Victor, Chris and Alex are at the space around 5:20 . . . S the karate instructor is here and concluding his own practice. The trio get to work in short order, and as other Circle members arrive there is a sense of both urgency and quiet that accompanies the practical work. It is a transitional kind of performance for the Circle tonight, venturing from the confidence of friends and family to (hopefully) the consideration of an indifferent listening public.
Luckily, there is extra time for soundchecking and warm-up before doors open. The guitar levels in the speaker mix are a bit strange . . . Victor asks the group to play any two-note vamp from A minor pentatonic to get a better gauge of the surround. With six guitarists, the result billows, recedes and pulses through the space in a way reminiscent of an early Guitar Craft piece, All or Nothing. A quintet version of Morning Has Broken soars through the rafters.
The performance proper begins at 7:40 with a motion from Victor: he raises and lowers the headstock of his guitar in a cadence, and a splash of harmony from all points ripples and undulates into the first improvisation of the night. A Q-&-A session later provides the audience with an opportunity to get to know their favorite Circlers; instead, tonight, they raise questions regarding the significance of instrument design and the rules on clapping.
Because of the style and intimacy of GCNE performances, it is often apparent to audience members that applause is not required between pieces of music/improvs. As a performance group, the Circle aspires to responding in the moment to what is right - and encourages its audience to do the same. It may sometimes feel 'risky' having this choice, but it is also an opportunity for real communion between listener and performer.
Altogether, a performance of about forty-seven minutes. After a little mingling, the Circle holds a pow wow to discuss performance notes. Of particular importance are some remarks made regarding the kind of energy brought to the beginning of a set. Rehearsal again falls to Brad's arrangement of the Debussy prelude, The Sunken Cathedral; there is a special connection the unfolding of this piece has had to the group's embracing of this endeavor and space.
The equipment is put away, and the Circlers are moving out by 10:40.
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