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Jerry Hunt - Haramand Plane
Haramand
Plane is a reissue of the last works of the Texas-based electronic
composer Jerry Hunt (1943-1993). A one-time Rosicrucian adept who
founded his own correspondence course church at the age of 13, Hunt
created music with occult overtones. As he explains in the highly
idiosyncratic liner notes accompanying the CD, these final pieces, all
dating from 1993, were composed using a “translation” system drawing on
tables supposedly encoding angelic name and numbers obtained in seances
by the 16th century English occultist John Dee.
Its allegedly supernatural provenance aside, the music sounds like the
soundtrack to a film the narrative logic of which hovers just on the
other side of comprehension. It’s highly atmospheric, and seems to
allude to interior states that like beneath and beyond the capacity to
describe them. The pieces move through multiple waves of moods and
colors, as for example in the nearly half hour-long Chimanzzi Link (2),
where samples of low-pitched strings lend a certain gravitas that is
then offset by the exaggerated vibrato of upper register samples. - Dan
Barbiero, Avant Music News
Much more often, when I hear that new composers compose music for a
classical orchestra, I have the feeling that this is remains a
conservative idea, because nearly everything has already been said with
it, and also, without a sensitivity to other sounds that these milked
out combinations, the tendency to fall back on paper music alone will
be almost inevitable. There's much more in music possible than with
that sort of limited formula of a classical orchestra. This traditional
orchestra to me has become an unrealistic tool for new creative
expressions.
I have still noticed however, on the first track of these compositions,
a new idea that resonates to the classical orchestra that hasn't been
done yet. This element to arrange in essence does not yet provide
entirely different compositions compared to classical music when I
simply compare this to the melodic changes being used and I heard here,
because this aspect here is limited to tensions and to intonations with
some tones dominating during each emphasis. What is however entirely
different is the way how or better with what the orchestral composition
is made here : it "vibrates" very much and expresses itself very much
with just that vibrato aspect dominating. Besides this element, we
still have percussive bells and noise
accents being added too, while the vibratos of tones come and go in
layers and in different tones, like some directed wind with pressures
of/on certain tones. These tones pass by in layers like a reverb
orchestra being slowed down, ot like some kind of weird life-form or an
expression of physical movement that haunts and that hunts you down. It
is like orchestrated beast that acts in a way as if every element is
dedicated to the hive of the composer.
(This approach slightly reminds me of a variation of ideas that could
interest people who also like the composer Giacinto Celsi).
This approach continues further into the second track with the addition
of extra layers so that here it gets even more an orchestral effect,
with the present sections of orchestral violin strings (in the high
pitched tones), the layer of the flutes and various wind instruments,
and the tonal layer of the low strings, with still its distinctive and
perfectly placed percussive accents to it. More and more, the music
forms a sound world with some inhibited organic repetition, higher
tones whirling and slower wings-like waves, while it's nervous
intonation of timbre remains, as if hyperactivity is mingled with
meditative strength and its further restriction of it. I have no idea
how it is composed and if tape or computer was used to actualise it's
desired effects, it surely has something of electro-acoustic music
while keeping an orchestral music mind and effect to it. The intonation
or stressed factors slowly show it's changes.
On the third track, some extra and also interruptive mechanical rhythms
are added with different colours of keyboard-like layers, under the
form of percussive breathy-noise accents and even several more
keyboard-tonal-like irregular rhythms played in different mono-colours.
After a while these vibrations remain hanging in the air, like a
dark cloud, dense and dramatic, but still with an ending as if the
storm and rain went over.
The fourth track takes a more percussive emphasis, like a shaky rain,
and from here with additional string effects being added this time.
This part demands already more from the listener for it remains rather
long in the same area like a darker cloud of rain. The nearly annoying
percussive sounds return too, giving side-effects to the cloud, making
nervous tensions in the cloud. I wonder how much this represents also
the mind of the composer, as someone who is over-sensitive and nervous,
feeling a tension and pressure of directions by too many things that
are noticed at the same time. You can imagine here the pool of thoughts
and experiences, that are like reflecting circles on the supposed to be
quietness of the brain. In this case, the mind doesn't come to it's
ease or rest. At some stage, a real storm breaks loose with deep bass
and shaky percussion. The percussive powers are taking over the scene,
while being accompanied by brass with irregular timbres and strings.
