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Atomic Chamber Ensemble : King for a Day
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Undulating world rhythms. 6 guitars, very cool.
Genre: Rock: Instrumental Rock
Release Date: 2004
King for a Day Record Label: Atomic Chamber Ensemble
  • Buy CD - $15.00
Preview Song Name Time Format Price Select
Cultivating the Beat 4:15 Album Only
Sigh and a Kiss 3:09 Album Only
Prelude XXII in G minor 2:17 Album Only
King for a Day 4:38 Album Only
Circulation in E Phrygian 1:04 Album Only
Fermat's Las Stand 2:43 Album Only
Circulation in Eb Minor Pentatonic #1 0:29 Album Only
Flying Home 2:37 Album Only
Where It Goes (We Go) 3:32 Album Only
Circulation in Eb Minor Pentatonic #2 0:46 Album Only
Ennui to the Nth Degree 3:30 Album Only
Bicycling to Afghanistan 3:05 Album Only
Circulation in Eb Minor Pentatonic #3 1:20 Album Only
Birds of Fire 3:25 Album Only
Circulation in C# Whole Tone 0:58 Album Only
Vulcanization 2:54 Album Only
Nocturne 1:16 Album Only
Screaming Purple Hues 2:37 Album Only
Why Be 2:55 Album Only
Trapiche 5:25 Album Only
preview all songs

Album Notes

This acoustic guitar ensemble springs from a rich tradition of interactive music making. With an approach grounded in Robert Fripp's Guitar Craft, their material ranges from highly intricate compositions to playful circulated improvisations, from explosive harmonic polyrhythms to haunting melodies that take the breath away.

The Atomic Chamber Ensemble has appeared in and around Seattle since their formation in 1998. They have appeared at Bumbershoot, the Northwest Folklife Festival, On the Boards, the Seattle Art Museum, King Cat, I-Spy, Vancouver TV, and on various radio programs.

FROM THE ATOMIC CHAMBER ENSEMBLE STORY:

The first thing that you discover when you encounter Atomic Chamber Ensemble is that they are impossible to classify. All the categories we rely so heavily upon to guide us to music we like when we visit our favorite music store or online vendor... no help at all. Six acoustic guitars. Their promotional material alludes to "a rich tradition of interactive music making, with material ranging from highly intricate compositions to playful circulated improvisations, from explosive harmonic polyrhythms to haunting melodies that take the breath away." And it is all true.

Rather than try to play down their range and scope they have chosen to embrace and celebrate it. The very name of the group is a whimsical response to this conundrum. How many times can you be asked, "what kind of music do you play?" before you are forced to come up with some kind of answer? Their standard response became "we play atomic chamber music!" Delivered with a smile, it was evocative and inexplicably accurate, without actually saying anything. It conveyed a feeling for what the band was about.

Read more at http://www.atomicchamberensemble.com/bios.html

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REVIEWS

atomic chamber music
author: michael zanowick
Vary nice music,if you are hungry for acoustic guitar this is a smorgasbord you'll love it.
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author: CD Baby
Formerly known as the Seattle Guitar Circle, The Atomic Chamber Ensemble pushes the acoustic guitar setting into realms of dark, undulating world music, instrumental rock, contemporary classical and progressive folk rock all with an approach that straddles the world of classical composition with singer/songwriter accessibility and vocabularies of other genres and cultures. With pieces both in short and long form, exploratory and decisive, wandering and directed, "King for a Day" is a must for the guitar lover.
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An achievement in ensemble playing not to be missed!
author: Michael Fisher
The six guitars in this ensemble somehow manage to be in all places at all times. From the otherwordly overlapping of the circulated melody in the Shostakovich 'Prelude in G Minor' to the propulsive pointillism of 'Flying Home' and 'Vulcanization,' the ACE calmly walks into the heart of the maelstrom and brings forth both exhilaration and entrancement. Of particular note are the Circulations, which evoke the stillness of Brian Eno's ambient work unlike anything I've ever heard a group execute in real-time. This CD is an achievement in ensemble playing not to be missed!
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Excellent acoustic guitar ensemble - highly recommended!
author: Steve Jolemore
This is the first CD from this particular configuration of guitarists - all with Guitar Craft (Robert Fripps' school) credentials. The majority of the pieces were written within the group by three accomplished composers;Bob Williams,Dean Jensen and Curt Golden. Check out Cultivating the Beat (based on the harmonic progression of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony),the title cut,and Flying Home - each by the respective composers listed above. Also included is a smoking cover of John McLaughlin's Birds of Fire and an amazing circulated arrangement of Prelude 22 in G minor by Shostokovitch. The playing is secure to say the very least with thoughtful improvised solos on some pieces and tight ensemble playing throughout. The circulated improvisations are beautiful and something unique to players trained within this particular tradition. Highly recommended.
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