“Systems Realignment: Jim Denley and Kim Myhr”
Jim Denley and Kim Myhr
24 Oct → 24 Oct 2009

‘For me, improvisation is always an experiment. It’s an experiment with sound, space and time, but with politics and social interaction as well.’ (Jim Denley)

Jim Denley is one of Australia’s most influential composers working with a focus on improvisation and site-specific performance. He will be joined by his collaborator, Norwegian guitarist Kim Myhr. This is a rare opportunity to hear two significant new music practitioners talk about their work and perform.

JIM DENLEY / KIM MYHR
«systems realignment»

Jim Denley (AUS) – saxophone, flutes, electronics
Kim Myhr (NOR) – guitar, simple mechanics

Jim Denley and Kim Myhr met in Sydney in early 2007, and Systems Realignment was recorded six months later. Since then the duo has done numerous concerts in Europe and Australia. Systems Realignment is not only a completely new take on guitar/saxophone combinations, but an attempt to rethink their fundamental musical methodology. There is an interest in materiality, almost at a primitive level, without being embarrassed to work with resulting harmonic structures. Frequency and rhythm is examined, but not within conventional grids. Perhaps the positivity of the result, comes from the project not rejecting other musics, but embracing elements from a vast range of sources ranging form traditional to contemporary and electronic music. The result is a lush and surprising flurry of acoustic, electronic and mechanical gestures.

Jim Denley is Australia’s foremost improviser with a career spanning over three decades. An emphasis on spontaneity, site-specific work and collaboration has been central to his work. He sees no clear distinctions between his roles as instrumentalist, improviser and composer. He was recently awarded a Fellowship by the Australia Council for 2006 + 07 and is currently working towards a paradigm shift in the notion and perception of the saxophone; to establish it’s relevance to ancient and current traditions in Australian music, and to extend it’s range with the addition of innovative electronics and miking.

Kim Myhr is a young and innovative guitarist with a vivid and fresh approach to his instrument. With an emphasis on a wide range of percussive, harmonic and timbral effects on the acoustic guitar, he has embarked on an international career with performances throughout Europe, USA, Canada, Australia and Japan. His other projects these days is a duo with Sebastien Roux (electronics/FR), the trio MURAL with Denley and Ingar Zach, the group ‘Silencers’ with Benoit Delbecq (piano/FR) as as well as a piece for Trondheim Jazzorkester feat. Sidsel Endresen, Christian Wallumrød and many others. He has also performed with Martin Tetreault, Anthony Pateras, Toshi Nakamura, Tetuzi Akiyama, Robbie Avenaim to mention a few.

$10 entry