Dan Meichel and Chris Dadge

Dan Meichel was a crucial member of Calgary's creative music scene, yet his life was cut short suddenly in 2009. Mannington is the first of a planned series of archival releases of Meichel's music, put together by Bug Incision mainstay and multi-instrumentalist Chris Dadge. The pair recorded this series of pieces in 2008, with Dadge developing his vocabulary on a number of instruments besides the drums he traditionally employs, alongside Meichel's sax and bass clarinet explorations. While there are straight-ahead drum/sax workouts represented across half of this release, the most interesting moments happen when Dadge employs the trumpet or violin, often utilizing extended techniques to unleash a barrage of unusual non-tones. That said, Meichel's reed work is extraordinary across the board, whether he's riffing alongside the drums or gleefully crafting alien yelps. Here's hoping more Meichel material surfaces sooner rather than later.