Graveyards are the most organic and traditionally structured of all of John Olson’s (Wolf Eyes) side projects. With improvisational jazz relying more these days on chemistry than the highs and distances of what’s left to explore, this trio are consistently drawing me ever closer, and deeper, to the heart of their sound.
This delicate looking one-sided vinyl sees the trio of horns / reeds, percussion and cello blend themselves into one nearly fourteen minute distillation of minds. Very surprisingly for a Graveyards release this seems to take a little while to warm up, and it’s about two and a half minutes in before everyone seems to be on the same page. Most of Ben Hall’s percussion work sounds more like charnel house floor scraping than anything to do with keeping tempo. But when he does pick up the traditional sticks it’s a slow loose skinned walk, a rhythmless funereal paced New Orleans summons.
This single piece is split by several silent lulls creating gaps of ever lengthening shadows. These aren’t tension creators or breathing spaces but take the shape of another player in Graveyards’ unsettling mix. The overall aura is an unfriendly but not aloof one. It doesn’t take long to become accustomed to the language and interplay between the sax and cello. Hans Buetow abuses the cello in a typically un-cello fashion, the staccato slides stabbing into and pushing against the other instruments. Alongside Stephen Thrower (Cyclobe / Coil), John Olson remains one of the most ignored and underrated free horn players around today. His lines weep and roar, taking the lead several times but never centre stage. At times it even sounds positively lonesome.
Vulture’s Banquet is all about textures and spaces in the sound, and unlike some free playing groups I don’t need hours of close listening study to hear the magic. This is instant, first listen deep stuff and this proves the chemistry is still going strong.
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