Recorded in London, UK, February 2008.
From soothing moments of calm reflection to jagged swipes at the psyche, the collective voices of HUMI form textures, moods, improvisation and formal compositions into a cohesive, expressive language. Beyond the confines of genre, there's an eloquent, spellbinding quality that arises when two risk-taking players go exploring. Subtle, exotic and eloquent, don't expect anything obvious from Hugh Hopper and Yumi Hara Cawkwell.
"Of the many recordings electric bass guitarist Hugh Hopper has produced over three decades since leaving Soft Machine, this one might be the bravest and most distinctly innovative and atmospheric of his career. With the bassist teamed with keyboardist and vocalist Yumi Hara Cawkwell, the paradox of a hot, steamy desert caravan as opposed to cold and bleak deep space is somehow conjured and realized. ...A strange and wonderful confluence of modernity, scientific experimentation, and futuristic vision, this may very well be Hugh Hopper's most challenging recording date since his epic 1984, and a coming out for the intriguing ideas proffered by Cawkwell." - Mihael Nastos, All Music Guide/Billboard.com
"With an emphasis on atmosphere and color, Dune is the kind of experimentation that explains why, forty years on, Hugh Hopper continues to be a vital, if not undervalued, explorer of uncharted sonic territory." - AllAboutJazz.com
"Hugh Hopper's constant moving into different realms and areas has also kept his music fresh, kept him fresh and allowed him to continue to be a vital musician now and not just be 'the legendary ex-Soft Machine bassist and composer" - Wayside Music, USA
"In tentative explorations, humming bass and spectral piano fragments circle each other warily, like gunfighters looking for some kind of giveaway gesture of intent, while distant, mournful, wordless vocals accrue in deepening layers like a weeping tragic chorus. The result is a menacing alienating ambient landscape: bravely uncomfortable music that never takes the easy route. " - JazzWise Magazine, UK
"If you’re one of those who has a problem putting your imagination to work, have no fear, as the artists duly inject an ethereal and somewhat prismatic sequence of events into your mind’s eye. Sit back, relax and relieve yourself of life’s trivialities because the Humi will take you for a highly imaginative exposition that you may never forget. " - JazzReview.com |