AS SLOW AS THE STREAM

New solo CD out today on Arkeen, the CD imprint of the excellent Torn Light Records in Cincinnati. "As Slow as the Stream" features one album-length solo violin improvisation, the 33 minute track, "As Slow as the Stream Cuts the Dirt from Beneath." I wanted to improvise a solo under the constraint "no use of space," utilizing constant, unbroken sound and this recording is the result. This is my favorite solo acoustic material thus far, fully embracing the folk and drone influences in my playing, all while maintaining the abrasive approach of my other recordings. The title comes from a line in "Newcomer" by Nathaniel Farrell, one of my favorite books of poetry written by a wonderful person and artist I greatly admire.

Order the CD and stream the album in full here.

From the label:

"After several stand out collaborative releases, including a duo LP with Mark Shippy and another duo LP with Claire Rousay, violinist Alex Cunningham returns to solo form with As Slow as the Stream, an album made up of one 33-minute cat and mouse game titled ‘As Slow as the Stream Cuts the Dirt from Beneath.’

If you've ever watched a cat sneak up on a mouse, you've seen the cat making its way towards its prey so slowly that you barely even notice the cat is moving at all. Similarly, you might not notice a stream in motion, unless you pay close attention. But, we know how quickly a cat can run on a rampage to catch it's prey, or how a stream can quickly turn into turbulent rapids. The playfulness of Cunningham's playing on As Slow as the Stream, recalls both of these situations, ping ponging between quick run ferocious licks, slow tonal clusters, and below the fingerboard extended techniques, that bring to mind both Leroy Jenkins and Henry Flynt. Cunningham's violin on As Slow as the Stream leads you on a journey through the rapids, and just as a cat never gets bored chasing mice, you'll never get bored getting your brain shredded. In fact, you'll be left wanting MORE MORE MORE!"

- Jon Lorenz of Wasteland Jazz Unit

Mastered by Ryan Wasoba.

Violin, cover collage by Alex Cunningham.

Title from "newcomer" (UDP 2014) by Nathaniel Farrell.