"body of breath" is a concept album by Leanna Keith of the bass flute as a living, breathing, organism. Backed by live and pre-recorded processed electronics, Leanna creates shifting surrealist soundscapes, utilizing the unique timbre and extended technique possibilities of the bass flute as a solo instrument. Each piece was written with Leanna’s performance in mind, expanding the limited repertoire of the bass flute. The tracks explore identity, storytelling through time, organic processes, and the creation of self through breath.
body of breath represents an earlier but critical period in Leanna Keith’s musical development when the artist was just beginning to explore composing her own works for flute, while exploring playing musical compositions that she commissioned from her peers and collaborators. Disrupted by pandemic, this album of seven newly released songs represents a turning point in Keith’s oeuvre and a daring aesthetic conversation with her contemporaries across musical styles and sensibilities.
In “Al wahdat al-Wujud”, the plaintive voice of the flute vibrates like early morning bird song or insects chittering at twilight. Drawing the listener into the softness of a liminal state, sweeping songlines pull the ear along more deeply into Keith’s carefully crafted soundscape. The lush effects and percussive elements of “Become Dragon” create a shimmering sonic landscape that alchemizes song fragments with a sense of the elemental wild.
Bookended by two of her own compositions, body of breath ends with the wind moving through the body, once the senses and imagination have been fully opened. The low notes of Keith’s bass flute alternate with her susurrations, bringing the ear into a closer kinesthetic empathy with the artist who has pushed through to finding her own music.
- Shin Yu Pai, 2024
Track list
Home - Leanna Keith
Al-Wahdat al-Wujud - Nebal Maysaud
Stories of my Grandfather 公公的故事 - Josh Hou
Become Dragon - Heather Bentley
GEO - Kaley Lane Eaton
body, and... and... - Kevin Baldwin
body of breath - Leanna Keith
Strange Moon Records 2024
Recorded at Jack Straw Cultural Center
Recording and production made possible through the Artist Residency Programs at Jack Straw Cultural Center.
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Engineered and Mixed by Steve Ditore
Mastered by Greg Dixon
Cover Photo by David Wall
Makeup by Devon Paige
Lettering by Alexandra Allen