Today sees the release of Erik Hall‘s Canto Ostinato, the second album in his trilogy of reinterpretations of classical minimalism. A magnificent and radiant album, it finds the Chicago-born and Michigan-based musician and producer reinterpreting to dazzling effect the iconic minimal composition written for four pianos from 1976 to 1979 by Dutch composer Simeon ten Holt. Comprising 106 short sections, Canto Ostinato lends itself to repetition as most of the sections can be repeated spontaneously as many times as a performer wants. “There is a pseudo-meditational benefit to working on a long-form piece that’s built on repetition,” Hall explained. “Every stage— from internalizing the music, to executing the performance, to editing and mixing the record— requires deep and sustained presence of mind. I’ve always been drawn to a hallucinatory combination of harmony and repetition, and I found the entire process addictive.”

As for instrumentation, Hall chose to perform on a 1962 Hammond M-101 organ, a 1978 Rhodes Mark I electric piano, and his 1910 Steinway grand piano. “This particular piece brought the added challenge of rekindling my dexterity as a pianist, something I haven’t maintained in earnest since I was a teenager”, he said.

Canto Ostinato is out through Western Vinyl and for a bewitching taste of what’s on offer, listen to ‘Sections 74-87’ below.