Earlier this year, John von Seggern got my attention when he literally struck a chord by using his bass to create various ambient sounds on an album that sounded as if Brian Eno took up the instrument. This time around, he’s put together a 4 song ep using the Chapman Stick, which ranges from 8-12 strings and with a wide enough fretboard so von Seggern can play lines, melodies and melodies all at the same time.
The result is a suite-like collection that opens with an echoey “Prelude” that is almost more tactile than audible, as you almost sense that you want to grasp the tones. There are a pair of “Evocations”; the first one hovers like a horn-like mist, while the second broods like dark Nimbus clouds of sound. The closing “Rest” is a visceral trip that completes the music of the inner sanctum. Sounds for behind the curtain.