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Mutable Music Dan Joseph : Archaea (US,2006)**°°

This recording of New York based composer Dan Joseph consists of three recent extended chamber works: 'Percussion and Strings' (2004), 'Archaea Quartet' (2001), and 'Lotus Quintet' (2003). The Dan Joseph Ensemble consists of Tom Chiu (violin), Michael Lowenstern (clarnet), Danny Tunick (percussion), Marija Ilic (harpsichord), Loren Dempster (cello) and Dan Joseph himself on hammer dulcimer.

What is clear to me in Dan Joseph's pieces is how he tries different ideas of minimalism, of which some are more rewarding than others. Luckily the performance by the group is brilliant, precise and fluent at the same time. Especially the first two pieces show rewarding and fresh ideas. “Percussion and strings” starts while using minimalist ideas, with a kind of Celtic folk (rock) flavour. Dulcimer and harpsichord here fit very sound-related like united in close family. The piece evolves over certain melodic evolutions with some looped repetitions. The second part starts with mathematical changes in repetitive variations on harpsichord. When it seems to form its own logical field, then are added cello and violin and bass xylophone (?), in a hypnotic way, but fresh in nature as a composition, with a certain Terry Riley touch. With the hammered dulcimer coming thoroughly to the fore, the music gets a different, slightly improvised shape with the dulcimer as the fundament, because of the choice this instrument makes already a different sound of minimalism. When the harpsichord is added again, it plays like notes for swing. The cello with bit of percussion and harpsichord conclude with a chamber like vision. The last and shortest part, played with the same instruments, is the moodiest part, with the dulcimer as rhythm drive, with touches of harpsichord chords and moody cello almost like wind instruments and violin on top. The main piece, “Archaea Quartet” swings its themes, using the minimalist theme as an instrument on its own, while switching melodic themes on top of it, then moves like a toy clock with some variations of the play. The second part of it starts with a “rock” like melodic theme, in repetition and loop, with first one, then two and then three layers of it (in the bass line section, mid tones section and in high note registers), like a fundamental rock/jazz piece -even without percussion-, turned into a classical piece, with the impression of a rather heavy rewarding rock theme. This is repeated a second time, without leading at first to something else, but then clearly it falls back to its minimalist nature, before it gets another theme origin with only a few changing notes, like a one-note harpsichord, a slightly improvising dulcimer, a theme repetition on harpsichord, and a clarinet improvisation on this theme. Very enjoyable. The last piece, “Lotus Quintet”, completely falls back on over-minimalism and basic repetitions, tic-tac clock rhythms, and little variation or ideas. It still is consumable, it is not yet boring, but is on the edge of irritating because the content is stretched without much reasons, and there is minimalism without showing any reasons as some kind of essence. The group performance makes the best of it. But it is the first two pieces or 35 minutes of the CD especially which shows fresh visions.

Ampersand
Subject: &notes 2006_1 the resurrection issue
http://ampersandetc.virtualave.net/ampersand.html

This disk just came in, but it’s not a temporal organisation here – there are some who have been waiting longer (such as Taming Power) but this struck a chord. Dan Joseph plays hammer dulcimer – an instrument which probably brings folky music to mind, though Laaraji brought it into the ambient new age field. I put this on an was transported. This is composed music for ensembles that include violin, cello, harpsichord, clarinet and percussion. The first reference was the Penguin Café Orchestra – the sound, vibrancy, joy and tempo. Then I realised that this was minimalism of a high order – rapid repeated elements, slow change and then sudden shifts, percussive beds with melodies embedded within them. The three pieces are similar but very different, shifting hypnotically with wonderful solos, ensemble drives, melding of smaller units. The selection of instruments provides some wonderful conjunctions, where harpsichord and dulcimer merge, or the slow emergence of violin or cello lines from within a dulcimer solo, so that it gradually dawns what is going on. There are some choppy moments, a lovely period of scales in the middle of the title piece, and so much to listen to
and enjoy. A fabulous album.

GAZ-ETA | recenzje - numer 49 - LISTOPAD 2006 11/22/2006 08:05 AM
http://www.gaz-eta.vivo.pl/gaz-eta/recenzje/gazeta.php?nr=49&id=s_8

Hammer dulcimer has not received the respect it deserves among the contemporary music scene, which is why Dan Joseph's debut "Archaea" is such a welcome sign. This hammer dulcimer player and composer leads six piece ensemble through three extended pieces that glide along the minimal path, while at the same time, retain a certain rich improvisational edge.
Harpsichord player Marija Ilic along with string section [violinist Tom Chiu and cellist Loren Dempster] are largely responsible for this never-ending concoction of glistening sound that moves as much as it remains still in one place. Through and through, this is an outstanding release.

