Earth Ball, Chris Corsano – Cafe Oto, London, 20th May 2024 –  Oh shit, I’ve walked in on the drum solo, and this being Oto, we’re in total silence, total awe, “how the f**k did he do that?” said one rather Cockney sounding voice at the end of his set and yes, he was damn good at at doing his thing. He being Chris Corsano, and his whole set being a, well it can’t be a drum solo, there is only one man performing and he’s sat behind his drums (and percussion) and firing off things in all kinds of angles, I guess this is a solo set from a very colourful and obviously highly regarded drummer. But didn’t drum solos go out with Cozy Powell, isn’t there something wrong with the picture? Whatever the picture is, he is painting it rather well! Don’t ask me, I know nothing about drums or drumming or how your feet can possibly go at a different time to your hands, drum solos on the whole bore the crap out of me, musicians do, I will admit I love watching the grace of Chris Cutler (Henry Cow), the artistry of Guy Evans (Van der Graaf) and what he does within the framework of a song, I relish the challenge of Charles Hayward in all his forms, Charles is always rewarding and I could happily watch footage of Ginger Baker for hours when he was doing things within the structure of a piece – don’t ask me why though, don’t ask me why certain people stand out, don’t ask me to talk about drummers and don’t be giving drum solos, but then this isn’t a drum solo and the room tonight is in awe, this is impressive and the first thing Earth Ball will later do when they take to the stage is thank Chris Corsano, and ask how on earth they can follow that? They do of course, that bit will be along in a minute.  

According the Cafe Oto, Chris Corsano is “an upstate NY-based drummer who has been active at the intersections of collective improvisation, free jazz, avant-rock, and noise music since the late 1990’s. Corsano is one of the greatest drummers working today, developing a percussive language of extraordinary amplitude and infinite resources. His collaborations stretch from free jazz greats (Joe McPhee, Evan Parker, Paul Flaherty and more) to noise mavens (Jandek, Bill Nace, C Spencer Yeh etc) and pop superstars (Björk). Capable of generating narrative out of permanent ecstasy, Corsano never ceases to be profoundly affirmative and imposing of his language, and being an absolute and charismatic virtuoso, he simultaneously is one of the most noble and generous improvisers of the few last decades” He’s certainly charismatic, he’s got the attention of the whole room, his dynamic, strong, colourful, the light and shade is crafted, he’s delicate, he strokes the kit when he feels it right and the percussion is very colourful, and thinking about it now the thing was, that he was never obvious about any of it 

Tonight he sounds like multiple trains in a shunting yard, not powerful or noisy, he doesn’t need to do that, just each quietly moving trains breathing a different rhythm and somehow it all coming together. He is quiet, at times very quite, we all are as we watch on, he can move when he needs to, Chris Corsano is compelling. Chris Corsano is focussed, he’s sharp, he’s got several sticks in his hand and another in his mouth, he’s damn good, but hey, don’t ask me why, I’d go again just for one of his drum solos…

Earth Ball are the reason for being here tonight, their recently released seriously impressive album is why they are here tonight at the start of a short UK tour, that new album – It’s Yours was raved and drooled over l couple of weeks back on these fractured pages – what can be said about something like this? This being exceptionally intense challengingly rewarding improvisational avant-psychedelic noise from the Pacific Northwest, from Canada actually. Hey look, they’re in the zone from the off, the five of them, hooked in, locked on and motoring, feeding off each other, if it is free form improvisation then it sounds very formed at the core of it all, very tight, powerful, brilliant chemistry. That low end bass all dressed in red, that menace of a sax and those guitars, impressive drums and things that never give in. It is very much an avant-Jazz thing, the audience are mostly politely sitting sown, stroking chins, not moving, I want to jump, react, join in, there in the moment, connect, this, if it is avant jazz, is very very impressive no wave avant jazz that ouches the ceiling and in there in the glorious well-formed noise these ears can pick up healthy slices Hawkwind when the Hawks let it flow and Nik Turner’s sax was leading and they weren’t constricted by time and could play all night (and often did), these ears can pick up a touches of flowing Sonic Youth and especially pick up powerful slabs of Huge Baby, obscure now I know but those who know still know, if you are able to get to a gig and you loved those early Huge Baby events this is one for you, all they lacked were the candles and the voodoo, there was plenty of musical voodoo though. 

The Earth Ball set is short, forty minutes of so and no encore, but hey, what a work out, they packed hours into that set, don’t think anyone felt short-changed, that was intense, that was good, that Flying Luttenbackers intense, that was serious commitment, light and shade throughout, never confusion, plenty of colourful restraint, pieces building up, intensity in the quiet, drama in the loud, madness in that sax and when there are vocals, dark intrigue, what is she singing about? She being Isabel Ford, all dressed in red, red boots, red dress, they look strange, they look great, they look like their music. How much of it was free-form and spontaneous I don’t know, it never ever threatened to fall off the rails whatever it was, it always had somewhere to go, they took the room with it, some of it got seriously heavy (they easily could have played Desertfest this weekend). The interaction is glorious, the whole thing is and hey look, I need to rush this up on line before tonight’s gig, you need to go see yourself, they play a second night at Cafe Oto tonight then head off for more, Shrewsbury of all places after London is done with (the dates are down there). The album is excellent, the gig was thrilling, the ride, the rides, the rides were glorious, we had to hang on at times, well some didn’t some just sat there chin stroking while it all went off in front of them and then conducted nerdy analysis outside afterwards, you can analyse this, you can’t chin stroke about this, this is primordial, this is thrilling, this is music! The ride was glorious, you always trusted them to get you there, art in all its forms is fundamentally about communication, communicating a feeling catch Earth Ball and Chris Corsano if you can, they’re touring together, yet another great gig, these are rewarding musical times to be alive…. (sw) 

Previously – ORGAN THING: Earth Ball’s new album, what can be said about something like this? This being exceptionally intense challengingly rewarding improvisational avant-psychedelic noise from…     

Bandcamp

Earth Ball + Chris Corsano Spring / Summer UK Tour 2024

May 20 – Cafe OTO, London
May 21 – Cafe OTO, London
May 22 – The Peer Hat, Manchester
May 23 – Cube Cinema, Bristol – Cube Cinema
May 24 – English Bridge Workshop, Shrewsbury
May 25 – Flying Duck, Glasgow
May 26 – Lubber Fiend, Newcastle
May 28 – The Chapel, Nottingham
May 29 – Con Club, Lewes
June 1 – Resonance FM radio session, London

Tickets and more information: upsettherhythm.co.uk