Uminari Trio – Sun for the Waxwing CD

In the strange and expansive world of sound art, there is still space for new languages to emerge. Uminari seems at once in search of primordial folk harmonies and rhythm, while also pursuing new freeform explorations that take them in introspective and haunting directions. A longstanding collaboration between Yasumune Morishige on cello, Cal Lyall on banjo and percussion, and James Hullick on prepared piano, vocals and percussion, the group sprang from the 2015 JOLT Sonic Festival at Tokyo's SuperDeluxe, Japan's leading venue for experimental music. Recorded direct to tape at GOK Sound, an analog studio favored by the likes of Keiji Haino, Jim O'Rourke and Otomo Yoshihide, "Sun for the Waxwing" captures the natural empathy between the three musicians. Uminari's ensemble-focused explorations are uncluttered, composed and intentional, while still slipping into bracing moments that teeter on a musical precipice. The group manages to find a singular voice through the album, creating an interwoven, lucid poetry that surfaces amongst ghostly passages of otherworldly incantations.