Ethan Iverson reviews "Magic Mountain" in Do The Math

Originally published on Ethan Iverson's Do the M@th, 18 March 2017. Original article here. 

Tanya Kalmanovitch and Mat Maneri: Magic Mountain

Among my peers, Mat Maneri gets a lot of a respect. Each phrase from his microtonal viola seems both lived in and fresh.

I hadn’t really been aware of Tanya Kalmanovitch before but I am bowled over this recent collection of duos, Magic Mountain. Two microtonal violists! Good god. Apparently the artists themselves don’t always know who is playing what on this exceptionally surreal and beautiful performance.

There are plenty of free improv duo CDs out there that are fun to listen to, but they seldom offer the kind of melodic purity displayed on Magic Mountain. Really this is nothing but soulful ear candy.

Disc includes three sets of liner notes (from Kalmanovitch, Maneri, and Michael Sliwkowski) offering additional food for thought. A significant release, available for preview and purchase at at Bandcamp.