recording session August 22, 2008. Photo by Jordan Hemingway
Terrence McManus & Gerry Hemingway
recording session August 22, 2008. Photo by Jordan Hemingway
Recorded in July of 2008 this collection of improvised pieces is culled from three hours of recorded material. Guitarist Terrence McManus and percussionist Gerry began working together in 2007 when they met via a trio project of Kermit Driscoll. It was clear to both of them that there was a rich musical chemistry and since that time they have both initiated a variety of projects that involved each other. They began this duo format when a scheduled trio concert with Kermit unexpectedly turned into a duo when Kermit was unable to make it to the performance. “Terry understands the possibilities I seek as an improviser and a composer. He has an exceptional ear and a way of musical thinking that allows the music to unfold in an unhurried and richly detailed way. I am convinced he represents a new voice on the instrument”…..gh. Terry will also be featured on Gerry Hemingway’s upcoming GH Quintet CD "Riptide" along with Ellery Eskelin, Oscar Noriega & Kermit Driscoll to be released in the summer of 2011 on Clean Feed Records. It should also be noted that Terrence builds his own guitars including a nylon string stereo electric guitar which is featured along with several other of his instruments.
Web page about the duo: http://terrence-mcmanus.com/gerry_terry/
Terrence McManus Home Page:http://terrence-mcmanus.com/
Beneath the surface of
Terrence McManus
electric guitar and nylon string stereo guitar
Gerry Hemingway
drums, percussion, voice
1. the night ocean 11:05
2. the constants 5:11
3. the glass lake 6:47
4. the rush to get there 6:06
5. the dry land 8:47
6. the disturbance 11:24
7. the amber field 10:44
Total Time: 60:08
All Works by Terrence McManus & Gerry Hemingway © 2010
Recorded August 22, 2008 in Plainsboro, NJ
Recorded, Post Production and Mastering by– Gerry Hemingway
Produced by – Terrence McManus & Gerry Hemingway
Electric Guitar and Nylon String Guitar built by Terrence McManus
© 2010 Auricle Records
reviews/comments:
Touching Extremes April 30, 2011
"Simply put, one of the sharpest drums + guitar duets heard in these headquarters, here analyzed on a piece-by-piece basis. I tried to cobble useful descriptive words, jotting down written responses to the sounds.
“The Night Ocean”. Instant in-your-face approach, creation of a playground for the liberation of energies. Closely miked skins and cymbals at the forefront of Hemingway’s palette, McManus turning the initial distorted drone into clean picking that grows increasingly agitated, still maintaining legroom for the pair to stretch and stray. Stillness falls upon a combination of feedback and hiss.
“The Constants”. GH’s brushing across TM’s toneless utterances, rising tension, new components weighing in. Piercing and jarring timbres from an axe that battles for the loss of its identity, mainly successfully. Sturdy pulling of strings, the drumming becomes progressively nervous and muscular, then thing quieten up.
“The Glass Lake”. More unusual research around the dirtier types of acoustic resonance, beautiful cymbal job to create a background on the rarefied spikes thrown by TM, who seems to be looking for a synthesis between Derek Bailey and a slightly sweeter radicalism imbued with snippets of thematic thoughts and unwelcoming clusters.
“The Rush To Get There”. Additional angularity spiced by swells reminiscent of early Bill Frisell, but with a harsher edge; GH listens and acts through the immediate release of flurrying bursts punctuated – again – by a superbly resounding snare. He’s in “let-it-go” mode, yet ever ready to remain in charge of the overall drive; patient listener and macho at once. Stimulating fragments generated by TM’s smart processing seal the track, GH tapping on the toms until silence is reached.
“The Dry Land”. Grating noises, whispers and wordless vocalizations, escalating into clattering-cum-supplementary glossolalia. This might belong in the “ritualistic” area of improvisation without any strain. Lots of breaks, the ears “want to know”. Enigmatic stuff devoid of actual openings, giving an idea of barely contained virulence.
“The Disturbance”. Free-jazz gears, pungent staccato, convulsive glomerations and close intervals. Strapping percussiveness on both extremes, TM apparently interested in complementing GH’s rattling liveliness rather than pursuing a mental picture. When distortion kicks in, we’re back to square one. Potent music, enlivening, pitiless in a way; no concessions whatsoever. It ends with a fight where each tries to decapitate the other with single shots, or just get the nod with economical combinations. Nobody wins.
“The Amber Field”. Mini-pitches emitted via slanted-plectrum-on-fretboard techniques complemented by an intricately dexterous work on the drum set, inexorably growing in terms of rate of recurrence of the sonic events. Cultivated edginess, the pace becoming almost frenetic at halfway point, irregular rolls accompanying slashing chords and overdriven scars. Uncompromising till the last second, the couple slaps and rips the smiley, suntanned conventions of archetypal jazz duos to confirm that we always need danger and restlessness to move forward." Massimo Ricci
The Wire Feb 2011
"Beneath the surface of" with guitarist McManus (a title that maybe alludes to the Hemingway/Freud/iceberg model of the mind) bespeaks a rich, unconscious empathy, two players running through a shared language that takes in everything from free and Noise to the cheery alt rock of "The Rush To Get There". Brian Morton
a comment from a YouTube visitor on Gerry Hemingway/Terrence McManus Duo, Piece 2:
"this sounds like my 2 and 4 year old banging pots and pans, solely to make noise. It is disgusting when "artists" hide behind being avant garde simply because they have no discernible talent. This is not music. These are not musicians. This is garbage."
from the Squidco website
On this release Hemingway plays Terrence McManus on electric guitar and nylon string stereo guitar. NY Metropolitan area based, McManus is part of the Gerry Hemingway Quintet, along with the Kermit Driscoll Group and the Herb Robertson Ensemble. He's performed with a huge list of heavyweights including John Zorn, Bill Frisell, Tim Berne, Marty Ehrlich, Mark Helias, &c.
For this release Hemingway and McManus recorded 7 improvisations in the studio, each an extended improvisation on rhythm, melody, harmony, and sonic exposition. There's a lightness to the touch in the most complex interactions, and the two work together as a single unit, presenting compelling and creative music on the instant, as only two masters can. Phil Zampino
From Tom Hull's - On the Web
"...McManus is from Brooklyn, seems to have 4-6 records since 2006 -- website doesn't have dates on anything; AMG lists one record not on website -- some solo, some in small groups he may or may not lead. Builds his own guitars, including the "nylon string stereo guitar" second-credited here. Has a distinctive ring to his electric, and holds your interest all by himself. Hemingway works around him, much as he did with Eskelin. A- " Tom Hull
From AllAboutJazz - Mark Corroto
Every player's perfect partner, Gerry Hemingway (see above), spotlights guitarist Terrence McManus, one the members of his latest quintet. Below The Surface Of consists of one hour of music over seven tracks. McManus is one of New York's latest guitar heroes, working in groups led by Herb Robertson, Kermit Driscoll, Ellery Eskelin and Tim Berne. He is adept at multiple styles, intensities and volumes.
This one day session fashions multiple perspectives and techniques. The title piece acts as a tsunami of sound, Hemingway choosing to muscle his way into the song, as McManus tears chunk after chunk of notes, employing electronics to present part of his guitar heard backwards. That aggression is balanced by the haunting "The Glass Lake," where cymbals are the accompaniment to harp-like plucked notes. The purpose here seems to be a showcase for the differing faucets of McManus' sound. He can pull some noisy abrasive scraping sounds heard on "The Dry Land," and hover above Hemingway's solid pulse on "the Night ocean" with an exquisite etherealness of attack and some simple and graceful notes. Mark Corroto