Philip Blackburn - 2023 - Ordo

(138:39; Neuma Records)

Track list:
1. Weft Sutra 7:35
2. Ordo 19:48
3. The Song of the Earth 12:38
4. The Sound of a Going in the Tops of the Mulberry Trees 11:23
5. Lilacs and Lightning 4:34
6. Albi 21:29
7. A Cambridge Musick: Solve Et Coagula 13:41
8. Over Again 9:47
9. More Fools Than Wise 6:22
10. Sonata Homophobia 10:55
11. Unearthing 3:55
12. Stuck 2:32
13. Air: Air, Canary, New Ground 13:56

Line-up:
Philip Blackburn - instruments and electronics
with:
Nirmala Rajasekar - veena
Glen Whitehead - guitars
Michael Miller - guitars
Ryann Daisy Swimmer - guitars
Haley Olson - guitars
Jeff Johnson - guitars
Ryland Angel - voice
Patti Cudd - vibraphone
NO EXIT New Music Ensemble
Emanuele Arciuli - piano
The Mänk Quartet
Galan Trio
Dimitris Kountouras - recorder
Dimitris Azorakos - drums
Quey Percussion Duo
Carrie Henneman Shaw - vocals
Zachery Meier - flute
Chris Mann - voice
University of Minnesota Solo Improvisers
UCCS Creative Music Ensemble
Gunnar Owen Hirthe - clarinet
Nicholas Underhill - piano


US based composer and musician Philip Blackburn is, from what I understand, a veteran in the field of experimental music and what I have seen described as "new music". His merits as a composer goes back to the early 1980s, and he has a handful of albums released under his own name featuring material he as created. In addition to his work as a creator of music he has also had a hand in releasing music by others, first during a three decades long tenure on the label Innova Recordings, and for the past few years as the director of new music record label Neuma Records. His latest release as a composer is called "Ordo", and this double album was released through aforementioned Neuma Records.

It is quite the intriguing journey we are taken on in the landscapes explored here. There are most certainly creations here that, at least to my mind, have been made more with an aim and a purpose to make the listener think and reflect about what they have heard rather than to function as strict entertainment. Cue, for instance, 'Sonata Homophobia' or 'Unearthing'. Other creations here have quite clearly been made in order for the listener to get and gain enjoyment to a greater degree than to inspire reflection. The title track 'Ordo' being a good example of this, as well as the concluding 'Air: Air, Canary, New Ground'.

This is a trip between the conventional and the unconventional, with a clear emphasis on the latter. The drone and sitar combination of 'Weft Sutra' an intriguingly beautiful and exotic opening to this musical universe, and the sacral moods created by vocals and drones of a different variety on the already referenced 'Ordo' is a tasteful and mesmerizing experience indeed. For my sake I found the alluring sounds used on 'The Song of the Earth' to be the most transfixing here, where the vibraphone and windharp combination creates a sound that in my mind came across as a mix between a bell and the organ, a sound that was quite the hypnotic one to listen to and with the resonances creating a most beautiful impression indeed.

Other creations here are rather more challenging than these of course. Quite a few that makes use of fragmented sounds and voice effects of different kinds, and some of which combine such features with a more alluring and compelling arrangement. With the already mentioned 'Sonata Homophobia' a brilliant example of just that. And, I surmise, this creation probably not one safe to play at work if you work in Washington DC in any government position these days either when it comes to that.

Those fond of more conventional music will find instances of this too. The most striking example of this, in my humble opinion, is the playful, elegant and sometime subtly dramatic creation 'Albi', clocking in at a bit over 20 minutes and a composition that I'd guesstimate belongs to the chamber music tradition of classical music.

This is an album where the light and the dark both have their place, where the beauty as well as the beast are present in terms of the musical landscapes are concerned. Music for the heart and the soul, but also music for the mind. Creations to enjoy, and creations that force the listener into reflection and introspection. A multifaceted affair, with contrasts on many different levels. This is a double album that should be quite the intriguing experience for those who find just as much joy in new and experimental music as they do when listening to traditional creations exploring the legacies of the classical music tradition, even if there is quite a bit more of an emphasis on the former than the latter.

Olav M. Björnsen, January 2025

Links:
http://www.philipblackburn.com/
https://neumarecords.org/