Henry Kaiser, guitar and bass guitar Paul Plimley, piano Danielle DeGruttola, cello Recorded October 1996 and November 1997. These two masters of improvisation unfold a melange of musical wonderment. They are joined on several tracks by the rich, sonorous sounds of Danielle DeGruttola's cello. By turns, whimsical, contemplative, rhythmical and open-ended; always thoughtful, understated and engaging. It all unfolds in a manner which suggests that no other unfolding would do. What the critics are saying; A meeting of like souls, Vancouver pianist Paul Plimley and Bay Area guitarist Henry Kaiser both seem to operate on a higher vibrational plane than most mere mortals...Their collaboration is speedy, surreal, fragmented and a treat for those interested in the outer limits. --Alexander Varty, The Georgia Straight In an inspired pairing, Kaiser joins B.C. pianist extraordinaire Paul Plimley. As an added bonus, and this disc is significantly better as a result, Plimley and Kaiser are complimented by Danielle DeGruttola on cello. She is the least known player here, but her contributions are uniformly excellent; she seems to inspire Kaiser and Plimley to their most intense passages. --David Dacks, Exclaim There is an understated beauty to this entire affair, like a flower opening up ever so slowly towards the sun. There are also moments when either Henry and/or Paul drop these small firecrackers of fractured notes to balance the extreme nature of the reflective side. Sometimes minimal, yet still a feast for our ears. -- Bruce Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery Using electric, acoustic and bass guitars, Kaiser smears chords and bends notes to meet Plimley's clusters and flurries. On some tracks, DeGruttola's cello acts as an effective binding agent. --Julian Cowley, The Wire That music is whacked!! -- Office personnel at the plant where SPOOL CDs are pressed Henry Kaiser One of the most creative and innovative guitarists/improvisers in the field of experimental/ new music. He has performed with an extraordinary array of extraordinary artists, such as the Rova Saxophone Quartet, Elliot Sharp, Fred Frith, Jim O'Rourke, Sergei Kuriokhin, Chris Cutler, John "Drumbo" French, John Zorn, Bill Frisell, Evan Parker, John Oswald, George Lewis, Peter Brotzman, Cecil Taylor, and Miya Masaoka, to name but a few. Kaiser has also collaborated with many artists building upon traditional musics, and he has cited as influences traditional blues, East Asian, Classical North Indian and Hawaiian music, American steel-string concert guitar, as well as free jazz, free improvisation and 20th century classical.. Paul Plimley Pianist extraordinaire Paul Plimley has been raising eyebrows for years now. Those among the lucky have had the opportunity to catch Plimley in performance with the likes of Han Bennink, Mats Gustafsson, Joe McPhee, Evan Parker, John Oswald, Ken Vandermark, Mark Dresser, Hamid Drake, Rene Lussier, Cecil Taylor, Joey Baron, Ned Rothenberg, Derek Bailey, George Lewis, Andrew Cyrille, Louis Moholo, Vinny Golia, Eddie Prevost, Barry Guy, Miya Masaoka, Buell Neidlinger, and Randy Raine Reusch, among others. Of notable mention are his long standing associations with the NOW Orchestra, of which he is a co-founder, and his duos and trios with Lisle Ellis. Some select recordings from the last few years include NOIR, with Lisle Ellis and Gregg Bendian; STUDY-WITCH GONG GAME 11/10, with Barry Guy and the NOW Orchestra; and his own solo recording, EVERYTHING IN STAGES. Most recent recordings include a duo release with Barry Guy called SENSOLOGY; a duo with South Indian master musician Trichy Sankaran; an interpretation of the music of Miles Davis called YO MILES! with Henry Kaiser and Leo Smith, and a trio recording with Lisle Ellis and Scott Amendola called SAFECRACKERS.