John Lane

“…Finally, there comes Three Contrafacta by Allen Otte, written in 2021 and subtitled “Remembering Frederic Rzewski.” The composer takes recent relevant texts, often adapted from public sources, and sets them with mid-14th-century songs, with the first section very much in the style of Rzewski. The effect makes the contemporary words absolutely timeless, something perhaps enhanced by the prepared piano, which includes bullet shell casings distorting the lower register. There is a strange beauty about this mix of the really new and the ancient; it is the perfect close to the disc. This is surely the true power of music: to heighten awareness and to cut through to our most profound layers of being, to remind us of our core humanity. An unforgettable disc.”

“A project that brings together artists and their response to gun violence and its many forms, Trigger uses poetry to address the psychology, repercussions and religious ties of one of the biggest problems facing the country right now. John Lane and Allen Otte come together with the eerie and atypical tinkering sounds that populate the spoken word fueled “Consumer Market”, and “Bring Many Names”, by Bonnie Whiting, follows with the atypical use of brass and winds, in a very iconoclastic version of jazz. Further along, Nick Lantz’s “15 Acres” recruits Lane’s voice for the eloquent and very literate insight into today’s gun problem, while “Fury”, by Amanda Schoofs, is a very unusual mashing of percussion, field recordings, and vocals, all from Lane. Nearing the end, “Coping” consists of 5 movements in the Lane fueled percussion and vocals that can sound like a child’s toy just as it can booming cymbals in the Danny Clay piece, and Otte’s “Three Contrafacta” is prepared piano, electronics and voice in the musically warm and lyrically devastating finish. Both Lane and Otte have extensive resumes playing all over the world, and are both currently educators. Their combined talents and vision, as well as the critical wordplay present, all makes for an artistic and much needed commentary of just how dire the situation is with guns in America.”

““John Lane’s performance is masterful...a patient performer, and exhibits great skill and nuance.” - T. Adam Blackstock”