Elsa Nilsson: Atlas Of Sound - Quila Quina -40°17'38.21"N, -71°45'68.48"S
ears&eyes

To create the second chapter in her Atlas of Sound series, Brooklyn flutist Elsa Nilsson spent five days at Quila Quina in the Patagonian region of Argentina. But the music she created during her stay and subsequently recorded with Buenos Aires pianist Santiago Leibson in an intense five-hour session at Estudio Doctor F and the CD-accompanying booklet whose text, colour photos, poems, and artwork bring indispensable context to the project make it crystal clear that Nilsson was no mere visitor. She immersed herself so deeply into the Quila Quina environment, the experience was clearly life-changing and transformative. While it's certainly possible to experience the eight duets as standalone musical expressions, one's appreciation for what she undertook and achieved would be severely compromised by the booklet's absence. It's one of those projects where all of the usual distractions should be removed so that one's attention can be given completely to the joint experience of absorbing the book content as the music plays.

Quila Quina -40°17'38.21"N, -71°45'68.48"S lives up to its billing as “a mesmerizing exploration of nature through sound” when the latter is so wholly informed by the former. That's something supported by the booklet material, which recounts the genesis of each composition and clarifies how her experience of the setting fuelled her creative responses. Situated on the southern shore of Lago Lacár, Quila Quina is reachable only by gravel road or ferry. Nilsson arrived there on December 24th, 2023 to enjoy a writing residency at “Project Oasis” and was quickly treated to an illuminating tour of the site's flora and fauna. A vivid impression of the locale forms from photos that show the setting and Nilsson within it, and a fuller appreciation for the place and its people comes from poems by Pukem Inayao (in Mapudungun with Spanish and English translations) and artwork by Maia Heidel.

Indicative of Nilsson's receptivity to the setting is her account of the creation of the opening track, “The Wind From The North Comes From The West.” While she had planned to ease herself into the new environment on her first night, as she listened to the wind a melody presented itself that would not be denied. She began writing immediately in response, and when she reviewed the next morning what she'd captured she recognized with gratitude its truth. The beautiful expression she crafted reflects that feeling with its dignified bearing and uplifting tone. It's a harmonious, passionate statement that speaks to the powerful connection she instantly established with the setting. Here and in general, she writes, “I focused on remaining as open as possible so that I could hear the songs I was being given with clarity.” The wisdom Nilsson acquires during her five days is shared in enlightening texts that suggest how these experiences away from her regular life will profoundly alter it when she returns home. That's consistent too with text near the booklet's end that describes her preference to think of endings more as transitions, as, for her, “Nothing is ever really over, as we carry each moment with us.”

In contrast to the lyrical meditation that opens the album, the one that follows it, “Neneo, Charcoal, Chacay,” swings with an exuberant jazz feeling and shows how tremendous a choice Leibson was for a duet partner. When Nilsson steps aside, his rich, resonant voicings are no less compelling when heard alone as when partnering with hers. The intensity these two get up to is also well-accounted for in the climax they deliver before reining things in. That's hardly the only time the duo works up a sweat on the release, with “Ciprés, Roble Pellín, Ñire” perhaps even more fiery. Also moving at a fast clip, “Radal” catches the ear for opening with the pianist weaving the melodic material through an oscillating two-note pattern by the flutist. Thereafter, it's as gripping for the soaring performance the two deliver and the performance's insistent thrust.

In “Waters Cold and Deep,” Nilsson's bass flute evokes the chilly depths of Lago Lacár, and the peaceful, pensive presentation by the duo evokes the stillness of the water's glassy surfaces. On a more playful note, she chose to set the jazzy “Tren Tren, Abanico, Vizcacha” in 3/4 because the song's about three mountains and even shaped the arc of its three sections to match the mountains they represent. Blues tinges add tension to the solemn introspection of “Malten/Michay,” a song inspired by the juxtaposition of the soft Maiten tree and the thorny Michay. At album's end, the rousing “Chin Chin/Puelche” swings grandly, the pairing in this case involving the Chin Chin tree and Puelche, the wind from the east.

In the booklet's eloquent closing chapter, she writes, “What I seek to do is to continually learn to listen more deeply—to understand how to be a part of my surroundings instead of merely partaking.” That's merely one of many inspiring life lessons Nilsson humbly shares with the reader in her texts. Quila Quina and Atlas of Sound in general are projects of immense value and speak to the integrity of her as an artist. She's someone whose creative energies are being used in the service of ambitious, thoughtful, and original work that deserves to be supported.

December 2024