Decades earlier, Claude Debussy (1862-1918) found a more succinct formula: "Any sounds in any combination and in any succession are henceforth free to be used in a musical continuity."
The organizers of the Annual Olympia Festival of Experimental Musics sidestep definitions and present a variety of free improvisation, performance art, out-jazz, noise, homemade instruments, and other indefinable sonic phenomena in a casual, down-home setting.
The festival has a huge lineup, but I'm particularly interested in the festival's opening night (Thurs June 24, Traditions Cafe, 300 Fifth Ave). Saxophonist Bert Wilson, one of Olympia's out-jazz elders, kicks things off. Also on the bill is the remarkable Canadian sound poet Paul Dutton, who creates an astonishing, almost orchestral variety of sounds with his mouth; his fine 2001 CD, Mouth Pieces (Ohm/Avatar), is well worth seeking out.
Among an eclectic lineup that includes Bill Horist and Tripod, Baltimore's Andy Hayleck plays a 29-inch gong by bowing an attached six-foot wire (Sat June 26, Midnight Sun, 113 Columbia St NW). Expect lush, eerie atmospheres. The festival's closing night (Sun June 27, Midnight Sun, 113 Columbia St NW) boasts performance artists A: Frequency, the masterfully eruptive Office Products, as well as two staples of the scene, Amy Denio and Noggin.
The Tenth Annual Olympia Festival of Experimental Musics runs Thurs-Sun June 24-27 at 7 pm (various venues, 360-402-6263), $7/$8 or $23 for a full festival pass.