NewMusicBox 08/06/2006 09:04 PM
http://www.newmusicbox.org/earmark.nmbx Page 1 of 2

NYC-based Bay Area transplant Dan Joseph's hypnotic webs of sound are reminiscent of early minimalism and psychedelia. His penchant for the unexpected, however – like combining harpsichord and hammered dulcimer – takes what he does somewhere else. Then there's the music itself, which paradoxically sets up and then demolishes the rigid formalism of process music. Near the end of his 2004 composition Percussion and Strings, a sound emanates from the ensemble that sounds like a gunshot. It's an extremely unsettling moment made all the more so by the seeming comfort zone which preceded it and, as so, is an extremely apt musical metaphor for the world today.
—FJO

Startling Moniker 11/22/2006 09:29 AM
http://startlingmoniker.wordpress.com/

November 21st, 2006 by startlingmoniker Take a good look at the cover art of Dan Joseph’s Mutable Music release “Archaea.” Do you see where this is going? Apparently, right off the edge of the case, which is a subtle nod in the right direction– full-on minimalism, and in three flavors, no less. Joseph, a hammer dulcimer virtuoso and constant on the New York scene; presents three ensemble works for combinations of violin, cello, harpsichord, clarinet, percussion, and hammer dulcimer. Of course, the old redflag word “minimalism” gets to raise its Janic spectre again– just another reason to listen, in my opinion. On one hand, the ensemble does let phrases have their head– and Joseph is a machine on his dulcimer– so the element of repetition is definately present. However, a listener would be a fool to ask for more detail; the apparent simplicity of phrasing conceals just how much is actually happening. This is especially true in the interaction between hammer dulcimer and harpsichord, where I often find myself listening to a mixture of them both, without fully grasping either. In my favorite passages, such as towards the end of the “Lotus Quintet,” multiple instruments mirror each other’s notes, creating hybrid “super-notes”. Nevertheless, “Archaea” is easy on the ears, with a crisp, unencumbered sound perfect for the “repeat one disc” setting on your stereo. For Joseph, “Archaea” knocks one out of the park, meeting Mutable Music’s worthy goal of releasing music that will “engage the mind and the heart,” as well as providing an example of everything that can go deliciously right with minimalist work.

Vital Weekly 537 - CD feature, Experimental 11/30/2006 09:40 AM
http://www.tokafi.com/newsitems/vital-weekly-537

When I opened the package containing this CD, I immediately thought this would be more music for fellow writer Dolf Mulder, but out of curiosity I played it first. Dan Joseph is a composer who has been working inside the experimental tape music underground since the late 80s, but later on went to get degrees at CalArts and Mills College. As instrument he plays the hammer dulcimer. On 'Archaea' he plays this instrument, along with a small ensemble, of violin, clarinet, percussion, harpsichord and cello. Joseph says to be influenced by the first generation of minimalists, and that is well heard throughout these three pieces (all between fifteen and twenty minutes). I played this with curiosity and fell in love with this. Especially the first two pieces, 'Percussion And Strings' and 'Archaea Quartet' are great. It's an odd mixture of minimalism, along Steve Reich's early seventies works (like 'Octet', but then without any wind instruments), oriental (eastern Europe), baroque and even medieval at times. Melodies flow by, instruments shift about and small webs are formed and shaped. The hammer dulcimer gives the music a certain drive, hammering (pun intended) the basic chords of the pieces. That adds an element of 'rock music' to the pieces. Think The Lost Jockey (when is that coming on CD?), Micheal O'Shea and a very mild Glenn Branca meeting Steve Reich and Micheal Nyman. There are so many links to so many people, but Joseph knows how to keep his music fresh. That 'Lotus Quintet' is the weakest link, is ok. It has good movements, but somehow the drive is less apparent. Great CD (sorry Dolf).

American Record Guide November/December 2006

Dan Joseph as he appears on Archaea is an unreconstructed minimalist, looking to Reich and Riley of four decades ago, though he to was brought up on a mixed diet of rock, funk, and punk and often approaches his band as, wll, a band. His delightfully chipper hammered dulcimer infiltrates each piece, and the title work is so cell-based that one can enjoy hamming along with the harpsichord and strings, picking out the various patterns as they emerge and evolve. If you enjoy old-school minimalism, you'll probably enjoy this.