The Poison Pie Publishing House presents:

Hebeloma's Swamp Fantasy Overture
a post-existential musical score
generated through a non-idiomatic improvisational creative process

Hebeloma Crustuliniforme
with illustrations by Julia K. Keffer
(link to main page of score)

March

March 1, 2021
Periboea did not trust her ability to navigate the signs back to the island in the dark. She moved from one anguished arrow to the next and arrived at the edge of the clearing by dusk. She remained in the tree cover, peering out across the reed-lined channel. In the distance, the two stones sat atop the slight rise of the island. The smaller one, which had served as both throne and dance floor, stood empty. The larger sported a coat of dried mud decorated with patches of velvety green moss. Of her promised tutor, she saw no sign.

written while listening to:  Alexandra Grimal, Benjamin Duboc & Valentin Ceccaldi - Bambú (Ayler Records, AYLCD-152, 2017, France, cd, discogs.com)

March 2, 2021
Periboea waited until the chill of night had once again descended. The sky was clear and the tapestry of stars unfolded across the heavens, revealing the recurring message that few mortals can decipher. Still no visitor appeared on the island. Growing impatient, Periboea crossed the slick log and mounted the incline. She stood before the two stones, bathed in starlight. She experienced the sensation that the ancient light, having traversed immeasurable distances of black void, sought to cleanse her. She stretched her slender arms above her head so as to fully partake in the stellar ablution.

written while listening to:  Derek Bailey & Mototeru Takagi - Live At FarOut, Atsugi 1987 (NoBusiness Records, NBLP 141, 2020 (rec. 1987), Lithuania, lp, discogs.com)

March 3, 2021
An abrupt change in mood came over Periboea. Feeling foolish, she lowered her arms. After circling the stones and discovering no sign of company, Periboea withdrew her blanket from the pack and wrapped it about her shoulders as protection from the cold and from the prying eyes, which she imagined spied upon her from the margin of the swamp.

She thought to take a seat upon the smaller stone, as had the woman on the night before. Even as she moved to do so, from the space immediately beside her a voice unexpectedly croaked, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

written while listening to:  Harry Bertoia - Glowing Sounds (Sonambient, F/W 1036, 2021 (rec. 1975), United States, lp, discogs.com)

March 4, 2021
Periboea jumped in surprise away from the rock. Scanning the island, she observed no one amidst the starlight. "Who's there?" she called out.

To her great astonishment, she detected movement near the top of the second, larger stone. Two patches of velvet moss raised as heavy eyelids revealed seeing orbs. Each the size of her fist, the eyes possessed streaked irises the color of mustard seeds and inky pupils in the shape of concave diamonds. Wet and gummy, their surface glistened in the meager light. The orbs rotated in their sockets coming to rest on Periboea. As if executing a grand, sweeping gesture, the stone slowly blinked.

written while listening to:  Michel Doneda & Lê Quan Ninh - Thirty Ways to Avoid Talking (Relative Pitch Records, RPR1084, 2019, United States, cd, discogs.com)

March 5, 2021
The stone spoke again, in a gurgling, grating voice unsuited to the language of men. The orifice from which the words emerged was mouth-like, though obscenely wide and without apparent teeth. Closed, it disappeared into the rock. "The throne is reserved for the princess. While stars may see fit to adorn you with their radiance, that alone does not bestow upon you the right to occupy this seat. The punishment for those who transgress this prohibition is...severe." Not all of these words made sense to Periboea, but the threat, at least, was obvious.

written while listening to:  Kazuhisa Uchihashi - Talking Daxophone (Innocent Records, icr-023, 2017, Japan, cd, discogs.com)

March 6, 2021
Periboea had never met a talking stone, though she had once heard rumor of a rock formation, set on a high bluff overlooking the sea, which sang when the east wind blew. The rasping speech of the object before her certainly bore no resemblance to song nor did its appearance conjure images of romantic, windswept locales. Indeed, as it languidly blinked its batrachian eyes a second time, she felt an instinctive revulsion. It seemed to emanate an unnatural aura, odious and evil. The organs in her body—mind, heart and stomach—recoiled in unison from the abomination.

written while listening to:  Kuzu - Purple Dark Opal (Aerophonic Records, AR025, 2020, United States, cd, discogs.com)

March 7, 2021
Periboea retained sufficient control of her faculties to recognize that her visceral reaction extended beyond an ordinary response to ugliness or disease. In those first few moments of disgust, she was beset by a whirlwind of dark suspicions. Was this the monster of the swamp? She had not thought to meet the beast so soon. It must have already devoured the tutor. Or, perhaps, she had been betrayed by the faerie, who had arranged for her to meet not a guide but the enemy itself. She drew her knife.

