The first of two volumes released from this session, Vade Mecum features this remarkably nimble and creative quartet under the direction of Bill Dixon.
Not quite free improvisation, Dixon's compositions provide loose frameworks for the musicians, creating subtle structural spaces for the to investigate.
In this sense, his work is akin to (and perhaps an updating of) Cecil Taylor's classic Conquistador!, on which Dixon participated.
The expansiveness and airiness of the sound here is one of this record's most striking qualities.
The two bassists, Guy and Parker, have very different but complimentary personae; the former fleet and inquisitive, the latter dark and probing.
With the two of them occupying the middle ground, underpinned by Oxley's uniquely coloristic percussion, Dixon's flights have all the naturalness and unpredictability of a bird's.
Vade Mecum II, released separately, arguably attains even greater heights than this recording, but both are vital documents representing the state of improvised music in the '90s.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AnamorphosisBill Dixon | Bill Dixon | Play | 12:24 | 28 MB | 65 MB |
| 2 | PellucityBill Dixon | Bill Dixon | Play | 09:04 | 20 MB | 39 MB |
| 3 | Vade MecumBill Dixon | Bill Dixon | Play | 15:50 | 36 MB | 80 MB |
| 4 | Twice Upon a TimeBill Dixon | Bill Dixon | Play | 13:12 | 30 MB | 60 MB |
| 5 | AcanthusBill Dixon | Bill Dixon | Play | 13:22 | 30 MB | 64 MB |
| 6 | Viole Nino Bixio 20 | Bill Dixon | Play | 09:20 | 21 MB | 47 MB |
| 73 mins | 167 MB | |||||
| 73 mins | 358 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giovanni Bonandrini | Producer |
| 2 | Gennaro Carone | Engineer, Mastering |
| 3 | Bill Dixon | Composer, Cover Painting, Flugelhorn, Liner Notes, Primary Artist, Trumpet |
| 4 | Paolo Falascone | Engineer |
| 5 | Barry Guy | Bass |
| 6 | Tony Oxley | Percussion |
| 7 | William Parker | Bass |
| 8 | Ben Young | Liner Notes |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |