CONFUSION VESSEL live at AMR
Anouk Neyens, saxophones
Mikael Szafirowski, guitar
Stefano Grasso, drums
Mona Creisson, violin, voice, samples

Subject to Change

​

​

Always setting out on intrepid explorations, composer and violist Mona Creisson presents four free improvisation journeys under the name Confusion Vessel. She gave us a few keys to understanding it:

By giving this title to the group, I was thinking of Paul Motian’s record Conception Vessel, an album of open music different from what he practiced throughout his career. “Confusion,” I would say, is our music: an interest in the creative elements that emerge from situations of musical confusion and the differences that exist between the members of the group. All of them are musical personalities who went through the Open Creation master’s program at the Basel Music Academy, and who are perceived as fairly assertive; they have collaborated on this astonishing and risky approach to collective improvisation-composition.

Anouk Neyens, familiar with contemporary and microtonal music, is a multidisciplinary artist who also works with sound installations. Mikael Szafirowski, oriented toward experimental music, favors uncompromising improvisation. Stefano Grasso studied classical percussion and is also involved in jazz and contemporary music.

This recording results from four concerts given in the cellar of the AMR, an intense work of two sets of 45 minutes each evening. This residency was a real opportunity for us. First, because it takes us almost three hours to set up. The technical setup is indeed complicated because I sample the musicians live. Then because we were able to listen during the day to what we had recorded the night before, which allowed us to progress throughout the week.

For some pieces, the beginning is planned, for others it is not. Of course, everyone must react very quickly. I use conducting gestures, but eye contact and above all listening do the rest. It is important that everyone is convinced, that they quickly form an idea of the piece and of the role they want to play in it.

A rare if not unique approach, these four moments of great freedom are surprising almost every instant. While one can perceive Mona Creisson’s coordinating role, one hears the four instantaneous compositions confronting each other, intertwining, responding to each other, without ever cancelling each other out.

The musicians each have a fairly wide sonic palette and use multiple effects on their instruments, not to mention sampling. The sampler is a device that I find very fun and I think it influences both the performance itself and the audience’s perception of it.

As often with this kind of concert, there are people who fully engage with it and others who do not at all. For the recording, we cut my introductory comments, which probably helped the audience enter our music. In any case, the number of spectators increased throughout the week.

We know that everything depends on habits: I personally listen to this kind of music while cooking, but I understand that it is not the same for everyone. In any case, it leaves space for the listener.