Tom & Gerry

Thomas Lehn & Gerry Hemingway

from the stage of the 2006 Densités festival (Guillaume Greff)

The performances on these recordings were recorded in 2003 in Ulrichsberg, Austria and Köln, Germany and also in 2006 at the Festival Densités in Fresnse- en-Woëvre, France. Sometime around this time period Thomas had taken to recording all of our duo performances with an efficient high quality rig which allowed us to capture an exceptional level of 24 bit detail in the music we made. This was complemented by a very patient and methodical period of evaluating what had been collected and culling the music for this cd and also a second CD from performances in the US which has yet to be released. "kinetics" is the third release from this duo, the previous two being ""Fire Works" on the No. Carolinian Umbrella label and the now out of print double cd on the Erstwhile label. In producing this CD we strove for a very special audio experience as we both believe that CD listening is quite a different experience then the listening that was experienced when these pieces were performed. We encourage listeners to turn up the volume and languish in the rich sonic experience this recording offers. And if the neighbors allow or if via good quality headphones experience the earth moving crescendo of the long work "maquette" which is palpable demonstration of whats possible with musical tension.

inside the cover it reads...

it is suggested that this recording will be best enjoyed on high quality audio equipment, preferably at a high volume

Web page about the duo: http://gerryhemingway.com/tomgerry.html
Thomas Lehn Home Page:http://www.thomaslehn.com/

kinetics - tom & gerry

Thomas Lehn
synthi (analogue synthesizer)
Gerry Hemingway
drums, percussion, voice

1. patina 8:55           
2. verdigris 4:15
3. mould 10:35
4. bozzetto 3:32
5. macquette 31:14

Total Time: 58:54

All works by Thomas Lehn (GEMA) & Gerry Hemingway (GEMA/BMI)
1,2,4 recorded in performance at Ulrichsberg Jazzatelier, Austria October 4, 2003
3 recorded in performance at Stadtgarten, Köln, Germany October 5, 2003
5 recorded at Festival Densités, Fresnes-en-Woëvre - France October 27, 2006
Performances recorded by Thomas Lehn
Mixed, edited produced by Gerry Hemingway and Thomas Lehn.
Mastered by Gerry Hemingway.
Cover photo taken in Karlsruhe by: Johannes Frisch. Glass artwork in photo by Renate Koch.
Inside photo- Guillaume Greff
Cover Design Artwork - Gerry Hemingway

Special Thanks to Alois Fisher, Emmanuelle Pellegrini
and Reiner Michalke

reviews:

Tom & Gerry "kinetics" Touching Extremes May 9, 2010

Where “Tom” is Thomas Lehn, as a matter of course on analogue synthesizer. We’re advised of listening on “high-quality audio equipment, preferably at a high volume”, but the music is so gorgeous that any decent setting should be sufficient to let us delight in the engrossingly lively shifts and diversified articulations that the duo generates. “Patina” is a cross of spacey pulse and liquefying clairvoyance typified by intelligent restraint, which prepares the listener to the innumerable timbral varieties that will follow, just like a ceremony’s preamble. The short “Verdigris” verges on the somewhat harsher characteristics of the instruments, privileging sharper frequencies in a partial disentanglement from the innermost vibration. “Mould” is maybe the first episode in which the sonic total transcends the basic musical concept, thus connecting to different kinds of reality: discerning touches, dynamic analyses aimed to a rational sharing of the reverberant surroundings, puzzling juxtapositions doing their best to prevent the audience from recognizing who plays what. The piece is splendid indeed, an exercise in self-discipline which leaves mystified – and wanting more. “Bozzetto” is a brief intermission of hissing micro-discharges and sputtering rudiments, directly throwing in the 32 minutes of “Maquette”, the record’s closure. It starts with a sensible emancipation from the commonly deduced notion of rhythm (please be aware that everything in the universe possesses its own beat – however, it’s too difficult to decode and set in sheer mathematical rationalization for a man’s delusional inanity to grasp it). Soon thereafter, the artists protract the journey through countless constellations of isolation, the only goal being “annihilation of sameness”. The exchange is wholeheartedly impressive, two instrumental sources enough to exhale fumes of interior knowledge while keeping an eye on what happens in the concreteness department, outstandingly perceptive drumming and insightful exploration of the synthetic realms totally corresponding in enlivening impetus. After long moments of (don’t laugh) cosmic expectation, the finale sees Lehn and Hemingway finally liberated, exchanging harder and harder blows to the head and body until exhaustion, probably the lone moment of actual lack of restrictions in the whole disc. Which – in case you didn’t get it yet – is a work of art that, to my understanding, has gone fairly unnoticed to date. Let’s go and change the trend.