"O!" croaked the stone, recalling the events of the night before. "We too shall dance."

written while listening to:  Ellen Fullman - In The Sea, sides A & B (Superior Viaduct, SV174, 2020 (rec. 1987) United States, lpx2, discogs.com)

March 8, 2021
She wondered what sort of dance an immobile stone could perform. "You were here all along," she said, her stance wary, her muscles tensed.

"I am here, in attendance, on many nights," it confirmed, "such is my ardor." The stone next unfolded. Its compact body, featureless save for the moss and mold that coated it, extended upward. Its stiff movements suggested that it possessed the shape of a man who had crouched perfectly still for days and needed a moment to stretch so as to reclaim full use of its limbs. To be sure, the stone's appearance was yet more abhorrent once it had adopted a human-like form.

written while listening to:  Andrew Cyrille, Wadada Leo Smith & Bill Frisell - Lebroba (ECM Records, ECM 2589, 2018, Germany, cd, discogs.com)

March 9, 2021
Thinking to seize the opportunity to strike ere it regained its composure, Periboea lunged at it. The stone-man with the frog face displayed an agility at odds with a mineral composition. It leapt as if it were indeed a frog, somersaulting and twisting through the air to land on its feet on the far side of the throne. Periboea had missed her mark by a wide margin, yet, turning about, she saw no sign of gloating on the misshapen, animal visage. Surely, she only imagined that she detected in its expression pity, or even just disappointment, for it was well-established that monsters were incapable of such emotions.

written while listening to:  Roscoe Mitchell - Splatter (I Dischi Di Angelica, IDA040, 2020, Italy, cd, discogs.com)

March 10, 2021
"How did you come by your courage with so little martial skill?" asked the beast. "Ordinarily, bravery is based on some accomplishment, however modest." The rasping words seemed prompted more by perplexity than by an intent to insult, but they infuriated Periboea all the same. Intuiting the same maneuver, she feinted as if she would jump forward then, as he took to the air, leapt back. She was waiting for the creature when it landed and struck it. The blade of her knife bit deeply into the side of its torso. We are obliged to report that the frog face expressed both painful surprise and a curious delight.

written while listening to:  Chris Pitsiokos - Speak in Tongues (Relative Pitch Records, RPRSS004, 2020, United States, cd, discogs.com)

March 11, 2021
Almost instantly, the fight drained from the creature. It now appeared to Periboea more like an injured rabbit trapped on the island with her than the monstrous foe that she had faced moments before. "You are a monster," she declared, mostly to reassure herself that her actions had been warranted. "I've taken an oath to slay you."

The stone-man clutched its side. In the darkness, the blood that seeped around its webbed fingers streamed black and glistening down its left leg. It opened its over-sized mouth to speak but only a silent croak emerged. The creature fell to its knees and waited for the killing blow to be delivered.

written while listening to:  The Art Ensemble of Chicago - We Are On The Edge: A 50th Anniversary Celebration, disc 1 (Pi Recordings, PI80, 2019, United States, cdx2, discogs.com)

March 12, 2021
Periboea hesitated. Although she claimed the mantle of warrior, it was not a role that came naturally to her. Rather, a readiness to fight had been forced upon her during her long incarceration in the mine. She lacked the instinctual violence to finish off her foe while it knelt helpless before her. "You are not so fierce now, beast!" she cried in lieu of the coup de grâce.

It mumbled in defeat, "Alas, if you mistake me for the measure of the beast, I fear our liege has chosen her champion poorly. You shall not have words to express your dismay when you realize the stature of the true fiend."

written while listening to:  Chris Abrahams & Magda Mayas - Gardener (Relative Pitch Records, RPR1011, 2013, United States, cd, discogs.com)

March 13, 2021
In this way, it was made apparent to Periboea that she had dispatched a lesser foe. While she gazed at the stone-man, it awkwardly shifted from kneeling to lying on its back. The creature attempted to staunch the flow of blood from the wound with the pressure of its hands. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed to be only a man, obscenely deformed. His skin was covered in mud. Moss and mold were anchored to his arms and chest. "You are not the monster," she surmised.

