Aviva Endean — Cinder: Ember: Ashes

Cinder: Ember: Ashes is the solo debut album from Aviva Endean- a Melbourne based clarinet player, improviser & composer. The seven-track CD sees her offering up a selection of both composed & improvised works, which see her pushing her craft in an often moodily ethnic manner- dipping down in Eastern, African, and hauntingly tribal flavours.

This release appears on Norwegian based Sofa label, who over the last year or so have been putting out a lot of really great improvised & modern composition based releases. The CD is presented in a four-panel digipak- which on the front covers, fitting the release's title- we get a photograph of a pair of hands holding charcoaled & ashed lumps of wood.

Over the seven tracks Endean doesn’t just utilize the expected Clarinet, she also brings into the fold timpani, pocket amplifier, voice, whistle, umtshingo, & effects pedals. So most of the tracks have their own distinctive sonic identity- meaning as modern composition releases go, this is relatively varied release. The tracks have runtimes between three & ten minutes, so you certainly get the feeling she’s given thought & care to each- with pretty much, all seven tracks manage to bring together both creativity, freshness of sound use, and generally well-balanced composition- which moves from vibrate & active, to stretched, atmospheric  & alien.

We move from the violent bellowing, swaying and angular wavers of the opening track “Burst In Black: Under”. Through shifting sour-ness & high-pitched manic Indian piper-pipery of “Vapour: Between”. Onto the sweet-yet- haunting  African-yet alien chanting & watery pipe mantra of “Distant Song: afar”.  Through to flighty  & warbling harmonics of the final track “Ashes For Viv”.

Cinder: Ember: Ashes is a great debut solo release from Endean- showing her sonic versatility & flare for creative modern composition & improvision. It’s also another great release from Sofa- I very much look forward to seeing what the label has got planned for 2019.