Recording: Meandering Streams of Consciousness

Artist: Meandering Streams of Consciousness

Song: [excerpt from first set]

Recorded at Array Space, January 16, 2015.

Meandering Streams of Consciousness - [excerpt from first set]

An intriguing night of sounds from this large ensemble, even if it didn't quite juggle all the elements it had attempted. The visual element, as well as the presence of convening pianist Avesta Nakhaei, were missed but what remained was still quite formidable. A contingent of Persian instruments (oud, tar, tombak) created opportunities for different sounds to inspire each other even if, as I overheard one audience member say, it was often more of a "polite conversation" than a rambunctious encounter. That mostly took the form of the oud and tar introducing a theme, which would slowly be picked up and elaborated by the rest of the players, before easing down for another round. It was a genuine treat to get a chance to see top-notch musicians from a different "scene" — hopefully there will be another chance for this whole thing to happen again. [The full ensemble on this night was: Manuel A. Morales (piano), Peter Lutek (basoon), Anoush Taba'i (clarinet), Chris Weatherstone (sax), Bea Labikova (sax), Reza Assasi (Azeri tar), Arsalan Alizadeh (oud), Kousha Nakhaei (violin), Rob Clutton (double bass), Alinima Madani (tombak and hand percussion)]