Hazevoet, Kees/Han Bennink - Calling Down the Flevo Spirit CD
SKU
21--ATAVISTIC259
"When we made Calling Down The Flevo Spirit in September 1978, Han and I had been playing together off and on in different groups and combinations since early 1967, when Han joined Willem Breuker’s large orchestra (of which I had been a member for a year). Later that year, we played in various groups led by others, as well as with my own. In 1969, we did a couple of duo gigs, but it was only in 1977 that this became regular practice. In that year we started our regular rehearsals, mostly at Han’s countryside studio, which continued until late 1979. During that period we came together weekly, playing all day, resulting in 100s of hours of (low-fidelity) tapes. As there was no piano at Han’s studio, I concentrated on clarinet, violin, trumpet and an array of percussion instruments, leaving the piano for the occasional gigs we did together. During these years, I also continued playing with Louis Moholo, like I had done since 1970, and on many occasions both Han and Louis were present in my groups. Having worked with these two masters of the drums so closely has been a true joy in my life. Flevo Spirit resulted from three days of playing and recording. For the occasion, I had arranged for some better recording equipment, which we operated ourselves. One day was spent in Han’s studio, where we went through the whole scala of devices that we had incorporated over the previous years. Another day was spent recording in Amsterdam, Holland, which resulted in the parts with piano. Finally, we went out to the newly reclaimed land (Flevoland, Holland) and spent a day in the reedbeds. It was hot and sunny and different species of stinging insects were abundant. All of this resulted in many hours of tape, from which I eventually made a small selection to go on record. The whole thing was a “do-it-yourself” affair, as I also did the studio work and the cover myself. The “low-fidelity” and “non-glossy” result was precisely what I had in mind. Over the years, my idea of “music” had become more and more directed towards having it as natural and spontaneous as possible, without preconceived ideas about how “music” should sound or be organized. Apart from listening to human-made music of all sorts, my long-standing interests in natural history made that my ears were open to the natural sounds that surround us. Since childhood, I had a preference for the outdoors and spent many days in the woods, fields, and dunes. During the second half of the 1970s, my biological interests deepened and widened more and more until I reached the point where I could just sit and listen to whatever sounds there were — wind, birds, waves, whatever. Sometimes, I took some instruments with me and I still have many hours of outdoor recordings. Some listeners may perhaps not call this “music.” So be it, call it whatever you want. Flevo Spirit is the result of many long hours of concentrated playing and practicing and I admit to having been quite satisfied with the result."-Kees Hazevoet, 2009
- LabelAtavistic
- UPC735286225921