released July 27, 2016

Massimo Ricci, touching extremes
JOURNEY OF SIMURGH
Jim Franklin, Shakuhachi, Live Elektronik
Hubert Bergmann, prepared piano

The shakuhachi is the Zen instrument par excellence, and Hubert Bergmann is a man who – despite his training in free jazz and modern composition – is entirely aware of the value of rational quietness and instrumental placement during the act of playing. The same, naturally, seems to apply to Jim Franklin whose art I had never met before. As a consequence you have one of the finest Mudoks releases, eleven duets where the interaction between flute and piano reaches levels of sharp sentience, the resultant music navigating antithetical waters linking gamelan, ceremonial gesture and experimentation with electronics, without forgetting the primal substances of improvisation (although the tracks are credited to an individual “composer” every time).

In such a dynamically diverse context, we almost tend to neglect the sheer bravura of each player given the contentment deriving from the action as an expression of integrity. But there’s no question about Franklin and Bergmann’s adroitness, even when the specific voices get noticeably re-adjusted, timbral impairment experienced inside the most radically modified atmospheres. I’m thinking, for instance, of “Approximation”, where the overall texture benefits from repetitively dissonant twisted blowing and sweetly metallic crescendos of pitched droplets. Or the nearly illogical, yet perfectly intelligible visions characterizing a truly great piece titled “Conference”. As the prospects become wider – and this can happen within the ambit of a single track after minutes of hellish clustering – there’s no recyclable word apt to depict a throng of grotesque reverberations, gushing arpeggios and aberrantly twirping tones, which finds no collocation in genres as we know them. Moments of veritable meditation are not missing either, the best example being perhaps the concluding “The 7th Valley”.

This brand of multi-faceted acousmatic vehicle sounds authentic, organic and “animately radical” enough to distance itself – by a marine mile – from certain “experiments” that many so called “explorers” perform with robust safety nets under their predictable flights. Still keeping the spiritual values high, as the head gets thoroughly cleansed from commonplace attitudes towards the various states of contemplativeness.

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JIM FRANKLIN & HUBERT BERGMANN Journeys of Simurgh . The Last 11 Songs ( Mudoks Records , mr 1406-017 ) : Where souls arrange their meetings by swallowing time and space , such as paper with secret codes , where to lose drop in the Ocean of Mystery , as well as the advanced pianist from Überlingen and a Shakuhachimeister closer together , the good vibrations even durchwellten the Benediktushof in wooden churches in Würzburg. That Bergmann also ensures Zengartenkunst has for monastic contemplation and East flights of the mind , one core (or had , the recording was made in 2008 ) , obliges me to readjust my focal sharpness. They greatly expand for clay blows on a prepared piano , which breathes Franklin cherry blossoms, but it also uses live electronics to double its Geflöte . It quickly becomes clear that Bergmann is less interested in traces of silence as to the shaping of creative restlessness. By contrast , the solid and sustained notes of the bamboo flute with percussive clatter and dribble or geharftem Flirrklang from the inner piano. Whereby Franklin not peace of mind (or striving ) with inertia confused . He interacts with miner klanggewaltigem impact and wheels work with the snake dance turns of a double helix and a so complex as pointed question-and- answer game . Bergmann amazed with gepicktem pizzicato , suddenly unprepared clear finger sprints and over again and the Far East a seemingly earthen Gedonge . These leaves flutter Franklin electronic bands or lick also skewed trill . As a two-sided approximations to the trajectories of raindrops , crystalline petals or the protagonist of this bird calls, which is far speedier, sonically opulent and fantastic than you may think . [BA 78 rbd ]

touchingextremes.wordpress.com/2014/01/10/jim-franklin-hubert-bergmann-journey-of-simurgh/

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SIMURGH…
simurgh
im schatten
des prometheus
überwintert
jene nacht
die in
den fluren
weitschwingender gedanken
die tage
in die welt treibt,
zuhauf in
unbekannte schollen
die auf ihren samen
warten,
das kaum mehr
brachliegende eiland
unvernünftiger blicke,
die ratlos
in einer kaschemme
um die wette
jammen,
deren
blitzenden leuchtdiodenaugen
mit einem wink,
des titanen
leber
in einen zustand
erbärmlicher begierde
verwandeln,
dass dieser
seinen adler liebkose,…

das nehmende aber
zu seinem
geber schmilzt
und
den schmerz
zu einer laune der natur,
simurgh,
der beides
in sich brütet,
flug
und
fall,
der in den
wipfeln der abgründe
freundlich
auf und ab
federnde,
an den ellebogen der zeit
die sich im gerangel
alltäglicher routinen
entfesseln will,
der strafe
des lichtraubs
zu entkommen,
eingeschlossen
in dunklen kammern
klammheimlicher echos,
die den grund
erahnen lassen
ohne diesen
zu berühren,
deren einsamkeit
keiner
freundlichen verpackung
bedarf
um in den auslagen
täuschender gesänge
zu überleben,…

prometheus, prometheus
der du
jener hoffnung bedarfst
die im wesen
pandoras box ernährt
und jetzt
blinkblonk
am abgrund
deines kaukasus zerschellt,
vorläufig verstorben
in den
verplauderten kontakthöfen
unheimeliger netzwerke,
in denen der mond
wie eine sichel
das licht zerschneidet
und der versuch
von freundlichkeiten
zu kentern droht,…

darinnen liegt
dein weiter
titan,
das erhellende am leid
ins licht
zu setzen
dem schemel
alter gesänge
beine zu machen
und
des korkenzieherbaum
spiralen,
den weg
in den äther zu zeigen,
dort
wo seelen
ihre treffen verabreden,
indem sie
raum und zeit
wie papier
mit geheimen codes
verschlucken

bergmannhubert.com/2013/03/16/im-schatten/