Killick is channeling broad influences even in this short piece. I hear shades of Jackson Pollock, Brian Eno, and David Lynch in a mesmerizing blend of creativity and spontaneity. Hats off to this moment of brilliance! (@ShinMadero via YouTube)
Coastal air off the Atlantic seeps in under Sandy Hook, slyly flirting with Navesink River dampness, the extended New York metro tang of NJ Turnpike combustion and chemical refineries. Onshore, offshore. Giants to the north, Eagles to the south. Manhattan commuters. Money.
Chris Buono will flit through this mist, reaching up with (funk you) Jersey Attitude™ to grab Big Apple brass and polish it against shore prog rhythms. Triumph Brewing Company, Red Bank, New Jersey is our venue, as he prepares to take onstage residency for the next several months.
Risk is real…
He’s coming in cold, struggling—rehabilitating—excruciating left arm pain via pinched nerves in his spine. This band is total raw bar, two hours of rehearsal and digital chord charts as guidance through an improv jazz wilderness marshland.
Chris debuting two new guitars I built for him: his custom multiscale fretless “Fragile” and “Green Monster” who is also holding my tremolo. Cody McCorry is playing another build so fresh the finish is still drying: “Orchid” bass. New and unfamiliar instruments for both of these masterful players. And a chance to capture their sounds live, in the wild.
We are in this together. Tonight is opening night.
With the recording, I am seeking to capture the village vanguard intimacy of Bill Evans. Snapshot this moment. Band banter. Audience chatter, barstools and glasses. 1961 turns 2022. Killick Hinds beautifully brings his touch to the mixing and mastering. Deeply grateful we had this opportunity to work together.
Credits:
Chris Buono — music & guitar
Anibal Rojas — synth sax
Cody McCorry — bass
Faye Fadem — drums
Killick Hinds — mixing & mastering
Rick Toone — recording & production
“If I died right now I would want you to show the world ‘Raining Caterpillars’ and say this what I truly sounded like when I was dialed in. For that I’m indebted to you both.” (Chris Buono)
Most of us approach music through a learned set of cultural filters. We are anticipating melody, harmony, a sequence of chord progressions structured and arranged around twelve notes separated by semitone intervals spaced with rhythmic regularity.
Killick bypasses all that with Imbricate. I love the surprise.
It may be useful to reframe his music in context of visual artists. He is possibly most similar to Jackson Pollock, in intention to avoid conventional structure. Splashes of texture and color created with appreciation for coincidences inside improvisation.
There is the deliberate meticulousness of sculptor Andy Goldsworthy. Use of natural materials, organic acoustic sounds, placed within form-following human intervals of breathing and pulse. Sudden changes of direction, of attention, bird flocks responding to air currents.
Sometimes shiny kitschy repurposed cultural artifacts like Jeff Koons. Atari guts cross-wired to dismembered Buzz Lightyear, bleeping MIDI and following the main action, commenting arcade-speak.
Instrumentation:
Track 1: Demi 8-string multiscale fretless
Track 2: Symbiote 8-string bass harp (seen in Imbricate music video)
Track 3: Walrus 6-string multiscale fretless with MIDI
Track 8: Demi 8-string multiscale fretless with MIDI
Recently this last year, Killick helped co-found Habitable Records, bringing his exceptional editing and production skills to the new label.
What did fine arts painting look like at the moment of Picasso?
Killick Hinds has a significant history of recording with some of the most interesting artists. Players who are pushing limits and exploring boundaries.
Yesterday, I asked him if he wanted to record something together. I truly don’t believe you can fully understand Killick’s genius until you actually work with him.
“The interplay of Killick’s 8-string you built and the great range of the tremolo is very exciting. Your playing is exciting, love diving the vibrato at the end of a phrase — reminds me of cutting the power on a tape machine. Reminds me of Xenakis textural language. Excited to hear more of it and see how that thing is working!” (Andy Pitcher, StringJoy)
