i am not janus

JANUS

I AM NOT

i am not is the debut record of janus, the acclaimed flute, viola, and harp trio, featuring all-new works by Cameron Britt, Ryan Brown, Caleb Burhans, Anna Clyne, Angélica Negrón, and Jason Treuting. The “beguiling new CD” (Steve Smith, Time Out New York) was met with critical success, named a NJ Star Ledger Notable 2010 Classical CD, featured on NPR’s Deceptive Cadence blog where it was called “intricate and fantastical,” and hailed as a “focused, accomplished release with a subtle affect; the intimate sound of the instruments, the close miking and the lean profile of the group give it a light, almost casual immediacy, but the playing and the fine choice of material develops a quiet and full power over the course of the disc” (The Big City).

janus is the Brooklyn-based trio of flutist Amanda Baker, violist Beth Meyers, and harpist Nuiko Wadden. Their debut album, i am not, brings together six pieces, all by New York City composers, that defy common expectations for this familiar grouping. It opens with the voices of Amanda, Beth, and Nuiko, set against a gently pulsing background in Jason Treuting’s title composition, and proceeds through kaleidosopic scores by Caleb Burhans, Angélica Negrón, Anna Clyne, Cameron Britt and Ryan Brown, all tailored to the virtuosity and interpretive élan of these three gifted players. The electrifying and revelatory results challenge the listener at every turn: as the group flits effortlessly between genres, it conjures a soundworld that is untethered yet consistent, classic yet definitively 21st-century. Electronic samples, banjo, and found instruments make their way into the musical fabric. Recorded and produced by Lawson White, i am not envelops the listener with warm, yet precise and highly present sounds.

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