KO SOLO – aka Kate Olson, one of the curators of this fine collection of sounds, has contributed the smoldering, meditative “selfexploration” to the pot, and it’s a perfect encapsulation of what made me want to collaborate with her as a performer, and as co-curator of this compilation (along with the brilliant Leanna Keith; see track 4). It starts with a gorgeous, fluttering melodic run, drenched in reverb, that folds back in on itself and becomes the bed for more pointed musings, bursting into our awareness like stars flickering into place in the night sky. Then the low end comes in, that gorgeous baritone (or, bass? I really should be able to tell the difference) sax putting down roots to hold it all in place.
The piece continues to unfold over the next few minutes, Kate employing different horns and effects to create her own intergalactic orchestra of one. You want it to go on forever, or at least for another five or ten or twenty minutes, but she elegantly lands the plane just before the five-minute limit she and Leanna (cruelly or tastefully, depending on your point of view) imposed on us all for our submissions, leaving you with a feeling of calm and closure, despite the desire for infinitude.
If, like me, you do want more of this, and to see how it happens in the moment, in person, then you absolutely must join us tomorrow night at Vermillion for our Ball of Wax 71 celebration. See you there!