Thomas K.J. Mejer - Uneven Same - Saxophone Quartets by Thomas K.J. Mejer (2022) Hi-Res

It is the year 1990. Thomas K.J. Mejer composes his first saxophone quartet: the «Sulpician Pictures». Far from being apostolically cloistered, the twenty-minute piece bursts with rhythms, impressions, and varieties of the four saxophones. It contains what will become more and more ear-catching in the later quartets: Mejer is a composer-instrumentalist who has a deep knowledge and love for his instruments.
«Dark Snow Falls upon the Bagpipers» raises monochrome expectations as it’s written for four alto-saxophones. But rather than a single-coloured mass, the respective instruments form an organism of their own; and it’s packed with the most intricate detail, sound and noise.
What is true for the composer is also true for the players: The all-female saxophone quartet Uneven Same share the composers’ awareness of their instruments’ techniques and capabilities – and indulge in playing them joyfully, precisely, and full of relish.
Their interpretation spans the range of the «Uneven Same» of the five quartets from three decades right up to «… Now They Won’t Stop Coming» (2021): As the piece develops, the idea of contrast between rhythm and floating polyphonies gets more complex. The contrasts keep repeating, harmonic after harmonic is mixed in, the repetitions «won’t stop coming» – right up until the piece comes to a halt.
Nomen est omen, one hopes! Apart from the five Mejer-quartets included on this recording, there are two more. And the anticipation of even more «Endless Pleasures» is high.
PS: «Resonating Voids» also casts four identical saxophones (contrabass, in this case). And it is played by the composer, who montaged the three tapes in Bali and has repeatedly recorded, edited, mixed, and mastered the solo part. A musical trouvaille for the 21st century.