"Surprisingly TRANSITIONS is only the third time these three women have performed together. Surprising because they perform with such elegant precision that it is difficult to believe they have not been playing together all their lives, or at least for many years. These seven pieces are distinguished as some of the finest music of the genre. There is sensitivity and softness, tempered by an approach that eschews limits so that surprises abound. The fundamental sound of Nicol's remarkable voice plus alto sax and viola works on several levels. At times the instruments seem like props for the voice, but most of the time there is an egalitarian process, where all three merge as one. The ranges of all three are similar, too, weaving lines that meld and then unravel mysteriously. On Undercurrents, Nicols cries like a wounded cat, and moans like a woman giving birth, while on the incredible Hymn Indoors, there is a simplicity that reflects a mesmerising commixture of blurred vibrations. This is serious free improvisation, with roots digging back to the 1960s, but it retains fresh, vivifying, and uplifting qualities based on constant changes and disruptions. It is hard to believe that the sounds were created by only three persons; the complexity, diversity, and pristine beauty of the product signal a hearty embrace of the non-commercial, while pure exhilaration fills the recording."
STEVEN LOEWY - CADENCE 2002
"There are not enough women in free improvisation. Coming across an all-female trio like this one, the statistic becomes a burden: we need more women in free improvisation! It would probably be cliché to write about the special sensibility and sensuality they bring to the genre, something no man can emulate, but the fact remains that this session between vocalist Maggie Nicols, saxophonist Caroline Kraabel and viola player Charlotte Hug is pure gold and that one wishes there were more like it to go around. The acoustics of the Conway Hall apply extra lustre over the seven pieces. The three musicians move like a three-headed entity, but Nicols' distinctive voice tends to lead them. Not that she shuts out input from the other two, but her 'voice' is the most distinctive of the group and it acts like a pied piper. The highlight is Hymn Indoors, incredibly synergistic and rapturing - this track should never end, mostly because of Hug's microtonal textures. Highly recommended."
FRANÇOIS COUTURE |