When not immersed in academia as a professor of music at New Mexico State University, Rhonda Taylor is an improvising saxophonist of a singular character. The premise behind the works on chaos theory is the topic’s notion of the importance of initial conditions and preconditions. A slight change here or there somewhere in the timeline can lead to different results – perhaps dramatically different results.
Taylor explores these concepts by recording each solo sax track of the album twice using similar starting points and approaches regarding texture, form, and processing. She employs said free improvisation, however, resulting in each take having a different length, nature, and overall sound.
For instance, the morning after (a side) exhibits squeaking that mimics birdsong in a quiet but breathy environment, while the morning after (b side) is more focused on bursts of whistling sculpted static. Both takes of chorale involve slow-moving drones. Not unlike that is the beginning(s) of event horizon, which includes bassy multiphonics before morphing into passages of distortion, grittiness, and noise walls.
But even without the conceptual grounding, Taylor’s preparation and playing result in a compelling listen. She makes generous use of space, forming silence into an accompanying instrument. The result is expressive while fluctuating between degrees of harshness and discord. Despite their basis in spontaneous composition, Taylor’s works exhibit the subtle intentionality of deeper intellect at play.
Avant Music News 