In June 2007, Søren Kjærgaard and T.U. went into Chroma Studios in Seattle, Wash., USA, under the auspices of Johnny Sangster, to record what would become "Suddenly Sound: 21 songlines for piano, drainpipe, etc.". The album (CD and limited-edition LP) will be released March 9, 2009, by ILK Music, Copenhagen.
From ILK Records:
"Ulrich had written a cycle of 21 songlines for the occasion, and these lines (based on a narrative of 10
rootlines) were the departure point for the recording sessions.
"The music was not pre-composed, but took shape as a sequence of improvisations in a minimalistic dialogue with Ulrich’s
voice and words.
"The songlines also were timed and woven into the music, with both participants listening closely to each other. In
other words, Ulrich did not recite the songlines as given or frozen texts from the printed paper, but played
with words and syntactic structures in conversation with the music, as a sort of improvised form where words
or phrases may be repeated, shuffled around or left out.
"Dealing with dynamics of the five elements (earth, water, fire, air, space), the rootlines took the form of two
imaginary practice sessions under the direction of G.I. Gurdjieff, the Armenian philosopher.
"On the album, the full title of which reads, ”Suddenly, Sound: 21 songlines for piano, drainpipe, etc.”, one will hear
Kjærgaard on an old grand piano, played both conventionally and prepared, to extract a wide spectrum of sounds from
the strings. Kjærgaard also plays on a variety of electric and acoustic keyboard instruments, including Farfisa organ,
Wurlitzer, Fender Rhodes Mellotron and toy piano.
"Ulrich is also heard on the interior of the grand piano and on non-traditional instruments such as drainpipe, plunger
mute, marbles, grip strengthener, Chinese steel balls, jar of dice, and ceramic and lacquer bowls..."
Below: video of a recording session for "Suddenly, Sound".
