
Besser/Prosser: 2 Islands
By Mike Moroney
'2 Islands' runs the gamut of the melodic to the chaotic. This is the most annoying CD I've ever listened to. I quite like it. Some beautifully textured moments and some teeth-grinding half hours. This is experimental music at the leading edge; Christopher Prosser (violin) and Jonathan Besser (piano) have joined their considerable creative talents to embark on a project of composition that involves a considerable amount of improvisation - though not in the jazz sense. Features like prepared piano (in this case, cords pulled through the strings and playing it from the wrong end), and alternate violin tunings give some tracks a John Cage-like quality, others are reminiscent of Chic Corea in his 'My Spanish Heart' era. I do like the fact that the compositions are highly structured and not at all open ended. It's good when they finish.
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