Set one: Approaching Sesfontein

Whoa. This was a duo set by Gareth Lubbe and Michael Kiedaisch, who had never improvised before together. In public, that is, they had met on the new music beat, tried out some things during down times, and Michael was the man who Gareth wanted to play duo with when he was asked for his favourite project to contribute to the festival.

Michael started out with one soft, one hard mallet in each hand on the vibraphone, milking the dual characteristics, maybe an effect so characteristic to the instrument that Gareth’s melodies, though beautiful, didn’t immediately connect. So Michael got into a more open mood, applying bows, Gareth broke his melodic lines down into fragments, and from then on, this was a rare treat.

In what I think I could say about every concert here, amazing ground was covered. We had almost Gary Burton-like moves from Michael, throat-singing from Gareth (rather tender-minded, this time, almost pop, if may say so, beautiful). Bareknuckles/fingertips moves on the vibes, which then went into a downright electronica passage on the “black keys” of the instrument. Gareth keeps a slow flageolet melody going while doing quick tremolos beneath. 

The second tune began with Gareth on a thumb piano that Michael himself has built, who meanwhile worked the tubes of the vibraphone and then after a dramatic crash of the cymbal switched to his enhanced drum set, while Gareth switched to piano. This part was much more gentle, downright romantic chords and the most plaintive singing from Gareth I’ve yet heard, mallets stroking the toms into a moaning… At the end Michael was stroking his cymbals with a bow while Gareth found the exactly same sound on the viola.

I think I haven’t mentioned yet that this was all freely improvised. Especially for the range of tonal colours that evolved, this was a really beautiful set. Hayden high-fiving the musicians afterwards cried out “perfect” (though what could perfection in free improvisation possibly be?). I’ve no idea why they would want to approach Sesfontein, but they sure got there.

Second set’s already begun, I’m off…