Sylvie Courvoisier

Recorded live in her hometown of Lausanne, Switzerland last spring, Lonelyville is in fact four discrete compositions by the extraordinary Sylvie Courvoisier written with plenty of room for improvisation and a kind of collective compositional aesthetic. Heard most recently on last year’s stunner, Malphas (from John Zorn’s Book of Angels), Courvoisier and partner, violinist Mark Feldman, give free rein to their most adventurous spirits, joined by Ikue Mori on electronics, Vincent Courtois on cello and the remarkably expressive percussion of Gerald Cleaver. Blending loose, free form musicianship with occasionally straightforward orchestration, Courvoisier plays to various members’ strengths, on display most vividly on the title track. Opener "Texturologie” lives up to its name, sliding luxuriantly from languid orchestral build-up to frenetic staccato piano, with exceptional violin from Feldman and electronic shading from Mori that engages yet another dance within the larger piece. The second piece, "Cosmorama,” and "Contraste 2005” include the most evocative work from Mori, with textures that skitter and morph from sounds like alien ships making contact to an explosive chorus of frogs in spring. Understated but vital throughout is the drumming of Cleaver, whose dance with Courvoisier marches straight down the middle of "Cosmorama,” rubbing up in a most disorienting way against Feldman’s Bartok moments. This is vivid, joyous and confidently executed. (Intakt)