Argentinian, Buenos Aires-born, Stockholm-based sax player Camila Nebbia and American-Japanese sax player-multi-instrumentalist Patrick Shiroishi never met in person, but they share a similar inquisitive and poetic artistic spirit as well as a belief in firm political activism against all forms of injustice. The aptly titled debut duo album of Nebbia and Shiroishi, «The Human Being As A Fragile Article», is described by these gifted musicians as exploring «the physical, mental and emotional layers within the brittle facade of the human shell via conversations between brass, electronics and ambient-found sounds».
The ten, mostly short duets are titled in Spanish and Japanese and are introduced by Shiroishi and Nebbia who recite poetic textures or adding pre-recorded voices and sounds, that reflect and solidify the poetic atmosphere of this distant meeting. These duets highlight the imaginative and unorthodox but highly expressive and deeply conversational sonic horizons of Nebbia and Shiroishi. These duets are sometimes tense («Un nino llamado cuervo /「からす」という名の少年»), playful («El espacio entre el lenguaje / 言語の間») and even intense and noisy («Apagar el televisor – TVを消して»); sound-oriented («Mis pies son tan fuertes como mi corazon / 僕の足は 僕の心臓と同»)じ位強い» often dreamy and suggestive («El ser humanx como un articulo fragil / 壊れやすい人間», «Mentiras y silencio / 嘘と沈黙»), ritualist («Olvido – 忘却») or meditative alongside bird calls («Al costado de los recuerdos – 思い出の隣»). But all these duets stress how these kindred souls established their very own intimate and sometimes secretive, genre-defying language. The extended and last duet «Mientras el cisne blanco se eleva al cielo no deja rastros aca abajo 白鳥が天に昇る時 地上には何も遺さない» (translated as «When the swan rises to the sky, it leaves nothing on the ground») offers a poetic and enigmatic drone with strong hypnotic veins and ends in joint emotional prayer.
Based on the immediate affinity, the profound and rich language and the countless sonic delights expressed on «The Human Being As A Fragile Article», one can only wonder how a live meeting between Nebbia and Shiroishi would sound like.
Eyal Hareuveni
Camila Nebbia (s, v), Patrick Shiroishi (s, v, elec, ambient and found sounds)
