I’m Not Telling You Anything is the second album by Glasshopper, a trio consisting of Jonathan Chung on tenor saxophone, James Kitchman on electric guitar and Corrie Dick on drums; Chung and Dick are originally from Scotland and Kitchman from Northumbria.
It is an impressive album, full of variety, full of energy and variety. The interplay between the three members of the trio is excellent and very much a feature of the album.
The album alternates between up-tempo rocky tracks and those that are more ambient. A New Thing begins with a bang with lots of explosions from Corrie Dick on the drums and cymbals; it continues with very tight and intricate interactions between saxophone and guitar. Each develops their own independent lines with short phrases that nonetheless fit well with those developed by the other. They are not repeating each other’s phrases as often occurs in free improvisation, but rather bouncing musical ideas off each other. It all works well especially with the support of Dick’s inventive drumming.
Major Hit has a more leisurely pace and the focus is more on individual solos. Chung’s strong and resonant tone on the tenor saxophone is apparent on this track. When You Find returns to the approach of the first track with Chung and Kitchman again playing off each other’s lines. Take Out The Sun returns to the slower pace of Major Hit; it is a more unusual track with considerable use of electronic effects. Dick takes an excellent drum solo accompanied by a repeated motif from saxophone and guitar.
Grunge, of which Chung has said “I wanted to have an almost romantic melody underpinning a heavy cacophony of sound” is quite rocky with great solos from drums and guitar while Music Stands is more contemplative with attractive textures in its theme. Finally, I Go To Bed At 10pm is the most rocky of the album’s tracks with the use of electronic effects and the build-up to an intense climax.
The music of Glasshopper reminds one of the early bands coming out of the F-Ire and Loop Collectives in the early 21st century, bands such as Polar Bear and Acoustic Ladyland, and yet, more importantly, this a band that has a fresh and lively approach to mixing composition and improvisation.
