Beth Fleenor transcends labels and classical music endures in the realm of “cool”

a review by Zach Carstensen

I probably would have skipped Beth Fleenor’s January 31st show at the Rendezvous JewelBox Theater in Belltown if the night’s lineup began with her experimental band, Figeater. 

 [more after the jump]

Having spent more than a decade immersed in the world of classical music, I approach other musical genres warily. As it was, the Odeonquartet — a classically trained string quartet with a strong interest in contemporary music — was the opening act.  Fleenor wasn’t far from the action, however. After a short new work by Erin Holcomb, the clarinetist joined the ensemble to perform Wayne Horvitz’s “These Hills of Glory.”  Horvitz is a Seattle based composer, pianist, and electronic artist best known for his collaboration with the Ear Shot Jazz Festival.   

Like Horvitz, Fleenor is also a multi-talented, creative force in Seattle. She divides her time between public relations work for area artists, classical performance, and Figeater when she plays clarinet, sings vocals and creates music herself.

Fleenor’s performance reminded me of the City Arts sponsored Chamber v. Chamber forum in November 2009 [the most recent version was last weekend]. The premise behind Chamber v. Chamber is that pop and indie bands are incorporating classical instruments and a serious music aesthetic, while traditional classical music and ensembles drift into irrelevance.  Depending on your point-of-view, this is either a precursor to classical music’s disappearance or the persistent influence of the genre on popular music. For me, Fleenor’s performance at the JewelBox made a case for the latter.    

“These Hills of Glory” contains all the elements of a typical string quartet. The piece is divided into separate movements, each with a distinct mood and character. While the string quartet’s musical responsibilities are neatly documented on sheet music and shared by each of the four string players, Fleenor’s part diverges sharply from the ordered way of most classical music, in that her part is entirely improvised, which is an interesting, if ordinary technique.  In concertos — pieces for a solo instrument and orchestra — cadenzas were routinely improvised.  Even minimalist compositions, built from the repetition and evolution of fragments of notes, require a good amount of improvisation.   

Horvitz’s piece was different, however, because Fleenor improvised everything. It gave the piece an organic and unpredictable feeling. I listened more closely than usual, wondering when she was going to interject herself into the piece. Fleenor was at times an independent voice, running parallel to the Odeonquartet’s music. Other times, she played the role of antagonist. Sputtering, challenging, and dragging the strings forward. 

Figeater came on stage after a short break and immediately plunged the audience into a sound world unlike Wayne Horvitz’s, but still familiar.  Described as “neo-chamber avant noise jazz,” Figeater’s methods seemed inspired at least in part by the so-called “serious” music world. Fleenor’s use of looping vocals can also be found in the experimental music of the last century and even in the compositions of more mainstream serious composers like Steve Reich. Other aspects of the Figeater set were harder to place. Free form improvising, instruments (other than drums) used for percussive effects, and the interplay of sounds and instruments reminded me of the John Cage/Lou Harrison festival last year at Cornish College of the Arts.  The rhythms, colors and duration limited chiefly by the whims and directions of the musicians themselves.

I don’t know if Fleenor, Figeater, or even Wayne Horvitz would point to chamber music as a direct influence or even a tertiary influence. But I heard Stockhausen, Cage and Reich in the Figeater set. “These Hills of Glory” brought together jazz improvisation, traditional notated chamber music, and the Baroque and Classical concerto in a piece that could be played in either Benaroya Hall or a setting like the Rendezvous. These similarities speak to the enduring influence of classical forms and classical music.

Zach Carstensen is a regular contributor to City Arts magazine and editor of the Gathering Note, a local blog about all things classical music.    

Listen to samples of Fleenor’s music on her Myspace page. You can also get information on her upcoming performances.