Recording: 5biTscience

Artist: 5biTscience

Song: The Book of Hours [excerpt 1] (composed by Bob Ostertag)

Recorded at The Music Gallery (X Avant VII), October 13, 2012.

5biTscience - The Book of Hours [excerpt 1]

Full review to follow. The centrepiece show for this year's X Avant festival gave a couple different perspectives on the work of composer (and this year's Artist In Residence) Bob Ostertag. His own set with animator Pierre Hébert presented his new work "Shadow Boxing", and it was quite the visual spectacle. Musically, though, I was especially struck by the opening set where some top-notch local improvisers (Wes Neal, Joe Sorbara, Jay Hay, Matt Miller) under the direction of Nilan Perera took AIM at Ostertag's "The Book of Hours". Originally primarily a vocal piece, it was presented here as arranged for electric guitar, sax, bass, drums, live samples — and silence.

X Avant will be continuing all this week, and there's a diverse range of shows that you should check out if you want to expand your circuits. You also still have some time to enter my contest to win tickets to a couple of the shows.