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Shiver — Shiver Meets Matthew Bourne - Volume 1
(Discus Music 149CD, 2023, CD / DL)

Shiver — Shiver Meets Matthew Bourne - Volume 2
(Discus Music 170CD, 2024, CD / DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2024-04-12

Shiver Meets Matthew Bourne - Volume 1 Cover artShiver Meets Matthew Bourne - Volume 2 Cover art

Shiver is apparently the trio of drummer Joost Hendrickx, electric bassist Andy Champion, and guitarist Chris Sharkey, who also doubles on live processing and production. For these two sessions in July 2021, they teamed up with Matthew Bourne, who plays piano and Memory Moog, all for a couple improv sessions, the first on July 16th (which corresponds to Volume 1), and another session on July 17th (Volume 2). With a powerful attack, the quartet launched this two-day marathon session following months of lockdowns and cancellations from the covid pandemic, which all happened at Bourne’s house in Airedale, Yorkshire, UK. For both sessions these musicians were primed and ready to explore in a thoroughly free improvisational setting where each brings something to the table as the sessions unfold; there are no rules, no cadence, no solos per-se but that said, each player gets plenty of time in the spotlight as well as the background to make their case, joining with the others in various rolling configurations as their music evolves in real time. From the point of view of the listener, the session is mixed such that no instrument dominates for long and one can focus on any of a number of instrumental interactions as each piece goes through a very natural evelution, and thus it never gets old. Volume1 is a marathon 42-minute non-stop session (released in the fall of 2023), while Volume 2 consists of five shorter improvs for a total of about an hour of music. The opener “Chromakode” is particularly interesting as it unfolds with Champion’s brutal bass leading the way, but every piece offers some thing different; it’s not just a rehash of what the group did on Volume 1. So is there more on the cutting room floor? If the Bandcamp notes are to be believed, the two sessions are all there is, but this writer certainly wouldn’t be broken-hearted if more improvisations from these sessions found their way out — there is a very natural chemistry between these four musicians that leaves a listener wanting more.

Filed under: New releases, 2023 releases, 2024 releases

Related artist(s): Shiver

More info
http://discusmusic.bandcamp.com/album/shiver-meets-matthew-bourne-volume-1-149cd-2023
http://discusmusic.bandcamp.com/album/shiver-meets-matthew-bourne-volume-2-170cd-2024

 

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