Hall, Erik: Solo Three LP

There is a certain solace to be found in minimal music - a contemplative joy that emerges through sustained repetition and subtle variation. "Solo Three", the slyly absorbing new album from Michigan-based composer and multi-instrumentalist Erik Hall, embodies that hypnotic charge while boldly reimagining a distinct selection of contemporary classical works. Hall's affinity for minimalism began decades ago, when as a jazz-studies drummer at the University of Michigan he first encountered Steve Reich's "Music For 18 Musicians". With "Solo Three", instead of focusing on a single composition, Hall weaves together multiple works by several visionary composers: Glenn Branca, Charlemagne Palestine, Laurie Spiegel, and a return to Steve Reich. The result is a rich, varied homage to American minimalism - at once reverent and exploratory.