Elliott Sharp - Köln Solo

The Free Jazz Collective 0

By Don Phipps

On his album Kóln Solo, Elliott Sharp continues his mission: to stretch the sound of music. Recorded live, the compositions highlight electronic sounds mixed with guitar – with voicings that seem to stretch from distant galaxies down to the collisions of sub-atomic particles.

His composition “Precis” begins with a kind of drumbeat that evolves into scrapes, tinkles, slides, and almost insect like expressions. The guitar plucking rambles and then explodes, and fierce fingerings combine with dark abstract chords. Think of creaking stairs late at night or the deep harmonies of crickets on a late summer night.

On “Garble,” the pops and clangs startle and amuse. Aggressive attacks with stunning virtuosity greet the listener on “Farrago.” Sharp’s guitar howls like a wounded coyote – alone staring at the night sky. The need to sound tuneful has been jettisoned – replaced with the need to go beyond. The flurries, like snow scattering in strong winds, at times leave one breathless. At other times, the music stretches like a rubber band, always feeling like it’s about to pop but never does.

Sharp admits to being influenced by Jimi Hendrix. And on “Craton,” the long legato arcs of the guitar certainly suggest a distant relationship to the 60s icon. What one must come to understand is that under Sharp, sound becomes music. Now 72, he has not shied away from generating uncompromising efforts. The listener should be prepared for a journey both odd and fascinating. With Sharp’s music, forever is never far away.

This video shows Sharp’s style but it is not from Köln Solo: