Interwoven between two sessions with different players, “Everything Forgets” showcases inventive compositions of guitarist Ryan Blotnick interspersed with ambient improvisations. Quartet tracks feature adventurous performances by clarinetist-saxophonist Joachim Badenhorst; trios with bass and drums reimagine the classic format with vital originality, all in vivid hi-res sound.
– Mark Werlin
American guitarist Ryan Blotnick met Belgian reed player Joachim Badenhorst, Irish electric bassist Simon Jermyn, and NY drummer Jeff Williams while touring in Europe in 2008. When Badenhorst and Jermyn moved to New York, the new quartet did a tour and a recording session of new compositions and improvs. Then in early 2009, on tour in Spain with his trio (bassist Perry Wortman and drummer Joe Smith), that band re-recorded the same tunes. This album selects the best takes from the two sessions and sequences them into two album sides. The lighter, groovier post-jazz trio tracks foreground Ryan’s improvising on his compositions, while the quartet often has a heavier, freer avantrock/new music feel. The alternation sets up a series of contrasts and complementarities that make this a musically diverse and emotionally satisfying record. Ryan explains:
“Usually the A side is more flashy and meant to draw you in, and then the B side is more adventurous. A lot of the music on Everything Forgets is very demanding, so I’ve shortened some of the freer pieces to a minute or two, and offset them with the lighter, more rational trio compositions. When I hear live music I’m content to sit through long pieces with no apparent direction, but I think an album should be more concise and structured. So I organized the music in a way that people could listen to a half hour of intense music and feel like they had completed something, like a chapter. I want people to think of Everything Forgets as two albums really, and maybe even take the time to really absorb Side A (tracks 1-8) before moving on to Side B.”
Ryan has written about memory and forgetting and how music moves us: “The process of selecting the best takes, editing and mixing them, and weaving them together to tell a story was an experience not unlike what the brain does as we form memories. Moments in time can’t be repeated in real life; but the ability of music to recreate thoughts, emotions and the feeling of movement through time is truly astounding.” For example: “When the melody is restated after the solos it takes on a new meaning based on what’s been established in the improvised section. This push-and-pull of statement, abstraction (or forgetting), and restatement gives us the sensation of movement in music. It’s the feeling of being brought to a different emotional state, like at the end of a book or movie. But I think this kind of movement is closely related to physical movement and vibration. Music is one of the most subtle types of movement that we can pick up on, and it can be used to evoke other kinds of movement in the brain and in the body. I think good music engages all the different chakras, or energy levels in the body.”
Ryan acknowledges his indebtedness in different pieces to Sonny Rollins, Benoît Delbecq, Skúli Sverrisson, and friends/colleagues Michael Blake, Bill McHenry, and Eivind Opsvik among others. But what one especially takes away from Everything Forgets is an appreciation for his melodic gift (both in the writing and improvising), and how this music indeed evokes a range of feelings with grace and humanity.
Tracklist
Please note that the below previews are loaded as 44.1 kHz / 16 bit.Total time: 00:59:23
Additional information
| Label | |
|---|---|
| SKU | SGL15812 |
| Qualities | DSD 512 fs, DSD 256 fs, DSD 128 fs, DSD 64 fs, DXD 24 Bit, WAV 88.2 kHz, FLAC 192 kHz, FLAC 96 kHz |
| Channels | |
| Artists | |
| Composers | |
| Genres | |
| Instruments | 6-string bass, Bassclarinet, Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone, Drums, Electric bass, Guitar |
| Original Recording Format | |
| Release Date | December 5, 2024 |
Press reviews
Downtown Music Gallery
Young NY guitarist’s second release builds on his acclaimed debut with atmospheric compositions, deep improvising, and responsive group interaction. An acoustic trio and an edgier, more electric quartet provide complementary views of Ryan Blotnick’s distinctive ‘post-jazz’ approach, integrating rhythms, harmonies, and formal structures from rock, classical and world music… Ryan does a good job of creating different and often haunting moods….What is interesting about this disc is that there is nothing too forceful or very “out”. It deals more with somber, late night listening. It’s more about creating a certain vibe of suspense with the occasional ghost floating across the horizon.
SoundStage!
Blotnick’s playing has a unique feel and attack that stems from his adapting the techniques of musicians on other instruments. “I think I was more influenced by saxophone players,” he says. “My best friends growing up played saxophone (Ned Ferm and Will Jones) and I always went for that super legato sound — maybe that’s why I never learned to play jazz with a pick.” Because he plays with his fingers instead of a pick, his rhythm playing has a full, rich tone and his single-note runs are rounder and more sustained….Blotnick is a strong melodist, and even the album’s free-form sections are engaging and maintain a sense of direction. There are also some familiar touchstones. “Funes the Memorious” is reminiscent of Terry Riley or Soft Machine, and anyone with a passing familiarity with European and American avant-garde music should feel comfortable with the disc’s occasional dissonant passages.
All About Jazz
Devised as an extended suite with improvised interludes, dim ballads and gentle rubato sections, the disc succeeds in drawing the listener into a space that is simultaneously haunting and haunted. Be it during the slow, pounding beats of “Mansell,” or the two pieces entitled “Mainstream,” an ambience of gravity runs through the music.
All About Jazz
Everything Forgets travels through a wide array of textures, moods and atmospheres, at one moment careening through a dense cloud of rhythms, then gliding through a garden of relaxed melodicism….There is a constant sense of mindfulness towards pacing and meaningful juxtaposition, and the smoothness of the transitions attests to both Blotnick’s versatility as an improviser and clarity as a composer and bandleader. One band delivers abstract improvisations like “Funes the Memorious” and “Slowdozer” and also revels in decidedly more textural takes on jazz lyricism, as on “Dark Matter,” a tribute to Parisian pianist Benoît Delbecq featuring Badenhorst’s glowing clarinet tone….The trio covers the lion’s share of Blotnick’s beautiful jazz compositions, offering contrasting takes on “Mainstream” and the country-inspired waltz “Ned Ferm.” The trio setting offers plenty of room for effusive dialogue, which is particularly noteworthy during the dark ruminations of “Judge’s Cave.” Blotnick is a consummate artist. He compiles his well-honed skills in various forms of music to serve as a springboard from which to search constantly for new paths and forms of expression
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