Anastassis Philippakopoulos, Chaz Underriner

2015 release ** 

"The pieces by Anastassis Philippakopoulos that guitarist Chaz Underriner "reinterprets" here were written for instruments other than his own: flute (Song 6, which Wandelweiser Editions published earlier under the composer's name on Songs And Piano Pieces), string section (Song 8, which Underriner performs with three other guitarists: Armin Abdihodzic, Greg Dixon, and Robert Trusko), and bass clarinet (Song 9). Three songs that follow one another discreetly, moving slightly under the influence of the notes coming out of the amp. They—which change according to the intensity of the guitarist's attack—oscillate, linger for a few seconds (especially the bass), then disappear. This is the moment of their regeneration: in their repetition or their replacement. On the album cover, Michael Pisaro writes that the sequences of events that are Anastassis Philippakopoulos's pieces force their performers to find the "song" within them themselves. By taking a step back, Underriner has revealed the desired melodies."