MUSIC

Nameless Sound is Houston’s most vital presenter of cutting-edge creative music, free improvisation, avant-garde jazz, electro-acoustic improvisation, new music and uncategorizable sound-making. Saturday, April 3, Nameless Sound presents Konk Pack: Tim Hodgkinson(UK)-lap steel guitar, electronics, saxophone, clarinet Thomas Lehn(Germany)-analog synthesizer Roger Turner(UK)-drums, percussion. Location:   labotanica, 2316 Elgin.

The British/German trio Konk Pack handles a gritty, writhing mass of electroacoustic sound/noise with the rare finesse and skill that one would expect from veterans of the European improv scene. Puckish and virtuosic, Konk Pack has created a music that is as detailed as it is massive. It is potent, thrilling, and completely unpredictable.

Thomas Lehn manipulates his analogue synthesizer with an electrifying, kinetic physicality. Lehn's background is as a pianist in both New Music and Jazz. His able pianism, obvious in live concert, is fused through the patchbay of his vintage synthesizer, warping and mutating into a something startling and alluring.

A founding member of the legendary and radical art rock band Henry Cow, Tim Hodgkinson's musical output is marked by versatility, creativity, and an intense work ethic. Hodgkinson's work has encompassed improvisation, composition, activism, writing, lectures, and ethnomusicology. To Konk Pack, he brings a sense of musical precision and instability, elements that have roots in his political and cultural view of music-making.

Both intense and nuanced in his approach, veteran drummer Roger Turner exemplifies the extremes of percussion in contemporary jazz and improvisation. A powerful presence behind the kit, Turner demands attention as he brings a roar to a whisper. He draws the listener in with intricate detail, and then drives them into a foot stomping beat or an irresistible swing groove. Turner was musically active in England's pioneering rock and jazz scenes of the 1960's and 70's. In addition, he has extensive background in African music, film music, and theater. In the 1970's, he made his mark in the important London free improvisation scene. The physicality of Turner's performances is not easily forgotten. The strength of his personality projects a natural humor that is well-balanced by his focused intensity.

Links:
http://www.myspace.com/konkpack
http://thomaslehn.de/read/info_kp.html
http://www.thomaslehn.de
http://timhodgkinson.co.uk
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Turner_%28musician%29
http://efi.group.shef.ac.uk/mturner.html
http://churchofgrob.com/Churchofgrob/CATALOG/Grob654/index.html