Misha Feigin | Floating Bridges

Floating Bridges radiates with high energy interplay from the first notes and reveals a musical dynamism of fluid invention and sympathetic creation from the String Trek duo of violist La Donna Smith and guitarist Misha Feigin. Recorded in June, 2007 at the “Meeting of Improvisers” in Krakow, Poland, the set opens with the nineteen-minute “Krakow Concerto.” After the initial shock but superficial comparison to the duo of Smith and guitarist Davey Williams heard live during the 1970s-80s, String Trek comes crisply into focus with its own characteristic sound and approach. This well recorded live performance captures the duo at a high point of artistic collaboration. — Thomas Gaudynski Continue reading

Misha Feigin | Waters Ashore

This recording documents a musical journey that the three of us took, meeting for the first time in Louisville, Kentucky on June 28, 2006, and embarking on a three hour musical recording session together. All pieces on this recording were improvised in the spirit of communal musical exploration and mutual respect. Waters come ashore, bringing with it the debris from the depths of the ocean. Like our imagination reveals the tide of our traditions and experience, we are left with the evidence of natural change and assimilation. Drink deep. Continue reading

Misha Feigin | Both Kinds Of Music

If you’ve never heard a free-style jazz duet between a balalaika and a dobro, and you have a desire to do so, this CD should appeal to you. Actually, this is much more than a novelty album, as Feigin strums his guitar-like balalaika and classical guitar through seven jazz duets with Elliot Sharp (dobro), Davey Williams (electric guitar), Craig Hultgren (cello), LaDonna Smith (violin), and Eugene Chadbourne (banjo and guitar). The star billing is entirely appropriate, as each track is a stunning display of string improvisation. There is lots of variety as not only do the instruments and players alternate, but so do the free improvisations. Surprisingly accessible and at times even soothing, there is plenty of stridency, too. The duel with Hultgren is a particular highlight, as the violinist dances gingerly, without missing a step. Feigin (no relation to Leo Feigin, the producer) is strong throughout and a perfect partner. — Steve Loewy Continue reading

EX-P | Ancora Saigon | fratto 9

Improvisation and an estranged kind of sound are still the main features, searched inside the huge territories of rock. We’re aware of being a little late, we often look to a musical world and way of making music that’s run beside the times. The two electric basses can explore deeply the heaviness and versatility of the only true contemporary musical instrument, so technologic on the surface and neo-tribal at the core. Drums can distract from rhythms, sometimes becoming an acoustic colour and environmental noise generator. Continue reading

EX-P | Carpaccio Esistenziale | fratto 9

Entity formed by musicians strongly professing their psychedelic faith sons of post-modern breaking-up, incapable of choosing between jazz noise and Italian tunes of Japanese manga, ill at ease in paying our respects both to Pink Floyd and to the most tremendous metal. After ten years, conflagration leaves room to the need of building up a more constant and meditative way, creating EX-P. Continue reading

A Spirale | Agaspastik | fratto 9

Try to imagine Kevin Drumm and Bhob Rainey playing rock together, with a drummer that deviate their already deviant music playing something coming from the sixties. The aim is to make music “not playing” (barbarous music, quoting Cornelius Cardew), a torn body that spits blood, whose only movement is generated by spastic contractions due to injuries. Agaspastik represents the “step beyond” of A Spirale, that from electroacoustic destructuration of “Porosità” (cd-r) and “Gariga” (SM – 1360) expand their range of possibility and control over the sound matter, losing themselves in the languages of radical improvisation, of power noise, of punk… Very dark and violent music, with bewildering moments of melody… Continue reading