Dropped today (July 3, 2020) on Tim Berne’s Screwgun Bandcamp site as part of the Bandcamp’s commission-free promotion, (Congratulations to You) is a bonafide treat for those into the progressive, electro-acoustic improvisations of Berne, David Torn and Ches Smith. This new Sun of Goldfinger release is actually the oldest recording of the trio, as it chronicles their very first live performance on December 16th, 2010, supplemented by pieces of later concerts such as one in London that defines the moment when, Torn declares, “Sun of Goldfinger became a band.”
Rest assured, (Congratulations to You) isn’t suddenly thrust into the open after all these years under wraps as something only the most ardent Torn / Berne / Smith fans could appreciate. It’s got two, built-in advantages over their dazzling, self-titled ECM Records debut: one, this one has Berne on his since-retired baritone saxophone as well as his usual alto and two, these recordings were captured live. As well as these musician can deliver in the studio, they are highly instinctual beings first, and sometimes magic happens on stage that can’t be replicated in the sterile environment of the studio.
Berne’s urgent alto sax sets “Bat Tears” into motion, which he later swaps out for the baritone but David Torn has already leaped into mad scientist mode, sampling and looping the mofo out of Berne’s sax to instantly establish an ambient backdrop. Berne’s baritone is soon wrestling with Torn’s guitar in a collision of timbres and approaches. Smith is taking this all in and his drums at first blends into the ratcheting Torn/Berne cage match but soon begins to assert full control behind the kit, pulling the trio from a trot to a full gallop. As the energy fades away, the three collect themselves to ruminate over Torn’s backing soundscape which, by the way, never went away but merely evolved while we were focused on other things.
“Coco Tangle” is a half hour monstrosity, launched in a modern, hard bop fashion. Berne continues for a while in that state of mind as Torn’s live sampling is turned up a few notches. Soon, Torn competes with Berne with loops of Berne himself and then adds his heavy metal guitar for good measure. Eventually, it’s all reduced into a formless drone, setting the stage for the next stop in this journey into places not anticipated beforehand. Berne stands aside for a spell as Smith quietly sets a unique pulse and Torn lets out extended yawns of sound from his guitar. But Berne does return — this time with that baritone — and that sets into motion a strutting rhythm from Smith and another round of tension building commences between the other two. Following a period of electronically assisted quietude, Berne still on baritone leads the proceedings into up-tempo territory, underscored by Smith’s quasi-calypso pace. That sets the stage for a final crescendo that provokes Torn into shredding away.
Smith contemplates on David Torn’s loops during the start of “Congratulations to You” as Torn keeps piling on layers, creating a sea of shimmering vibrations. Berne takes his time making his presence known, which happens right about the time Smith and Torn hone in on a funky construction. Torn digs into his bag of effects and turns up the density level until it nearly overwhelms everything else, only to recede and leave behind the necessary space for Smith to stretch out.
Every Sun of Goldfinger performance is a revelation, even to the performers themselves. The revelation of (Congratulations to You) is that they found the formula right away for their unmatched mixture of rare sonorities with impromptu creativity and advanced improvisation.
There’s only one way to get (Congratulations to You) and that’s through Bandcamp.
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