On March 12, Portland New Music Society presented Peter Karman, Matt Hannafin & Abusive Delay (Jason Morales), and the duo of Ben Kates & Seth Brown. The concert opened with Peter Karman’s new laptop set, a mostly already composed piece (If it hath not yet pleased him) that falls into two parts, each containing a frenetic quickcut section (short snippets of just about everything) followed by a more relaxed and ostinato section of softer dynamics and longer lines. The music is wild and wildly various, but the form makes everything seem unified and even inevitable.

–

Matt & Abusive Delay played together for the first time this evening, and their set was a dynamic fusion of stylistically different aesthetics. (In plainer language, Jason started out with non-rhythmic electronic manipulations of his breathing and moved into louder and more propulsive music; Matt started out with delicate drumming and moved into louder and more propulsive music.)

–

Ben and Seth have played together many times—their set has even been described as “highly structured work with several improvisational sections.” Aside from a short bit of mellow jazz about a third of the way through, this was straight-ahead free jazz, if I may be permitted a neologism.

One more in an already long series of superb concerts put on by the Portland New Music Society.