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| Out May 30 - Dickson and Familiar 'All the Light of Our Sphere' What happens when a cutting-edge klezmer artist and a former rock musician come together to make music? The extraordinary electro-acoustic sound showcased on All the Light of Our Sphere, the new album by clarinetist Glenn Dickson and electronic musician Bob Familiar. Due May 30, 2025 on the Sounds Familiar label, All the Light of Our Sphere layers clarinet and synths to achieve a lush, orchestral sound that's also human and intimate. The tracks, recorded live with no overdubs, beat tracks or midi timers, become immersive soundscapes unfolding with sophisticated development and sensitivity. The duo performs an album release concert on Saturday, June 14, 8 p.m. at synthCube, 167 Prospect St., unit 1, Waltham, MA Dickson and Familiar met in 2024 when both performed separate sets for an electronic music night. The two may seem like an unlikely pair – Dickson has been a well-known klezmer clarinetist for decades and is leader of the acclaimed avant-klezmer band Naftule's Dream, while Boston music scene mainstay Familiar evolved his narrative style of electronic music after stints as the synthesist for classic 80s rock bands including The Dark, November Group, and Death in Venice. Yet the two immediately realized they share a similar approach to music making, one that focuses on the development and transformation of motifs. They began getting together for informal sessions at Familiar's studio, experimenting, refining their dialogue, blending the acoustic and electric. Their approach rejects the static nature of much drone and electronic space music in favor of incorporating melodic development, tonal modulation, and evolving loops. The resulting All the Light of Our Sphere is a deep collaboration between two modes of sound production, with each musician bending toward the other. Dickson adopts looping techniques and digital manipulations of his acoustic clarinet sound similar to those found on his 2022 solo clarinet debut Wider Than the Sky, while Familiar utilizes the Osmose keyboard, which extends the intuitive expressiveness of the traditional synthesizer through multi-dimensional sensing for every key, and the Rhodes piano, the current incarnation of the classic keyboard going back to the 1970's, with mechanical sound production like an acoustic piano. With the addition of drifting loop stations and state of the art sound processors, Dickson and Familiar create soaring, singing electro-acoustic music. "When Fortune Laid the Trojans Low" opens the album on a low but defiant note, the watchful opening melody giving way to the persistent bass line and nervous energy of Familiar's particularly creative percussive effects before morphing into a decidedly Middle Eastern tonality. The interplay between Familiar's rich tapestries of sound and Dickson's unfolding melodies, which hover between cantorial cries and wistful refrains, set the tone for what follows. "Words Set Free from Doubt" proclaims self- confidence as Dickson's clarinet soars with consistent motifs over the ecclesiastical timbres of Familiar's keyboards. "Just One Inch in a Hundred Years" is a sublime meditation that ruminates while always moving forward towards its quietly euphoric conclusion. The new generation Rhodes piano shimmers, and the long echoes and delays on the clarinet echo its progress. "It Haunts Me Still" returns to a darker mood, with a persistent bass ostinato underpinning the dire cries of the synthesizer and clarinet. "Sweet Seed from Bitter Fruit" suggests a more peaceful landscape with sustained keyboard swells and pastoral woodblock sounds supporting a yearning clarinet melody cadencing in blissful peace. On "Pretending She Was Someone Else, " Dickson brings back exotic modalism, delivering a sultry soliloquy over Familiar's unsettled harmonies. "All the Light of Our Sphere" delivers the luminescent high the title suggests, while "When the Mist Thins" cuts through the fog with crystal clear melodic improvisations and the most conventional rhythmic and harmonic structure on the album. "And Even Yours is Mine" is the album's remarkably tender resolution to this album, summing up the uncanny, unexpected melding of two artists from disparate segments of the music world. Photo by Kathy Chapman Glenn Dickson released his first solo ambient album, Wider than the Sky, to wide acclaim in 2022. As bandleader and clarinetist with Naftule's Dream and Shirim, he has recorded albums for Tzadik, Innova, Rykodisc and Newport Classic, played major jazz festivals in North America & Europe (Montreal, Berlin, New York), with the Philly Pops, and on Woody Allen and Sidney Lumet movie soundtracks. He has created award-winning collaborations with Maurice Sendak ("Pincus & the Pig") and NPR's Ellen Kushner ("The Golden Dreydl"). As a composer he has received a Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist Grant for composition as well as their Grant for Creative Individuals, and has had his works performed and recorded by artists in Europe and the USA. He studied harmony, counterpoint, microtones and all things musical with legendary composer, educator, improvisor and reedman Joe Maneri, and performed with him and violinist/violist Mat Maneri in his microtonal jazz septet. Dickson has toured and recorded with the eclectic rock band Hypnotic Clambake and the Greek bands Revma and Taximi. He has performed his solo clarinet with electronics in the Boston area, as well as for the American Festival of Microtonal Music in New York City. Bob Familiar has been involved in the Boston music scene since the early 80's as synthesist for bands such as The Dark, November Group, and Death in Venice. An innovative musician and composer known for his unique blend of electronic and orchestral music, Bob's work, across his 22 albums to date, is inspired by artists such as Eno, Glass, and Roedelius. His soundscapes, based on a range of literary sources, including "Three Body Problem" by Cixin Liu and "Klara and the Sun" by Kazuo Ishiguro showcases his ability to weave complex narratives into his compositions. Bob's music often explores the intersection of technology and art, utilizing both traditional instruments and cutting-edge digital tools to create immersive soundscapes. His performances are noted for their dynamic improvisation, often incorporating live looping and sound manipulation techniques. Bob sits on the executive board of the non-profit New England Synthesizer Community and helps organize the popular New England Synthesizer Festival. In addition to producing his own music, Bob, along with long-time associate Jame Billbrough, produces a monthly podcast called Ambient Arcana devoted to the narration of strange and unusual stories set to Bob's original music. All the Light of Our Sphere is available on May 30, on Bandcamp and major streaming services. write your comments about the article :: © 2025 Jazz News :: home page |