Massimo Ricci Touching Extremes May 19, 2010

One of Hemingway’s most effective liaisons has been his duo with analogue synthesizer specialist, Thomas Lehn. Kinetics (2) is their third release. What’s most impressive about this duo is their dynamic range. While much of this hovers quite effectively aroundthe quieter end of the spectrum, it only serves to heighten the louder passages. And the apocalyptic climax to the epic (over 31 minutes, the remaining tracks are edits in the 4-10 minute range) final track with Hemingway dropping literal bombs with his drum kit is almost frightening. But through most of this Hemingway is using cymbals and smaller percussion instruments, scraping, tapping, and bowing in an acoustic counterpoint to Lehn’s alien electronic sounds. At an hour, this is a perfect distillation of what these two do. And they do it well.
Robert Iannapollo, ©Cadence Magazine October 2009

TOM & GERRY [THOMAS LEHN/GERRY HEMINGWAY] - Kinetics (Auricle 08; USA) Featuring Thomas Lehn on analogue synthesizer and Gerry Hemingway on drums & percussion. This is the third amazing CD from this particularly dynamic duo and again, they deliver the goods. The five pieces were recorded at three different in Austria (2003), Koln, Germany (2003) and in France (2006). Thomas Lehn plays an analogue synthesizer, an ancient from the 1970's that has pretty much been abandoned by most synth players. Hence his sound is quite distinctive and unique. The same can be said for Gerry, as his approach to the drums and percussion is also most distinctive. The first piece, "Patina," has Gerry bowing his cymbals while Thomas slowly provides haunting subtonic sounds. What is interesting is that often their sounds are similar in texture so that it is hard to tell who is doing which sound. I am reminded of gazing into the past, listening to static from an earlier era. Gerry often sticks to cymbals which sound perfect with the eerie sounds of Thomas' spooky synth swirls and fragments. Since this music moves slowly, we get a chance to focus on the textures as they evolve, it is consistently fascinating to listen or watch the shapes shift. All of the recordings are well done, in stereo and balanced just right. The last long piece, "Maquette" is especially wonderful, covering a great deal of dynamic ground and moving cautiously through different sections. This piece has a more futuristic vibe as if we are walking through the mysterious architecture of an unknown building and trying to figure out what we are seeing or where we are going. The mystery continues... Bruce Lee Gallanter (Downtown Music Gallery)

Thomas Lehn & Gerry Hemingway - Kinetics - Auricle AUR-8 CD

Kinetics makes a very persuasive case for the virtues of good recording, thoughtful post-production, and musical maturation. Which isn’t to say that Tom & Gerry’s previous efforts for Erstwhile and Umbrella were bad records; in particular, their self-titled debut presented a thrilling exchange of electronic and acoustic sounds in real time. But this one, which is on Hemingway’s own, is even better. One reason is the audio quality, which fully realizes the tactile sensation of Lehn’s analogue synthesizer playing and satisfyingly recreates the vibrations of air molecules around Hemingway’s cymbal strokes. You’ll lose some of the music if you run Kinetics via itty-bitty wires into tiny speakers; this baby demands to be played on a decent stereo system with speakers of a certain size. The same care that got the most out of self-recorded live performances also, I suspect, went into picking the right ones; there’s not a wasted second on this CD. Hemingway and Lehn sustain enormous and unwavering control throughout, even in long moments near the silence threshold. This is the duo’s quietest album; they dole out the fireworks as sparingly as a fire marshal in woodworking class. If the double-disc Tim & Gerry gave us a bit too much, this one gives us only the right stuff. Of course that stuff had to be there in the first place, and that’s where the refined attunement that comes from working together, pushing forward, and having the chops and chemistry to get where you need to go comes in.
Bill Meyer Signal to Noise (09)

Gerry Hemingway - Thomas Lehn - Kinetics - Auricle 2008
Valutazione: 3,5 stelle

Non c'è dubbio che Gerry Hemingway sia un batterista che invoglia al dialogo: lo fa all'interno di formazioni allargate, lo fa con una sensibilità ancora più sottile quando si trova vis-à-vis con altri musicisti che condividono la medesima spinta all'esplorazione. Accade - è il terzo disco ormai per la coppia - con il sintetizzatore analogico di Thomas Lehn, artista che ha scelto uno strumento apparentemente poco al passo con i tempi per provare a spostare i confini del mondo sonoro conosciuto.

Le cinque improvvisazioni di questo Kinetics [le prime quattro contenute tra i tre e i dieci minuti, l'ultima dilatata oltre la mezz'ora] sono state catturate in diverse occasioni live, in Austria, Germania e Francia, ma i due musicisti hanno anche lavorato sodo in postproduzione per rendere l'esperienza sonica più idonea all'ascolto casalingo [modalità, a parere di chi scrive, che difficilmente restituisce la molteplicità di piani estetici del momento performativo].

Ne viene fuori un lavoro dettagliatissimo e intrigante, fatto per due terzi di suoni molti lievi, di fruscii e sussurri, di fischi e di impercettibili spostamenti uditivi, di soffi e di scricchiolii, quasi a sondare la grana della materia. Quando poi, nella parte conclusiva della lunga "Maquette" [che si apre con cadenze misteriose e ieratiche], i due danno sfogo a un ribollire di energie quasi primitivo, la musica sembra debordare da ogni parte e diventa uno sconvolgente incendio dei sensi.

Enrico Bettinello Commenta AAJ Italia