Jim Denley
Jim Denley's flute and saxophone improvisations range from the tiniest whispered whistle to the loudest shriek. He treats breath, flax and reed as raw material for austere, intense free sound.
Solo sessions put the listener inside the instrument: multiphonics, air noise, body percussion, and the odd flax reed. The playing can be limpid and refreshing, then turn fierce without warning. Technique is obvious; the point is the artistic statement, not display. With Machine for Making Sense he folds flutes, saxophone and voice into dense, interlocking textures of text and electronics, short pieces that refuse song form. Alongside Stevie Wishart he brings bass flute and saxophone into hurdy-gurdy and violin improvisations that snap, wander and pull the ear through open structures. This is the other flute: exposed, rarified, and built to hold attention.
Jim Denley is featured on the following titles
Dark Matter
Jim Denley is no common or garden flute player. His idea of a beautiful sound would probably make James Galway write another book (heaven forbid!). From the tiniest whispered whistle to the loudest shriek, his palette is extraordinary.
Composer
Producer
Performing as Machine for Making Sense
Machine for Making Sense is an Australian performance ensemble whose five players weave voice, text, winds, violin, hurdy-gurdy, live electronics and tape into dense interlocking textures rather than conventional song forms.
Machine for Making Sense: On Second Thoughts
Twenty-six short pieces lettered A to Z. By 1994 Machine for Making Sense had toured worldwide for several years. The five players weave dense, highly textured material that fuses music and text in startling ways.
Jim Denley also appears on
Wish
Best known for her work with the medieval ensemble Sinfonye, Stevie Wishart is also a scintillating improviser. Here she gathers long-time collaborators for an unusual set of free improvisations and studio pieces.
Jim Denley is a member of
Machine for Making Sense
Machine for Making Sense is an Australian performance ensemble whose five players weave voice, text, winds, violin, hurdy-gurdy, live electronics and tape into dense interlocking textures rather than conventional song forms.