Chris Corsano & Like Leaves @The Jade Monkey, Adelaide(31/1/2008

Sun 3rd Feb, 2008 in Gig Reviews

Chris Corsano is an exception among most of today’s musicians. He has a physical dexterity (both with the drums and a large array of supporting objects) that allows him to achieve sounds and fragments of music unmatched by others. He has an imagination and knowledge of drum-craft that allows him to stretch the audience’s concept of what the drums can and should sound like. He also has a sense of reserve that allows him to wring as much intensity out of subtlety and design as out of sheer power and pace.

I must admit that going into watch a solo drum set, albeit from a guy who’s reputation is correctly known as a master, I was slightly worried that I would be left possibly bored for parts, find it hard to concentrate, not be able to appreciate it or even just be beaten into submission. Instead, Corsano managed to have a mesmerizing effect, leaving you just as interested in his methods of sound creation as you are in his sonic output. Bows with stringed instruments attached to his drum kit, talking drums, vocal manipulators, dinner plates (or something similar) and an array of different drumsticks and drums where all employed with consistent success. No particular section of music, running the gambit from quiet ambient textures to power drumming was overly long or frustratingly short. Much of the musical effect was created by the way the individual songs where structured along with the constantly shifting dynamics and tempos that peppered the gig. It became apparent within a short time of starting to play the reasons that Bjork had asked Corsano to play on her latest album and perform on the following tour. All of the ability let loose on stage was nicely tempered by Corsano’s humble nature and well managed stage presence. Not once was the crowd subjected to unattainable instrumental intellectualism that can often leave audience members with less technical knowledge out in the cold. After playing for just over an hour, he came back for a single song encore that typified the mix of song craft and sonic shifting that made the concert not just aurally pleasing but fascinating in a how-did-he-do that kind of way. While free jazz and noise rock are words often attributed to him, Corsano never baffled with bullshit or fell prey to the tuneless improvisation that those – œgenre-words’ can sometimes justify.

The small yet comfortable surrounds of the Jade Monkey served Corsano’s intimate set and delivery to a tee and made it incredibly easy for the crowd to the follow the whole performance with complete concentration from beginning to end. Despite the intensity of concentration clearly required from Corsano to properly perform his music there was a sense of enjoyment pouring from the performance which could only help but involve the crowd. I had already enjoyed the psychedelic-prog-noise rock delivered by Like Leaves earlier in the night but was in no way prepared for how easy to digest and enjoyment, Corsano would be. Leaving the gig I felt the best indication you can that the gig was awesome, I wanted to check out his latest record. Now that he’s gone and unlikely to be back to soon, I’d recommend you do the same.