Short Reviews [Denman Maroney - 2024 - "Nits Musica"]

To say this is an unusual album, even when compared with wide styles of music I listen to, is something of an understatement. Maroney views himself as a "hyperpianist", which involves bowing and sliding the strings with bars, cylinders, bowls, blocks, and cases which really does make him sound like no-one else. It sounds as if at times he is playing the piano with both hands and then adding the string textures over the top. However, that is not the case as this is actually a live album recorded in 2006, and the performance must have been intense to watch, and fairly acrobatic I am sure. When one sees his influences one can sort of understand where he is coming from, but as well as the avant garde there are some classic jazz musicians who never sounded anything like this at all, and even they may find this a little far out for them. Denman Maroney says he is inspired by nature and the music of John Cage, Ornette Coleman, Henry Cowell, Duke Ellington, Charles Ives, Scott Joplin, Olivier Messiaen, Thelonious Monk, Conlon Nancarrow and Karheinz Stockhausen, but to be fair I do not hear much Monk, Joplin or The Duke, but plenty of Cage and Stockhausen. He does not reach inside the piano all the time, but one never knows when it is going to happen, either as an accompaniment to the main melody or when he decides it is time for a solo. The result is an album which can be very difficult to follow and interpret, but for those of us who enjoy the weird there is a lot here to discover and although it did take a few plays, this ended up being something I really enjoyed (although I can imagine there will be many who will not get past the first few minutes). The use of unusual tempos (and different tempos at the same time) along with his very unusual use of the inside of the piano as well as the standard keys make for an album quite unlike any others. Apparently, much of this release is based on two pieces he has previously released, but I have no idea how close this is to those, but it sounds totally off the wall so would not be surprised if there is not a great deal of similarities. Not for the fainthearted, this is for those who want to hear music and musical instruments being pushed past their limits.

Progtector: April 2025

Related Links:

Denman Maroney Cuneiform