Travis, more than anyone else this evening, demonstrates his own voice and character through his music, which is generous, full of thought and all-embracing. Jazz training might have given him the knowledge and firepower to do his exploring, but it certainly doesn't restrict him to jazz dogma. He explores and converses, as he has throughout the night, without putting a foot wrong. Man of the match, no doubt about it.
Highlight of the first set for me, however, was something called the Apparent Chaos of Snow, one of several quirkily-titled pieces Theo played (this one on alto flute), which used electronic wizardry to produce a haunting echo effect. Unusual but very effective.
The 'travis system of ambitronics' is awesome. this is an excellent minimalist, ambient, space music !
Theo is a really deep musician and I really dug his concept and mastery of the DL-4 loop pedal.
Occupying a territory between the Minimalist excursions of Steve Reich and the loop innovations of Fripp and Eno, 'Slow Life' is one of the most consistently challenging and ethereal albums in the career of Theo Travis. Exclusively using the rich possibilities of the alto flute, Travis launches into a series of cogent and controlled tonal improvs that firmly places him in the vanguard of the ever-growing looping community.
Despite the complexity of the arrangements, the nine pieces, each recorded live in the studio, are characterised by a sense of space, freedom and clarity. The overlaid flute loops resist entanglement and the listening experience is almost entirely restful.
Sinuous alto flute strands are stratified across contemplative soundspaces by Theo Travis. With dreamlike slowness, layers of flutatious curlicues unfold across Salad noir... Similarly placid waves flutter through chasing the slow train, sometimes evoking a bit of American West, other times a fairyland madrigal sound.
Throughout, Travis continues to prove himself a masterful player and spirited conceptualist. It may well be an album of "beatless, ambient flute music," but that's too reductionist a description of Open Air. A musically deep and diverse yet emotionally soothing and eminently appealing record that positions Travis as a musician of great reach, infinite potential...and deserving of increased attention, as he continues to find himself the musician of choice for a great many others, even as he continues to build his own impressive discography.
In his quiet way, Theo Travis is a brave man. Alone onstage, laying low-key, soft-edged looped solos on alto flute while London's home of sturdy family rock fills up with a hearty concentration of British blokedom - that's not a position I'd like to be in. Especially when the audience seem more concerned with getting the beers in and having conversations about their cigarette lighters than with listening to Travis' open-hearted explorations of petalled tunework and coiling luminous smoke-tones. Happily, there's a hard core of audience in the first third of the stalls paying supportive attention, applauding and cheering with genuine warm as Travis floats between his lily-pad melodies. Perhaps they just remember him from guest spots with Porcupine Tree or perhaps they're freshly captivated by this romantic loop music from his new 'Slow Life' CD - I hope it's the latter.
