BILL BURKE
Where’d  Our Ball Go?
Comma
OUSIA
States Of Being
(PRIVATE RELEASE / WWW.CDBABY.COM)
Three keywords characterize the modest oeuvre from Bill Burke: ambient, classical and electronic. This seems a bit far-fetched on States Of Being from the trio Ousia from 2000. The six compositions have got a rock-drive based on improvisation, in which guitarist Anthony Mazzella colours the foundation, created by the repetitive bass-sounds from Burke and the dry rolling from drummer Everett Eighmy, with riffs and solo’s. But those repeating motives form the deep-down character, especially during stretched atmospheric passages in amongst others Some Sort Of Sixth Sense Sighting, in which Robert Fripp- or Vini Reilly-like, subdued arpeggio’s and subtle flaring out solo’s go together with the bass-lines. On Where’d Our Ball Go?, Burke’s first solo-product from 2003, he handles frequently the 8 String Warr Guitar – a touch guitar, just like the Chapman Stick – with which he takes over Mazzella’s part. The title-track introduces the classical element by violins with the same stately aura like The Penguin Café Orchestra. Furthermore loops create often frippertronic-like soundscapes, while from time to time Burke lets his instrument resound pure and unaccompanied. But still there’s also some rocking going on, like in Howard Roarke, in which – just like with colleague Trey Gunn – Indian influences are being incorporated, and Trying To Understand Other People with a percussion-playfulness which reminds of Happy The Man. The repetitive though stays the red line and this form, often used in minimal and electronic music, characterizes Comma from 2005, which, with two exception, is just filled with 8-String-sounds. Especially the ambient introduction of the triptych The Subway was compared by a listener with Inventions For Electric Guitar from Ash Ra Temple’s Manuel Göttsching. Only the free Numu is comparable with the rocking Ousia, while the strings in Views Of An Icy Horizon underline the classical link with the predecessor. Beautiful discography from a tapping musician.
Information: www.billburke.net
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This is beautiful in every respect, the compositions, the recording, the playing, all shine. This is the first time I've heard Bill Burke and I seem to detect a Fripp influence but this is not a knock off. The music is refreshingly original. Hats off to Bill Burke.
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