Todd Hammes and his
Tool and Drum Ensemble
Music for Percussion (Mostly)
Innova 2007

01. Remembering: Attract and Repel
02. Remembering: Laughter and Triple Duet
03. Remembering: Sand Box Solo
04. Remembering: First Kiss
05. Kalimba on Marimba
06. 14+8: A Mood
07. Eh Wa Ba Wa Jo
08. Marimba, Pan and Tabla
09. Speedway Boulevard: Tucson
10. Four Steps
11. Inconsistencies
12. My Hunter of Dragonflies

Another winner on the Innova label - "the label of the American Composers Forum", and one of the fastest-growing in the US. They've classified Todd Hammes' disc under "New Classical", along with the Rave of Andrew Violette; frankly, I doubt many musicians could attempt more complex, mannered versions of the genre - Jerry Johansson perhaps? Like Jerry, Todd is a disciple of an Indian master - Pandit Sharda Sahai, widely considered one of the greatest living tabla players; The Tool and Drum Ensemble being a collective of percussionists (mostly), assembled later on to realize his own stylistic visions. And fully worked out visions they are too, grounded soundly in the avant-garde, retaining atmospherics as well as polymetric concepts.

Yes, Music for Percussion is unmistakably a "wonderfully rich work", starting with the 'Remembering' suite (reworked from a much larger piece originally written for dance); running through '14+8' ("the result of a very bad mood", born out mostly from tensions expressed in all manner of percussion instruments and noises, including $2.58 - 8 quarters, 4 dimes, 1 nickel, 13 pennies), 'Eh Wa Ba Wa Jo' (traditional Nigerian welcoming song), and culminating with the Asian-accented 'My Hunter of Dragonflies' (based on a haiku by Japanese poet Chiyo-Ni), that gives way to an ethereal mood with strains of longing... Sweet, maybe even a bit sappy, but each time I hear it, nothing short of splendid. The whole album feels like a collection of minor masterpieces to balance a life-long pursuit: "I think I finally have come of age. I have my style, I know who I am. I know what I'm doing. I'm not searching for what I am to become". Most suitable to dim the lights, open the curtains, and just listen.

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