Then the brass-like drones starts to lead with triangle-alike fast
percussion. This returns to the keyboards-alike endless over-layers. I
am not sure what to think off this part yet, because I can sense also a
certain imbalance or loss of control over the situation, not succeeding
any more to open it up, to have it breathing well from inside
consciously. One needs to know that the composer had severe lung cancer
around this time, something in all it's genius ideas also in this
composition it is like something is taking over.
The nervousness which in the first track started as simple vibrations
into an original characteristic, now is taking over everything
completely. This next part starts with percussive and horn-like
vibrations, combined with shaky electro-acoustics (plastic? and paper
objects). We feel orchestral strings vibrations, like an inward nervous
vibration. It is not too difficult to listen to, but it does not feel
it can (still) go anywhere to,
is more like a busy and nervous vibration, with electro-acoustic
vibrations of movement in combination with the deep brass kind of
sounds. This is a dense and dark area. There's also something chaotic
about this density, something dramatic.
On the last part, the nervousness comes to the phase of becoming
chaotic in its (cell) origin, while pickings and harp-like programmed
contemporary notes are added, all these layers remain slightly nervous
layers too, a combination of the effect of brass, keyboards with added
electro-acoustic paper waving percussion...
The label says “The three sections of this electronic work constitute
the composer's last pieces. He regarded the recorded version of this
work as a "document for rehearing." The overall sound is the densest
and most intricate in this one of a kind artist's body of work. The
three sections consist of "interlocking audio and video optical discs
which provide the fundamental image, sound and program control strings
... action code pattern structures ... for a group of transactional
mimetic gesture exercises ... inflection calls evoking ... melody
streams" with simultaneous tracks of acoustic percussion. The sonic
result is an entrancing, overwhelming, evocative shamanistic
performance of brilliantly designed electronic timbres.”
Jerry hunt since 1978 had always been interested in solo performances
using theatrical mimics and semi-mythical gestures which were also
inspired from his interest in esoteric ideas based upon, for instance,
the magic of the Enochian tablets and its ceremonial practice. He had
developed interactive systems with a computer while sound and sight are
deliberately confused and intermingled to provoke an act of theatrical
bewilderedness. Some of these works were used especially for video
recordings. He was artist-in-residence
at the Video Research Center in Dallas from 1974-77, and in his later
years he had devoted himself full-time in fulfilling commissions and
working on collaborative projects with such people as visual artist
Maria Blondeel
(Gent), performance artist Karen Finley (New York), and composer and
software designer Joel Ryan (Amsterdam). The website Classical
Composers also mentions that “Hunt was also an innovative computer
systems designer and created mysterious alliances of computers and
primal energy in his installation pieces (like a voodoo hut with
computerized proximity detectors triggering electronic sounds for the
New Music America festival in Houston).”
After having suffered for too long from his lung cancer, he ended his
life by using gas for it, something which he prepared with all details,
leaving nobody behind that would suffer any consequences of that
action... - Gerald Van Waes, Psyche van het folk
The Pogus label has a fine
nose for forgotten and underestimated recordings from the past in the
field of electronic music. This results in well-documented releases,
like this one: ‘Haramand Plane’ by Jerry Hunt, originally released by
?What Next?(1994). Electronic music attracted pioneers of all kinds,
often loners who built their own universes with more or less success.
Jerry Hunt was one of them, an eccentric composer from Texas who ended
his life in 1993, aged 50. He studied piano and composition at the
University of North Texas and became an accomplished pianist, playing
compositions of American and European composers. He gained some fame
with his live electronic events combined with ritualistic performances.
In order to make his work available he founded his own Irida label. The
titles on this Pogus release were the last works he realized before he
died. Titles of the three works on this release are: ‘Chimanzzi:
Link (1)’, ‘Chimanzzi: Link (2)’ and ‘Chimanzzi: Drape: Link’. It is
electronic music of a very own kind. Fine textures with lots of details
and layered sounds. It makes the impression of very organic sound
constructions, that are far from dry, academic experiments. I admit, I
associate abstract electronic music more with the intellect than with
other human capacities. But listening to these works I became more and
more impressed by the lively and organic feel that is in this music.
This music flows like water in a river or blood through our veins. Very
evocative and sensitive music, sounding quasi-nonchalant. Resulting in
something that is more than just music. Must have been a visionary
artist! - DM, Vital Weekly
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