On his debut album, composer, improviser, and trumpeter Chris Williams blends pointed drones and dissonances to create tender and contemplative emotional states. In his practice, Williams is concerned with community, emphasizing the importance of working with dancers, artists, and other experimental practitioners. Released Sep. 26 on AKP Recordings, Odu: Vibration II hones in on this collaborative approach, featuring strikingly delicate performances by trombonist Kalia Vandever and saxophonist Patrick Shiroishi.
“Moon” is a haunting, tense, and beautiful opener that sets the tone for the rest of the album. Rough air sounds meld with still drones that patiently ramp up in intensity without hurry, as if letting the world slowly pass by. The entrance of the trumpet is subtle and disguised: maybe it’s a voice, or maybe another synth. But as Williams emerges as the clear soloist, little flares of trumpet riffs bring focus to the growing mass of sound.
“Visage” is guided by Vandever’s present sound, leading a series of poised but dense melodies that leave an imprint even after they’ve faded away. There is a sense of breath to the sonic texture, with Williams and Vandever moving through gentle, reverb-laden oscillations that result in powerful vibrations between the brass voices and synths. The cyclical duo magically feeds into a well of sound, creating a sense of their conversation being frozen in time, and we as listeners are part of the beauty.
“location.echo” draws us beneath the surface of something foreign with rattles, ruptures, and mouthpiece flutters that ignite the dark, forested ambiance. Williams’ fascinating design and execution of this track pares texture down to the bare minimum, with sparse interjections and tiny squeals of brass. The curiosity of what happens next encourages repeat listening to figure out how each of these sounds are brought to life.
As the title might suggest, “Waning” is a brief but poignant study of our awareness. We begin beautifully entranced by the fragility of swinging chimes and birdsong, but how long until we let our attention drift to the faint touch of trumpet in the background? Eventually, the trumpet comes more into focus and recalls the familiar drones once heard in “Moon” and “Visage,” but the pull toward percussive metallic hits guide us toward the final two tracks.
The chimes serve as a bridge to “Stemming outwards,” but a new, anxious bleating takes over the texture before fraying at the seams. The track shapeshifts through loops and repetitions, unfurling into fizzy twists, crunches of synthesizer, and thicker swings of brass notes. Eruptions of air punctuate the sound before we hear Shiroishi’s imploring introduction, that adds raging hot intensity to the mix before easing the tension. As the album’s longest track at over 14 minutes, the duo holds our focus as we yearn for the foundation to crack, but it remains unwavering.
There is a power between Shiroishi’s vocalisations on saxophone and Williams’ push into exasperated chords that offer a sigh of relief on “Stemming inwards.” Here, their joint entrances offer a chorale-like feeling to the soft beating in the background, adding to the finality of this track and allowing the friction of the previous tracks to wash over us.
Odu: Vibration II experiments with push and pull, testing the limits of texture versus sound. The strong collaborative connection between Williams, Vandever, and Shiroishi is clear, with their shared vision creating a masterful record. Ideas have the space to flow and emerge in Williams’ world, allowing for deeper listening within the myriad of soundscapes he melds so mystically.
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