Home » Jazz Articles » Extended Analysis » Andy Milne & Benoit Delbecq: Andy Milne & Benoit Delbecq...

Andy Milne & Benoit Delbecq: Andy Milne & Benoit Delbecq: Where Is Pannonica?

By Martin Gladu
July 2, 2009
View read count

Andy Milne & Benoit Delbecq
Where Is Pannonica?
Songlines Recordings
2009

Welcome to the third dimension. The product of their 2008 winter residency at the Banff Centre in Alberta, Canada, Where Is Pannonica? seals the longstanding, twinlike affinity between pianists

Andy Milne

piano
b.1967

" data-original-title="" title="">Andy Milne and

" data-original-title="" title="">Benoit Delbecq in one truly astonishing soundscape. And although Nantes puts itself forward as an answer to the title's inquiry, it's possible the question is instead concerned with identifying all manifestations of the late jazz loving baroness' influence—as one would with a certain Waldo—hiding in this musical shivaree. Sure there are plenty of clusters, oblique intervals and other quirks associated with the baroness' friend, pianist

Thelonious Monk

piano
1917 - 1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Thelonious Monk, but clear evidence of the bebop patron's whereabouts remain illusive. The search continues.

As the baroness' patronage and encouragement has long been replaced by the less endearing prospects offered by state-subsidized programs, private foundations and residencies, improvising artists in 2009 often find themselves rattling empty piggy banks. Milne and Delbecq, however, not only benefited from a rare mix of the three aforementioned levies—though dispersed between six different funders—but could also count on the good people working at the Banff Centre. Why are such apparently meretricious aspects of this project worthy of mention? Well, part of the answer is found in the music itself.

First and foremost, this is modern, improvisatory and exploratory (read non-commercial) music at its creative best. As such, the uttermost high-fidelity technologies—at both the capture and delivery stages—are required fully to communicate the artists' intentions. To this end, Where Is Pannonica? was recorded and mixed in 24 bits/88.2k in 5.0 "surround sound" and designed specifically for SACD multi-channel playbacks. Mounted onto the disc, a bonus, 15-minute video documents the album's making and explains how the technological means meshed with the composing in the preparation of the final 5.0 mix. At the centre of all the action are two marvelous-sounding Steinway D pianos, prepared for the occasion with an assortment of wooden, metal and even furry objects. Dlooper, a digital application designed to generate sampled, multi-tracked loops, also mingles in the colloquy on three of the album's tracks.

For example, on the enthralling, mbira-esque round "Divide Comedy," the device's eerie ambiance-setting loops add a depth of field that Delbecq mines to great effect. On "Chander Logic," it is a rhythmic chant—one such as those used by Milne's former employer, saxophonist

Steve Coleman

saxophone, alto
b.1956

" data-original-title="" title="">Steve Coleman, in his compositions for MBASE—that maps out the languid, tango-tinged feel atop which the pair throw tersely modulated melodies. Milne's "Water's Edge Part I" and "Part II" veer towards a similar rhythmic repetition, but with a chordal obbligato as the main substrate.

Encapsulating many facets of Milne's and Delbecq's aesthetic, Where Is Pannonica? explores the relation between art and audio technology in such a way as to uncover new paths of expression and new dimensions in recording. Despite the technologically-assisted sound spectrum, this pairing of pianists is a match made in organic heaven—one bound to leave the emerging breed of techno-artists longing further to develop such felicitous experiments, where spatio-temporal technologies, composition and performance intersect. To borrow NASA's motto, the future is now.

Tracks: Portrait of Giorgio Thelos; Task Sharing; Divide Comedy; Ice Storm; Le Meme Jour; Mu-Turn; Chander Logic; Pyramides; Water's Edge Part I; Water's Edge Part II; Trespassing; Uhren; Pyramides.

Personnel: Andy Milne: piano; Benoit Delbecq: piano, electronics.

Learn more about our star rating system

Personnel

Andy Milne & Benoit Delbecq

Album information

Title: Andy Milne & Benoit Delbecq: Where Is Pannonica? | Year Released: 2009 | Record Label: Songlines Recordings

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Subway Moon
< Previous

Here and Now
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.