John Korsrud: Vancouver BC, new music composer, trumpet player

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Featuring...
John Korsrud, compositions, trumpet (1), programming (3); Ron Samworth guitar, multi-tracked guitar (1, 7, 8); Combustion Chamber (Amsterdam) (2); Hard Rubber Orchestra (10).

1. Girl on the Grass (2001) for trumpet, guitar (3.10)
2. Glurp for 14 musicians (1997) (9.45)
3. Xs & Os (2001) (02.55)
4. VAP DIST for orchestra (2001) Mvt. I (4.37)
5. VAP DIST for orchestra (2001) Mvt. II (11.17)
6. VAP DIST for orchestra (2001) Mvt. III (4.32)
7. Swing Theory Mvt. IV for 5 musicians, sampler (1995) (10.00)
8. Hastings (2001) (1.56)
9. Zippy Pinhead (1995) for 2 pianos, bass drum (3.45)
10. You Look like an Angel (1996) Hard Rubber Orchestra, Joe Keithley (3.06)

Mark Miller
Globe & Mail
**** (4 stars)

John Korsrud is a composer in the truest sense. He may play jazz trumpet, and he may lead a big band (Vancouver's redoubtable Hard Rubber Orchestra), but like any real composer, he'll not be limited by instrument or instrumentation. Accordingly, Odd Jobs, Assorted Climaxes brings together 10 pieces dated 1995 through 2001 for eight settings, from a single, multi-tracked guitar (Vancouver's Ron Samworth) and to large ensemble (Amsterdam's Combustion Chamber). The common thread here is Korsrud's freedom from idiomatic constraints and his curiosity instead about the way elements of pop, jazz and New Music and improvisation can fit -- and flow -- together. Flow is key, onward and usually upward. The music's quite stirring that way, all motion and colour. It's abstract, yes, but compellingly so.

Odd Jobs,

Assorted Climaxes:

an eclectic collection of

newmusic compositions

Spool Point 3

Every scene has its overlooked figure whose importance is not fully grasped by the media. Given his sheer talent and the scope of his music, however, it is nothing short of amazing that composer-trumpeter John Korsrud remains pretty much in the background in discussions about the Vancouver creative music scene, or the Canadian national scene for that matter. A cross-section of pieces penned between 1995 and 2001 for ensembles as large as chamber orchestra and as small as a programmer, the frequently astounding Odd Jobs, Assorted Climaxes should change that. Even listeners with no prior exposure to Korsrud will quickly catch on that he is truly being beyond category. As a trumpeter, he combines “legit” technical polish with strong improvising instincts. Compositionally, he is all over the lot: he can write tension-filled chamber orchestra pieces, hard-hitting off-center charts for big band, and engaging electro-acoustic pieces. Perhaps the real strength of the album is that each facet of Korsrud’s aesthetic has sufficient space. “Glurp,” performed by the Amsterdam-based Combustion Chamber, has the clean formal bearing one would expect from studies with Louis Andriessen. The trenchant humor of “You Look Like An Angel” could easily and mistakenly be attributed to Dutch sources, as well (imagine John Zorn and The Crazy World of Arthur Brown deconstructing Elvis, and you’re in the ballpark). Conversely, his use of samples and overdubbing can be oddly soothing. Korsrud’s repeatedly makes smart personnel choices. He enlists great readers like clarinetist Francois Houle and cellist Peggy Lee for “VAP DIST,” a bristling orchestra score. He brings on the twin guitar juggernaut of Ron Samworth and Tony Wilson for a teeth-rattling excerpt from “Swing Theory.” And, Hard Rubber Orchestra brings the album to a crashing halt with “You Look Like An Angel.” Bill Shoemaker (2005)

Francois Couture
All-Music Guide

The subtitle of this album reveals the whole plot:"an eclectic collection
of new music compositions." The material included on Odd Jobs, Assorted
Climaxes was composed and recorded between 1995 and 2001. It features a
number of performers and settings, from solo pieces for guitarist Ron
Samworth to works for Combustion Chamber, the CBC Radio Orchestra,
and the Hard Rubber Orchestra, the latter being John Korsrud's
longstanding creature. An HRO album this is not, but fans of the avant-garde
brass band will feel in familiar territory. The main novelty here is the
presence of strings, which opens up the composer's sound palette.
Nonetheless, Korsrud is first and foremost a maximalist composer. He just
loves to mass musicians, give them a part that will drain all their energy,
and see what happens. There are a few quieter pieces here, namely the opener
Girl on the Grass, a duet between Samworth and Korsrud (on trumpet)
written for a TV documentary, but most of the music features at least six
musicians. Glurp is written for (and performed by) the 14 musicians of
Combustion Chamber of Amsterdam. An interesting blend of classical
clich�s and avant-big band tendencies, it provides a challenging yet quite
entertaining listen. But the true highlights are found elsewhere, as in
VAP DIST, a work in three movements for orchestra, in which Korsrud
applies his maximalist views to the string section with striking results.
The fourth movement of Swing Theory (the only one included here) is an
orgiastic 10-minute piece that has all the drive of a typical Hard Rubber
Orchestra number, except that it is performed by only five musicians, with
samples by Paul Dolden; it swings, rocks and sweats. The album concludes
with the Hard Rubber Orchestra performing You Look Like an Angel
with special guest vocalist Joe Keithley, aka Joey Shithead from the
Vancouver punk band DOA. A funny blend of jazz (quoting (You're The)
Devil in Disguise), punk, noise and hot avant-funk licks, it serves as a
reminder of Korsrud�s unique sense of humor. Odd Jobs, Assorted Climaxes
may be eclectic in nature and lacking recent material, but its carefully
selected material makes it a welcome addition to Korsrud's recorded output.

Recommended. Francois Couture

Downtown Music Gallery Magazine (New York)

I am mostly unfamiliar with trumpeter/composer John Korsrud, except for his work with the Hard Rubber Orchestra who have two discs on the Victo label. Most of the ten pieces on this fascinating CD feature different ensembles or solo efforts. "Girl on the Grass" is performed by the duo of Mr. Korsrud on trumpet and Ron Samworth on multi-tracked guitar. It is an eerie work made for a TV documentary. "Glurp for 14 Musicians" is performed by Combustion Chamber from Amsterdam and it is a gripping work for angular piano and Penderecki-like warped strings and brass. On "Xs & Os", it sounds as if John is processing and melting some sequenced reeds, harp or something else hard to pinpoint. "VAP Dist for Orchestra" is another phenomenal work for the CBC Radio Orchestra, extremely dynamic and explosive in parts. Some of the more well known players include Francois Houle, Peggy Lee and Dylan van der Schyff, however it is extraordinary writing that really makes this so fascinating. Bowed cymbals, bent strings, simmering brass and layers of sustained sounds make this a most suspenseful outing. "From Swing Theory" is for two guitars, piano and percussion with (orchestral?) samples by composer Paul Dolden. This is a wonderful work for nervous percussion, selective (sampled) string fragments and occasional piano and/or guitar spice. Ron Samworth's multi-tracked electric guitar is again featured on "Hastings", which is rather Frippertronic-like and just as hypnotic. "Zippy Pinhead" is for two pianos and bass drum and is a dense excursion for the low-end side, with pianos doing Nancarrow like waves. The unexpected closing piece, "You Like An Angel" is rather Zappa-like with some strange singing by a rather deranged (sounding) fellow named "Joe Keithley". A most unusual collection of oddities and curios from a fine composer named John Korsrud. - BLG