by Andrea Keller
Families are often disparate collections of characters, there’s a randomness to the way different aspects/branches of a family tree develop, this diversity has inspired Andrea Keller’s new album Family Portraits. Released through Jazzhead Records, it’s a richly textured album that explores the piano through loops, delay pedals and various preparations. The compositions feature a natural restraint that grounds some wonderful flights of imagination, a great example being Without Voice. It starts with layered clusters of loops which Andrea improvises over, creating a cyclic eddy of “voices” which ends in peaceful resolution. Andrea’s brother Peter inspired Belonging. It begins with the most tender of reminiscences, then steadily builds through a frustrated passage of intensity, again ending in calm repose. There’s plenty of soul within Family Portraits and an adventurous, experimental spirit that is engaging and satisfying. Lineage closes the album, a beautifully delicate minimal piece that is rich with detail and subtle sonorities. There’s a lot of love here, both between Andrea and her family and in the process of creating music to celebrate their lives.
Just under half of the eleven songs featured were recorded live in concert at the Melbourne Recital Centre in the Salon in February 2012. The remaining tracks were recorded at the same location in June of 2012. The talents of Jim Atkins were enlisted for the recording, and he was assisted in the mixing by Joe Talia. The detail of the sound is superb whether in subtle nuance through to more dynamic passages.
Perry Holt
‘In The Quiet’
10pm Sundays, PBS 106.7FM
This week's Top 10:
