INITIAL REVIEWS OF TOWER MUSIC: SO FAR SO GOOD!
Here are some of the initial reviews of Tower Music / Musique de la Tour
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
“…irresistable…buoyant, resonant rhythmic entertainment….a witty and often beautiful array of rhythmic grooves and harmonic rhapsodies as if Steve Reich had been set loose on a giant Erector set. …the piece’s allure really comes from the vigor and inventiveness of Bertolozzi’s musical imagination…” (Joshua Kosman, May 16, 2016)
http://www.sfgate.com/music/article/Joseph-Bertolozzi-Tower-Music-review-7490558.php
THE BUFFALO NEWS
“…if you didn’t know where the sounds came from you’d hear a natural kinship with the tremendous “experimental” percussion music of the California school of American composers – Lou Harrison, Henry Cowell, John Cage and Harry Partch….. the music itself beautifully continues the tradition of percussion music created by some of the greatest 20th century experimentalists in American music….Bertolozzi performs such works all over the world on bridges, etc. A delightful musical figure. Three and a half stars out of four…” (Jeff Simon, May 6, 2016)
http://buffalo.com/2016/05/06/news/music/disc-reviews/listening-post-jane-ira-bloom-with-bobby-previte-music-of-the-eiffel-tower/
CD HOTLIST
“…None of the recorded sounds was electronically altered or manipulated in any way; however, they are layered and ordered in such a way as to create music that sometimes evokes gamelan, sometimes minimalist electronica, sometimes Japanese noh drama, sometimes military drumming. Any library supporting a program in music composition should absolutely acquire this album…” (Rick Anderson, May 2, 2016)
https://cdhotlist.com/2016/05/02/may-2016/
SECOND INVERSION
“…The album begins with ‘A Thousand Feet of Sound,’ a five-minute overture exploring the Tower’s entire aural array—layering earthy, thumping basslines with the lightning-fast, tinny clinking of the Tower’s fences and panels. ‘The Harp That Pierced the Sky’ employs quite a different sonic palette, enveloping the listener in an intimate sound world of sparse musical textures, metallic echoes, soft percussive melodies, and plenty of silence.
“The title track brings Bertolozzi’s magnum opus to a close with a (literal) bang, featuring a bold and bass-heavy eruption of industrial melodies and fearlessly dynamic, muscular rhythmic themes. And to top it all off, at the end of the album Bertolozzi includes an audio tour of the Tower to help you locate the different tones, timbres, and musical textures used throughout…”
(Maggie Molloy, May 9, 2016)
http://secondinversion.org/2016/05/09/album-review-tower-music-by-joseph-bertolozzi/
