Julius Eastman: Femenine

Description

Femenine stages Eastman's shaping and building of the black queer masculine form - caught not necessarily between two poles of gender, but with his work constantly driving his own self-making. He was an inventor and sculptor, reminiscent of Jean Tinguely and Harry Bertoia. Clanging, noisy, joyful, and playful in turn, the sound sculpture emerges from these primary elements, moulding and pressing, jiggering and jolleying, through a linear flow of sound and insistent chordal punctuations. The continuous hum of the prime motive as a bed of sound against the softness of the texture and the fierceness of the accented major triads takes flight into a dreamscape, making possible new ways of listening, knowing, and being. (Ellie M. Hisama & Isaac Jean-Francois)

BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE CHAMBER CHOICE, APRIL 2024

"It is a true delight to hear this gorgeous, meditative piece of music brought to life with such care and conviction by the Telea Ensemble and Harlem Chamber Players." – BBC Music Magazine *****

"a heady and utterly joyful musical experience, one capable of leading the listener to thrilling new territories of thought and possibility." – BBC Music Magazine *****

"the conjoined forces of the Talea Ensemble and the Harlem Chamber Players have real energy in their playing. Another draw is the Kairos label's sound, recorded at Oktaven Audio in suburban Mount Vernon. This is recommended for anyone with the slightest interest in Eastman and his unfailingly progressive music." – AllMusic