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    A true meeting of the Spirits, Ultra Minor is a collaboration between microtonal guitarist/composer Jon Catler and master percussionist Ra Kalam Bob Moses.
    Playing in a Harmonic tuning based on 528 hertz, the drums are also tuned to pitch and play in key with the guitar.
    Mostly performed on the 12-Tone Ultra Plus fretted guitar, there are also some breathtaking forays with Fretless guitar. In this duo setting, the intricacies of the guitar intonation can be heard, along with the incredible drum and cymbal work of Ra Kalam. A unique recording that leads to a deep listening experience.

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from FreeNote CD Track Talk for Jon Catler and Ra Kalam Bob Moses 'Ultra Minor’ - freenotemusic.com/freenote-cd-track-talk/

The title track, 'Ultra Minor', refers to the flattest minor third possible, which is the 147th Harmonic. Anything below this in pitch sounds more like a 9th than a minor third, but hearing 147, it definitely has a ‘minor’ type sound, albeit a very deep and unusual minor. I learned this interval from La Monte Young, who uses it in 'The Well Tuned Piano' in a couple of places to produce an Ultra Minor sound, but the interval has rarely, if ever, been heard in music apart from that. The first 10 minutes of the piece 'Ultra Minor' are in this key. The entire CD is based on a C of 528 Hertz, and in the ancient Solfeggio system, 741 Hertz is the ‘Devil's Tone’, in disharmony with the C. Since 741 is contrary and opposing by nature, it
makes sense to reverse it, which is 147. I have found this to be a very active and unusual pitch, with a unique mood to it. After about 10 and a half minutes, the Ultra Minor tonality is expanded to include vibratios 63 and 189, which are C half flat and G half flat. 147 is the septimal minor third (7/6) of 63, and still the Ultra Minor third of C, so we call the resulting chord a Transdimensional chord.
The piece starts with 1 played in Harmonic Rhythm, so it is a C hit once per each (long) bar. The octave is added, leading into a complete Harmonic Rhythm section where each Harmonic occupies it’s own space in time. The 7th Harmonic is played 7 times per bar, the 9th Harmonic is played 9 times per bar, etc, producing a cascade of rhythm, which is then joined by Fretless Sustainer guitar. Harmonic Rhythm is even less known than the Harmonic Series, but it is an aural example of how the intervals are actually beating. Ra Kalam pivots to the toms, and the piece ends with some Harmonic traveling where the guitar is modulating upward in very small pitch increments. The last few guitar notes echo the Opening Chord of 'The Well Tuned Piano'.

credits

from Ultra Minor, released January 1, 2018
Ra Kalam Bob Moses: Tuned drums and percussion
Jon Catler: 12-Tone Ultra Plus and fretless guitars

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Jon Catler & Ra Kalam Bob Moses Boston, Massachusetts

Harmonic guitarist Jon Catler and mystic percussionist Ra Kalam Bob Moses combine forces on this release, producing a deep interplay that melds composition and free playing and takes the listener on a unique journey, providing a new perspective on both of these visionary artists. ... more

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