Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Furt: Omnium

172

Furt: Omnium

By

Sign in to view read count
Furt: Omnium
Live in concert, laptopists (is that a word?) can be a rather boring spectacle; it is frequently so difficult to see or understand what they are doing that they might as well be playing pre-recorded music while spending the concert shopping online or checking their email.

Furt is definitely an exception to that generalisation; although it remains almost impossible to know exactly what these two players are doing, they throw themselves into their work in concert, presenting an animated and dramatic spectacle in which they make grand gestures and interact well, often seeming to bat sounds backwards and forwards to and from each other.

Of course, none of that matters when one is listening to this CD; there is no spectacle, only sound. Nonetheless, the energy that they demonstrate live does carry over to their recordings, and their speed of thought and reaction means that their music is constantly in motion, constantly changing as one reacts to the other's reaction to the first and so on, back and forth.

The range of sounds on display here is breathtaking, and the two musicians never seem to fall back on a stock repertoire. The end result can be rather too hyperactive; sometimes one longs for some respite from the ever-changing onslaught of sounds, a chance to catch one's breath, but prolonged drones or ambient sounds are not to be found here.

The music is undoubtedly thrilling, but also overwhelming. Maybe the best advice I can offer the listener is to enjoy this music in bite-size chunks, rather than trying to consume the album whole.

Track Listing

Ever; obliged; yet; us.

Personnel

Furt
 

Richard Barrett: live electronics; Paul Obermayer: live electronics.

Album information

Title: Omnium | Year Released: 2007 | Record Label: Psi

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Sensual
Rachel Z
Over and Over
Tony Monaco Trio
Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.