A disgusting, gurgling chuckle emerged. "Yes and no. I am but a minor, man-sized monster, one who had agreed to serve as your tutor."

written while listening to:  John Butcher, Thomas Lehn & Matthew Shipp - The Clawed Stone (RogueArt, ROG-0099, 2020, France, cd, discogs.com)

March 14, 2021
Periboea intended to use her blanket as a bandage to wrap the wound but the frog man bade her do otherwise. Hurrying to the edge of the island, she scooped handfuls of submerged mud from the bank. The saturated silt dripped on her shift and legs as she carried it back to her patient. Removing his hand, blood gushed forth. She pressed the muddy compress against his side, eliciting a grunt of pain.

"The swamp water possesses a healing property for its native sons," he explained.

"Hush." Although Periboea desired the instruction of her tutor, she feared he might die first if they did not now focus on his treatment.

written while listening to:  Evan Parker, Daunik Lazro & Joe McPhee - Seven Pieces (Live At Willisau 1995) (Clean Feed, CF397CD, 2016 (rec. 1995), Portugal, cd, discogs.com)

March 15, 2021
She had been forced to touch the body of the frog man when she applied the compress. His skin was unnaturally slick, as if lined with a film of slime. Even as his ragged breath caught in his throat, Periboea struggled to stifle the impulse to flee into the swamp, abandoning him. She could not fathom how another human being could induce in her so visceral a disgust.

The wet frog eyes scrutinized her and read the loathing written on her face. "You are made of sterner stuff than I imagined if you can tend to one who labors under a curse as grotesque as mine."

written while listening to:  Reid Anderson, Dave King & Craig Taborn - Golden Valley Is Now (Intakt Records, Intakt CD 325, 2019, Switzerland, cd, discogs.com)

March 16, 2021
As Periboea maintained a vigil beside her silent patient, the crescent moon appeared slightly smaller than the night before, though no less lustrous. The frog man was possessed of an unnatural resilience, a side-effect we suppose of the brutish aspect of his nature. Another foe might well have perished from the wound that Periboea had inflicted, for she had struck true. In the moonlight, she did not succumb to regret. She had responded as a warrior. Still, she asked the supine form, "Why did you not tell me that you were my tutor?"

"There seemed a plausible case to be made that I was not destined for that honor."

written while listening to:  Michel Doneda - Everybody Digs Michel Doneda (Relative Pitch Records, RPR1027, 2014, United States, cd, discogs.com)

March 17, 2021
While the frog man slept, Periboea huddled beside him with the blanket wrapped about her. Fortunately, he had declined her offer to warm himself beneath the cover; the thought of sharing it with him triggered from her stomach to throat the impulse to vomit. In this bilious reverie, she perceived herself in the following manner: her white shift was indiscriminately soiled with mud. Her hands were caked with dried blood past the wrists. Her muscles ached. So forsaken did she feel that the company of a hideous, slumbering frog brought her comfort. She wondered if this lonesome moment was meant to characterize the remaining days of her life.

written while listening to:  Pauline Oliveros, Stuart Dempster & Panaiotis - Deep Listening, sides A & B (Important Records, IMPREC473, 2020 (rec. 1989), United States, lpx2, discogs.com)

March 18, 2021
Periboea must have drifted off because she awoke, as dawn illuminated the eastern sky, to a spectacle such as she had never imagined. Frogs of all kinds had crept from the surrounding water and trees onto the island. Larger bullfrogs formed a man-shaped perimeter, several bodies deep, about the frog man. Much smaller tree frogs occupied every square inch of the man, from his webbed feet to his closed bulbous eyes. The amphibians belched and chirped in tones low and high. They shifted as they sang, leaving trails that lasted but a moment in the slimy film, which coated the frog man, before these marks were over-written by subsequent verses.

written while listening to:  Stephanie Richards - Fullmoon (Relative Pitch Records, RPR1066, 2018, United States, cd, discogs.com)

March 19, 2021
When the frog man roused, he introduced himself as Ridibundus and claimed to have a mild stiffness in his side, though his movements gave little indication of injury. Of the congregation of frogs that Periboea claimed to have witnessed, Ridibundus expressed skepticism. "It was just a scratch," he assured her. "All I needed was a little rest. There is no cause to invoke divine intervention." To add to Periboea's confoundment, the frog man next ran his gaze up and down her, from her unkempt hair to her dirty feet and every inch between. He summarized his findings by declaring, "You look to have had a rough night."

