The improvisational music movement in Baltimore is one of the most interesting phenomena happening right now. This might be due to the fact that so much of the expression involved is fleeting. Recordings can’t capture the negative space between breaths or the glances to and from members of the ensemble checking the reaction of the others. The energy that flows through every living being in the room is lost the moment the sound hits the mic.

Susan Alcorn, Jah Hannibal, Tiffany DeFoe and John Berndt, pictured here, began the evening. These four veered wildly through mania, panic and discord into moments of minimalist drones and whispers. This kind of display has a measurable effect on the psyche that has the potential to leave one slightly disoriented.

Enter Jun Matsuzaki. He played a saxophone through a series of delays and other effects creating a rhythmic palette for guitarist Kurtis Kouns to usher in ambient noise and feedback that soon gave way to melody. Exit Jun Matsuzaki.

By the time Megumi Matsuzaki took the stage the mood had melted into meditative. Initially, she was joined on stage by Kurtis Kouns who soon left her there to float through delicate melodies and movements that induced a dreamy feeling that was only enhanced by the crumbling plaster walls and lofty spaces in St. Johns church. This was one of Jun and Megumi’s last shows before they left the States to go home to Japan.

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