Blake Hornsby - A Village of Many Springs
Have been listening to this composition for a while, then went back and read the reviews documented on A Village of Many Springs bandcamp page, all of them very well written and with kind words. This is my first listen to any work by Blake Hornsby and what caught attention is the last selection on this composition, the classical Indian influenced Burn My Sole in the Linville River. Here are some thoughts on this and a bumpy trail back to the first part of the tape.
The last selection starts off with a heavy drone feel of a recently rediscovered (released) artist Zia Mohiuddin Dagar. Around half way through, Blake Hornsby gains tempo with a style reminiscent to the great Pandit Bimalendu Mukherjee. Burn My Sole in the Linville River is not a traditional raga though, near the end this twenty three plus minute exploratory raga brings to mind the first two parts of Asylum Choir's – Look Inside The Asylum Choir selection Episode Containing 3 Songs. One question that popped up is if the title Burn My Sole in the Linville River had any significance to Ry Cooder & V.M. Bhatt's album A Meeting By The River? Going to the first tracks on A Village of Many Springs, there are points when Blake Hornsby takes on entrancing droning qualities of Roscoe Holcomb. You might think this is a stretch but it is there. Finally though, this has been in the back of my mind until now, moments in the first four selections remind me a lot of Dan Del Santo. His first album titled White Feathers In The Coop.
Did not really mean to use so many references when listening and describing A Village of Many Springs. This is a beautiful release that captures traditional and experimental, like the last part of both Cathedral Falls and Burn My Sole in the Linville River. Blake Hornsby is beautifully creative offering both a warm nostalgia and a push to the sonic thresholds of where music can go. There are no limits, but with this in mind A Village of Many Springs is a gorgeous listen and has been on repeat for a good while.
Released on Monadnock Sound & Vision out of Atlanta in a cassette edition of only fifty. This is the first release on this label (ties to Fall Break Records). Tapes are currently available.
Links
Comments