Fort Worth, 8.7.2024

Our first time at the Grackle Art Gallery in a minute to hear three sets of improvised wonderment featuring folks from near and far. Despite the brutal heat, it was a well attended evening, and I was pleasantly surprised to see some Oak Cliff folks in the house.

Vocalist extraordinaire Lily Taylor made her Grackle debut, performing songs from her excellent Amphora LP and workshopping some new material that she'll record soon. Using an array of electronic devices along with her stunning vocal control and expert microphone technique, she layered sound beds that she extemporized over to hypnotic effect. An entrancing sonic experience.

Stefan Gonzalez admitted beforehand that he hadn't played vibraphone since Trio Glossia recorded their forthcoming album at the end of June, and since then, he'd been playing noisy rock with Heavy Baby Sea Slugs. You'd never have known from his solo vibraphone set, which showcased his growing virtuosity on mallet percussion, as well as his increasingly compositional focus. Stefan's always been a viscerally exciting performer, whether on mallets or behind a trap set, but what stuck with me about this evening's performance was the way his improvisation sounded like a finished piece.

Last set was by the touring duo of Polish bassist Marcin Bozek and Houston multi-reedist Danny Kamins -- on sopranino for this occasion -- who recently completed a five-city tour of Poland and are now embarked on a two-week tour of the US, which started the previous night at Khon's in Houston, where they were joined by Austin percussionist Lisa Cameron, and will finish with three dates in Chicago, with other stops including a recording session in Arkansas. 

Bozek plays a five-string semihollow bass guitar, playing fast lines like Joe Morris on guitar and using every sound he can generate -- plucked harmonics, tapping on the instrument's body, the scraping sounds of fingers and palms on roundwound strings, a French horn mouthpiece, and even his voice -- to create an active, organic soundscape. I'd previously only heard Kamins live in a large ensemble (Dennis Gonzalez Legacy Band) or an electric band (El Mantis), so it was refreshing to hear his sound pristine in a small space. He uses circular breathing to move a big column of air and propel a seemingly endless stream of melodic ideas, at times using extended techniques to produce earthier sounds. A captivating dialogue that suspended time.

Tonight, Bozek and Kamins will be at Full City Rooster in Dallas, with Trio Glossia opening. If you're in Big D, get you some of this.