written while listening to:  Steve Lacy Five - Blinks...Live Zürich 1983 (hatOLOGY, hatOLOGY 697, 2011 (rec. 1983), Switzerland, cd, discogs.com)

March 20, 2021
It was ridiculous for Periboea to feel self-conscious before a frog man, who, by light of day, was revealed to resemble a fertility totem, garbed only in a loin cloth—scarcely more than a leather sack stuffed with over-sized genitals—suspended from a rope around his waist. She raised her arms in her defense. "I have your blood all over my hands."

"A lucky break," he said. "If I had told you that to stand a chance against the beast, you must anoint your hands in the blood of a son of the swamp, you would not have done so. This blessing could be accomplished no other way."

written while listening to:  Company - Epiphany (Honest Jon's Records, HJRLP211, 2019 (rec. 1982), United Kingdom, lpx2, discogs.com)

March 21, 2021
Just as Periboea had been alarmed to hear the faerie declare that she had sworn an oath, so too did she now feel surprise when the frog man suggested that she had been blessed. The local customs were, to say the least, foreign to her. "How will your blood help me to slay the beast?"

The frog man stretched, working a lingering soreness from his ribs. "It will mask your noxious scent." He appended to these words an odious smile. "Certainly, you will require more preparation, but this is a good start."

As for the odor of the frog man, his was indistinguishable from the ubiquitous pungency permeating the swamp.

written while listening to:  Ingrid Laubrock & Kris Davis - Blood Moon (Intakt Records, Intakt CD 345, 2020, Switzerland, cd, discogs.com)

March 22, 2021
So, after much fanfare, the pair began the lesson, as had been arranged by the faerie. Ridibundus returned to a crouching position, in which his resemblance to a stone was uncanny, save that his eyes remained open and alert. This stance was preferred by Periboea, who had found him extraordinarily discomfiting in man form. "I have a hundred questions," she exclaimed.

"That is far too many," he immediately replied, as if the role of excessively strict tutor was second nature to him. "I will permit you three questions only."

written while listening to:  Michał Górczyński & Kazuhisa Uchihashi - untitled (Innocent Records, icr-021, 2013, Japan, cd, discogs.com)

March 23, 2021
Periboea was unaccustomed to dialogue governed by arbitrary constraints. At the same time, she had adapted to numerous, pointless restrictions while imprisoned in the mine, so the notion of accommodating the caprice of another was not new to her. She paced contemplatively about the island as she narrowed down the many possible questions to a mere three. She worried that Ridibundus was a trickster, who would intentionally misinterpret her words, as did the fabled djinn of Eudaemon Arabia. She concentrated on carefully choosing her words. Eventually, she chose to keep her first question simple. "What does the beast look like?"

written while listening to:  Judson Trio - An Air of Unreality (RogueArt, ROG-0073, 2016, France, lp, discogs.com)

March 24, 2021
Ridibundus smiled as if reminiscing upon a pleasant memory, though the wrinkling of his wide maw induced shivers in Periboea. "The beast dons an appearance appropriate to one who has lain underground for ages unfathomed. He is ancient like the Earth and reborn a glistening embryo on nights when he rises from the waters. In stature, he is a behemoth, towering as an elder oak. In aspect, he resembles a convocation of animated forms, an eel, a salamander, a well-muscled wrestler. There can be no mistaking him for any other."

"I mistook you for the beast," Periboea countered.

"I have already forgiven you for your violent stupidity."

written while listening to:  Tyshawn Sorey & Jen Curtis - Invisible Ritual (Tundra, TUN014, 2020, United States, cd, discogs.com)

March 25, 2021
For her second question, Periboea asked, "Where does the beast live?" She thought this a very sensible query because, of course, she would need to locate the creature in order to slay it. However, her tutor raised a slimy, skeptical eyebrow. His reaction triggered an unreasonably vehement antipathy, which Periboea struggled to contain. Again, she found herself wondering how one creature could strike her as so wholly loathsome.

