanding compositions. On Represencing the gimbri becomes an even stronger foundation which would continue on the follow up albums Magnetoception (2015), Simultonality (2017) & Mandatory Reality (2019). Lisa Alvarado’s paintings adorn the covers of all of the NIS records and pull together the entire vibe with the perfect visual analog to the music (just like Moki Cherry defined the visual aesthetic of the Organic Music Society). If you’re a fan of Popol Vuh, AACM, Don Cherry, Pharoah Sanders, Arnold Dreyblatt, Hamza El Din, Sandy Bull / Billy Higgins duos, Gnawa music and more, you’ll fall right into this timeless music with ease. Check out our conversation with Joshua Abrams below about this album & more! (COMING SOON)
