Michael Rosenstein

Memorize the Sky is the name of the collective trio of reed player Matt Bauder, bass player Zach Wallace, and percussionist Aaron Siegel. The three began performing together in Ann Arbor in the late ’90s and went on to study with Anthony Braxton at Wesleyan University. While this is the first official release as a trio (aside from three selfproduced 3” singles) they appeared together on Bauder’s 2+2 Compositions along with Anthony Braxton (2/06, p.107). The pieces on this release are micro-detailed collective explorations. Harmonics and overtones are floated over quavering drones and oscillating scrims of sound. The short pieces flow into each other gradually progressing from sonic abstractions to lush, free melodicism. After two pieces of gossamer delicacy, the improvisations coalesce around the lilting lyricism of Bauder’s warm, woody bass clarinet, Siegel’s luminous vibes, and Wallace’s dark plucked bass. From there, the trio makes its way through a series of improvisations which evolve into forms of dazzling subtlety and gestural control. The group displays a tensile tripartite balance, combining sterling extended technique and a lush sense of timbre and density to create striations of textural elegance. Their previous release with Braxton showed intriguing promise. With this release, they deliver.

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