"His first followers built a temple in which to worship him. In shallow-hulled boats, they carried stone from beyond the swamp borders, hauling the blocks on land when necessary. This temple abuts the deep slough wherein dwells the beast."

written while listening to:  Thollem, Alex Cline & Susan Alcorn - Thollem's Astral Traveling Sessions with Alex Cline and Susan Alcorn (Astral Spirits, AS153-08, 2021, United States, cd, discogs.com)

March 26, 2021
Although Periboea had entered from the port town, once inside, the swamp appeared endless. Knowledge of the temple was certainly useful, but finding it remained a distinct challenge. She debated using her last question to further pin down the location of the beast. However, Ridibundus had merely paused during her ruminations. He continued, "Even residents of the swamp can become confused by its labyrinthine channels. Those who constructed the temple mark the trees with signs showing the way."

Periboea had seen the ideograms on the archway. Her own arrows had been contorted. She had not understood, until now, that all the symbols carved in bark were warped directions.

written while listening to:  Joshua Abrams, Ari Brown, Gerald Cleaver & Jeff Parker - Cloud Script (RogueArt, ROG-0100, 2020, France, lp, discogs.com)

March 27, 2021
Ridibundus would not allow Periboea to hold her last question in reserve until she had seen the beast with her own eyes. He insisted that he was obligated to provide answers only in this single lesson. While Periboea thought this somewhat unfair, she had no choice but to accept his terms. For her third question, she asked, "Does the beast have a weakness?"

Although it may be hard to believe, a rueful expression passed like a cloud across the frog man's countenance. The answer he gave surprised our heroine very much. "He thinks it better to be powerful than to be loved."

written while listening to:  Éliane Radigue - Œuvres Électroniques, disc 10: Jetsun Mila (Seconde Partie) (INA-GRM, INA 6060/74, 2018 (rec. 1987), France, cdx14, discogs.com)

March 28, 2021
Periboea did not, at this time, perceive the utility of the last information shared, though Ridibundus privately regarded it as the most important revelation of the lesson. An awkward silence followed, with each scrutinizing the other. One observed a maiden, bound to a reckless oath and doomed shortly to die. The other saw a misshapen man, inscrutable and at best marginally cooperative. Their parting would not be one of sorrow. Yet, Periboea lingered. Because she was unsure whether questions unrelated to her quest counted against her exhausted total, she proceeded tentatively. The tutor for his part remained decidedly statuesque.

written while listening to:  Udo Schindler & Jaap Blonk - Hillside Talks (Relative Pitch Records, RPR1089, 2019, United States, cd, discogs.com)

March 29, 2021
"If I may be so bold," she began, fidgeting with her fingers, "are you going to stay here?" She worried that Ridibundus misunderstood her. "Is this your home?" she added quickly. "I mean, if I were to come this way again, could I stop by to say hello?" She stopped talking and waited for an answer.

The bulbous eyes of the frog man rotated slowly in their sockets, coming to rest on Periboea. "Are we friends now that you should come calling?"

"I'm sorry for stabbing you," she felt compelled to reply.

"Think nothing of it! What's a little bloodshed between friends?"

written while listening to:  Henry Threadgill Zooid - Tomorrow Sunny / The Revelry, Spp (Pi Recordings, PI43, 2012, United States, cd, discogs.com)

March 30, 2021
Perhaps it was Periboea's transparency that loosened the frog man's tongue. "Our paths may yet cross again," said Ridibundus. "I pass many hours in this clearing, waiting for the one whom I adore to appear, but not every hour. I am charged with particular responsibilities by my own people, who reside elsewhere in the swamp. I am something of a prince myself. My duties do not allow me to frivolously squander all my days as a hapless suitor chasing a faerie's hand."

written while listening to:  Vijay Iyer & Rudresh Mahanthappa - Raw Materials (Savoy Jazz, SVY 17603, 2006, United States, cd, discogs.com)

March 31, 2021
Periboea waved goodbye to Ridibundus, who croaked his own farewell, closed his eyes, then remained crouching placidly next to the throne. In the noonday sun, he looked every bit the moss-covered stone that he had originally appeared to be. The notion of the grotesque frog man as a victim of unrequited love seemed both plausible and absurd. That he should have set his sights on the unabashedly glorious spectacle of the diminutive faerie princess was outlandish. So it is, though, deemed best that each of us possesses the freedom to choose the manner of our own unmaking.

written while listening to:  Daunik Lazro, Joëlle Léandre & George Lewis - Enfances 8 Janv. 1984 (Fou Records, FR - CD 18, 2016 (rec. 1984), France, cd, discogs.com)

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