''Floating Phantoms'' is a live album by the B.I.M.P. Quartet, led by percussionist

Tony Oxley Tony Oxley (15 June 1938 – 26 December 2023) was an English free improvisation, free improvising drummer and electronic musician. Born in Sheffield, Oxley moved to London in 1966 and became house drummer at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club where he ...

, and featuring violinist

Phil Wachsmann Philipp John Paul Wachsmann (born 5 August 1944) is an African avant-garde jazz/jazz fusion violinist born in Kampala, Uganda, probably better known for having founded his own group Chamberpot. He has worked with many musicians in the free jazz id ...

, keyboardist Pat Thomas, and electronic musician Matt Wand. It was recorded on November 5, 1999, at the "Total Music Meeting" in Berlin, and was issued in 2002 by the German label a/l/l, an imprint of FMP, as their inaugural release.

Reception

''JazzWords Ken Waxman called the album "A first-rate example of a new strain of contemporary BritImprov," and wrote: "the four represent two generations of British improvisers who wholeheartedly embrace the different textures available from arching kilowatts, and have long been bending machines to do their bidding," with the music appearing to document "what would have happened if Sun Ra, synth and electric piano in either hand, had climbed into Mr. Peabody's Wayback Machine." In a review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, François Couture stated: "in general the group displays enough synergy and textural interplay to make ''Floating Phantoms'' a worthy record, but it fails to establish Wand as a strong improviser. Still recommended, if only for the crystal-clear recording of the percussionist's every bang and clang." Declan O'Driscoll of ''

The Journal of Music ''Journal of Music'' (formerly ''Journal of Music in Ireland'', or ''JMI'') is an Irish music magazine founded in 2000. It "has been a critical voice in Traditional and Contemporary musics since 2000". In 2009 it was relaunched as the ''Journal of ...

'' commented: "Samples rush by like subliminal messages or urgent signals from a distressed witness. Thankfully they lack recognisable sources (no po-mo cleverness). They are used because they help to make fascinating music, the endless curiosity of uncertainty. They make music with positive momentum, a glorious din and... occasional silence." The authors of ''

The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which were (at the time of publication) currently available in Europe or the United States. The first nine editions were compiled b ...

'' described the album as "something of a disappointment" and "remarkably callow" given "how comfortably Wachsmann has absorbed electronic processing into his work and how long Oxley has used electronics with his drum kit."

Track listing

All music composed by Matt Wand, Pat Thomas, Philipp Wachsmann, and Tony Oxley. # "Line In" – 14:44 # "Line Out" – 9:06 # "On Line" – 4:14 # "Stream Line" – 24:40 # "Beam Line" – 11:25

Personnel

– percussion *

– violin, electronics * Pat Thomas – piano, keyboards, electronics * Matt Wand – sampler

References

{{Authority control 2002 live albums 2002 collaborative albums Tony Oxley live albums