It is testament to the astral, prolific talent of Arthur Russell that two decades after the first reissues of his archival material garnered widespread acclaim, crystals of such high quality are still being unearthed.
2023’s Picture of Bunny Rabbit and 2019’s Iowa Dream hinted at the depth and breadth of what remains unheard in the Arthur Russell Archives, but it is perhaps surprising that it has taken so long for a high-quality live recording to see the light of day. 2020’s Sketches for World of Echo: June 25 1984 Live at Ei and 2021’s 24 to 24 Music Live at the Kitchen both went some way to unravelling the enigma, but somewhat pale in comparison to the archival studio releases.
Open Vocal Phrases Where Songs Come In And Out is just that – the latest piece of Russell arcana, a live album of Russell and his cello dating back to his 1985 prime. The snapshot captured by this recording is a vivid one, an essential piece of the puzzle. For it is during this period of his work that you can see Russell crystallise the electroacoustic netherrealm that would become World of Echo. Now, as then, it’s a musical vision that arrives totally realised, sounding like absolutely nothing else.
Of course, live albums, especially those that don’t see the light of day during their creator’s lifetime, can be a very hit or miss affair. But in the case of Open Vocal Phrases, it’s very existence is a privilege to behold. The chance to peek beneath the bonnet – the opportunity to hear Russell’s most beautiful compositions constructed in real time from some very raw materials – feels like a treat that we don’t fully deserve.
Russell, as well as being a producer, composer, and player of generational magnitude, is a truly wizard performer. The mystique of the incantations that he conjures up here with just voice, cello, and live effects are breathtaking, spellbinding, magickal. During ‘Tiger Stripe’, his quivering voice clashes with an alien array of stabbing, squelching sounds, each hitting like a punch to the gut, whilst the beginning of ‘Hiding Your Present From You’ sees him perform a bowed reverb-laden flourish that would make even the most seasoned metal guitarist’s shredding seem tame.
I don’t think, however, that Russell’s technical mastery is the defining attribute of this live recording. Marvelling at how many incredible stunts he was pulling at once is all very well, but to me, if that was all I had to say, it would imply a cold and mechanical appreciation of Russell’s craft – and this is the polar opposite of how I feel listening to Open Vocal Phrases…. What characterises this recording is the sheer and visceral emotion of the thing. Russell’s music contains a lot of very deep emotions, often several at once, and like no-one before or since he is the absolute master of evoking them for the listener. It is, of course, a wholly subjective view, but for me, it’s hard to recall a recording where a solo performer has made me feel quite so instantaneously or viscerally.
Every pluck, strike, and rumble of the cello feels like an act of great consequence, each one a vital stitch on his regal sonic tapestry. His voice, too, often a trembling instrument, his hums and breaths vital embellishments. It is minimalism at its best, as sections of pastoral, tranquil stillness only serve to highlight the beauty of the compositions’ fragile exoskeletons. On ‘That’s the Very Reason’, his playing is droning and infinite, each line accompanied by one or two swishes of the arm, but with every flutter of the bow it feels as though the very universe is contorting to the whims of the music.
Of course, with Arthur Russell, the pride and sorrow of the downtown New York underground, every archival release is tinged with a profound sadness. Sometimes a lot, sometimes only a little, but tragedy colours every listen. Open Vocal Phrases… is testament to this, but foremost it is a celebration of what a unique, mercurial, generational talent Arthur Russell was, and what a precious, humble soul we were lucky enough to share a dimension with.
