David Behrman - Leapday Night (1991 compi of works 1983-90)

The second album by US composer David Behrman continued the computer-music experiments of his first, On The Other Ocean.  The hardware and software had been upgdraded, now coming with a colour graphic monitor and pitch sensors to interact with each musician's semi-improvised performance.  Two suites of this nature were released on LP in 1987, the running order of which corresponds to tracks 6, 7, 1, 2, 3 respectively in this expanded CD edition.

Following the CD programming, we're first given the title suite in its three 'Scenes'.  Supported by Rhys Chatham, the main instrumentalist is Ben Neill, inventor of the electroacoustic 'mutantrumpet' which was designed to easily produce quarter tones and wider sonoritiy and was then further modified by Robert Moog. 

The two parts of A Traveller's Dream Journal that come next are the work new to the CD, and were recorded in Berlin in 1988 and finished in New York in 1990.  As well as the bouncing, twisting electronics, percussion and further keyboards flesh this one out into the most engrossing part of the collection.  Lastly, violinist Takehisa Kosugi fronts Inrerspcies Smalltalk, a commission for a dance piece by John Cage & Merce Cunningham, with some gorgeous playing.  Listening to the whole collection is like a window into some futuristic recording studio with tiny AIs bouncing around the instruments and mixing desk, like zero-gravity balls of liquid.  Highly recommended.

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