Every so often my paradigms completely shift directions in music. It's like a metamorphosis I have to go through to weed out all the same old stuff I've heard a hundred times over the last few years. Sometimes I need to move on to greener pastures in search of something that will re-inspire my passion for music. Inevitably, I'm always intrigued by where these changes take me and what doors are opened in the process. My new inspiration lately has been jazz, but not the type of jazz you and I are familiar with. Nmperign are not your typical jazz outfit. They are an East Coast duo pushing the envelope of the genre to the end of the earth and flicking it off the edge. Although I've been listening to them for a while now, I never realized that I've not listened to them outside of my home…until today. The truth is that it's distracting to listen to this music when those around you are trying to carry on with their daily lives. You'll need complete solitude to fully involve yourself with this music. Nmperign are a very spacious and quiet (yet sometimes noisy) duo of jazz deconstructionists. When there are spaces of sound, the environment around you becomes a part of the music. In some cases this is good because it can add depths to the music and make the experience different each time. Admittedly, though, it can also be a bit distracting. But, if you are a creative person you can probably think of some great places to listen to this type of stuff.
Nevertheless, Nmperign's music is some of the most interesting I've heard in a long time. It's the most peculiar "jazz" you'll find on just about any continent of the planet. It can be an educational experience listening to how these instruments get used and abused. Imagine, if you will, removing all components of a saxophone and/or trumpet (Nmperign play both) and laying the pieces on the floor to examine; like a diagram. In the most basic sense, this is what Nmperign sounds like. They take the core components of several jazz instruments and deconstruct them to almost nothing. Some of the sounds made here are blatantly funny, but they are also entirely original.
With This Is Nmperign's Second CD, Bhob Rainey and Greg Kelley make it so you hear every particle of sound produced. Every ounce of spit or air pushed through these instruments comes through the speakers in stunning colors and textures. Occasional noise loops by friend Jason Lescalleet and spazz-outs of voice accompany these instruments. You'd almost think they were trying to imitate a duck or other animals with some of the sounds they create. But as you'll soon hear, the deconstructing of what we've known as linear (or even abstract) jazz has been pushed to the limits even further than before. This is improvisation at its most extreme, yet it's somehow very important at the same time.
This Is Nmperign's Second CD, like all their others, is a bizarre journey into music's deep dark closet. It is work that is completely original and doing its own thing. Many may write it off as bizarre noise garbage, but as I continue to search for music that is both unusual and inspiring to me, I can't help but hear Nmperign's contributions and feel that a large portion of today's music is completely bland and unimaginative. I won't lie and say this is the type of album that will create a certain amount of comfort or nostalgia, but it undoubtedly shows there is more to music out there than we currently know possible.
1. Not Yet Winter. Autumn Still.
2. Laughter of Birds Bloody Mud.
3. Bliss Viscera.
4. The Sea Is Never Black.
5.The Moon is a Clear Mark of Midnight.
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