Recording: Jessica Houghton & Kathryn Merriam

Artist: Jessica Houghton & Kathryn Merriam

Song: [excerpt from an improvisation]

Recorded December 4, 2022 at The Tranzac's Southern Cross Lounge (Audiopollination 10th Anniversary Bash).

Jessica Houghton & Kathryn Merriam - [excerpt]

A round number anniversary is always worth celebrating, and more so for this labour of love devoted to creative expression and community building. Kudos to Mike Lynn for putting in the work to keep Audiopollination going for a decade — definitely worth celebrating with a slice of pie and a crowded room in the Southern Cross.

The afternoon opened with a pairing of Jessica Houghton (movement) and Kathryn Merriam (harp). Houghton used the thin strip of space at the front of the stage area (and, later, gained some height on the piano bench) to reflect Merriam's lush notes and reverse delay sweeps.

You can check out some footage from this set over on the Audiopollination youtube channel:

[Audiopollination is back at Array Space on Friday, January 13th with sets by Mike Barber/Daisy Betlej/Tegan Dietsch / Kousha Nakhaei/Owen Kurtz / Jamie Eriksen/Adrian Russouw/Bri Clarke and Kimberly Ivany/Katheryn Merriam.]

Recording: Lîla Ensemble

Artist: Lîla Ensemble

Songs: [two excerpts]

Recorded at The Tranzac's Main Hall (Somewhere There Creative Music Festival – Show 2), February 25, 2017.

Lîla Ensemble - [excerpt 1]

Lîla Ensemble - [excerpt 2]

The festival's first afternoon show was focused on improvisation in movement and its relationship to music. This set from the Lîla Ensemble was nestled between a solo dance from Amelia Ehrhardt and a panel discussion on the topic. Although co-inspired improvising collaborations between dance and music aren't uncommon, Lîla takes things further than most by dissolving the musician/dancer separation. With the exception of dancer Jessica Houghton, everyone else in the ensemble's participation moved back and forth between playing and moving, creating a fluid and shifting dynamic.