March 12, 2005
Randy Raine-Reusch | Bamboo, Silk and Stone |Za Discs |
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The latest release by multi-instrumentalist Randy Raine-Reusch is a collection of plucked-string pieces performed in the early 90s. In solo and group settings, he plays six different types of Asian zither, often in tunings and preparations of his own device. It is fitting that the title of the disc, Bamboo, Silk and Stone, draws attention to the materials of which his instruments are made, because the tracks on this disc are, in effect, compositions about composition. Raine-Reusch eschews melody in favor of tonality. His genius is an ability to focus the listener’s attention onto microscopic strata of timbre: the scratch of a plectrum on gut string, the resonance of wood, the moan and whistle of harmonics that usually remain hidden behind fundamental tones.
Raine-Reusch’s collaborations with Mei Han on Distant Wind were sometimes built upon repetitive figures, but these pieces are often quite sparse and either through-composed or improvised. The depth of the performers’ attention is evident in the way a single note arises, blooms, wilts and returns to nothingness. On Bamboo, Silk and Stone, silence is as important as sound and listening as important as playing. In fact, as I play this disc I feel I’m not merely listening to sound, but listening to listening. The tiny worlds of these dioramic recordings slowly open up and envelop you, allowing you to hear with the ears of the performer.