Nerve Beats Han Bennink Artist

Issued for the first time in 2000 as part of {|Atavistic|}'s Unheard Music Series, this CD catches percussion madman {|Han Bennink|} at play in an improvised solo concert from 1973. However, just because this is a solo album and {|Bennink|} is a perc... Read more

Issued for the first time in 2000 as part of {|Atavistic|}'s Unheard Music Series, this CD catches percussion madman {|Han Bennink|} at play in an improvised solo concert from 1973. However, just because this is a solo album and {|Bennink|} is a percussionist doesn't make this a solo percussion album, per se. Along the way, he also sings, yells like a mock karate artist, and rummages through a whole assortment of instruments: didjeridoo, saw, whistle, piano, trombone, etc. He even employs an early drum machine on the title track, laying down a simple beat, over which he unleashes a noisy, over-blown clarinet solo; oddly, he continues this section for a good four minutes, whereas few of the other instruments can hold his attention for much more than a minute or two. Still, there is plenty of percussion to be heard here, ranging from the extended wall of sound, snare drum roll of {|Bumble Rumble|} to a lot of rumbles, ticks, and clattering noises elsewhere that aren't always easy to identify. He goes at everything with the enthusiasm of a four-year-old at play, and this tendency does lead to some dead ends here and there. The positive trade off is that there is real air of suspense -- that anything could happen -- not to mention a feeling of welcome sense of humor and a general lack of pretentiousness. A {|Bennink|} solo recording is almost by definition going to be a little erratic, and in this case that goes for the sound quality, too -- after all, he's constantly moving around the stage. Still, this album does a really good job of capturing {|Bennink|}'s personality and documenting his unique approach to improvisation, and it holds up surprisingly well over repeated listens. ~ William York Less