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)

May

May 1, 2021
Howls of rage, arising from the discovery of their escaped quarry, reached the ears of Periboea and the custodian. Despite the imminent pursuit, he slowed, for it was clear that Periboea had spent the reserves of her energy keeping afloat in the pit. Her pace slackened with each step.

A throng, numbering much greater than three, broadcast their passage down the trail through furious, wordless shouts and cries of exultation in the hunt. The custodian paused a moment to allow the exhausted Periboea to catch up. This brief appraisal left no doubt that she would be unable to outrun their pursuers.

written while listening to:  Alexandra Grimal, Giovanni Di Domenico, Manolo Cabras & João Lobo - Seminare Vento (Free Lance, FRL-NS-1001, 2010, France, cd, discogs.com)

May 2, 2021
Dropping the mop and bucket, he picked up her as one might a child, cradling her in his arms. If Periboea had thought fleeing the cultists an indignity, being carried added insult to injury. She was, however, too exhausted to protest. The custodian ran along the path, leaving only one set of footprints, then departed after a hundred yards into the underbrush. His chest heaved with the effort of bearing the additional weight, but he had a near destination in mind. They arrived at a large tree which possessed a door in the trunk and a hollow cavity behind. Into this closet, the custodian unceremoniously stashed Periboea.

written while listening to:  Steve Lacy, Alvin Curran & Frederic Rzewski - Threads (Alternative Fox, FOX021, 2019 (rec. 1977), United Kingdom, lp, discogs.com)

May 3, 2021
"I will draw them off," he said as he looked over his shoulder, back toward the path. His gaze returned to her indistinct form, lost in the shadows. "There is a safe house not far east of here. Make for it when the morning light comes." He closed the door, shutting Periboea in a near perfect darkness, save for a sliver of moonlight about one irregular corner. Periboea heard the clink of the keys that hung in a ring from his belt followed by the click of the lock. His footsteps, soft at first, quickly became impossible for her to detect.

written while listening to:  Adam Pultz Melbye, Franz Hautzinger, Isabelle Duthoit, Judith Hamann, Ren Walters & Richard Johnson - Evolve (SoundOut Recordings, SO-010, 2019, Australia, digital files, discogs.com)

May 4, 2021
She groped about and found another bucket, which she overturned and used as a stool. From this hiding spot, she soon heard the throng of cultists approach along the trail. They called to each other using foreign words interspersed with animal grunts and growls. Some of their number strayed from the path, tromping through the swampy margins. Periboea heard a pair pass not far from her. Spotting the custodian's closet, one cultist raced over to investigate. The wooden door shook with the force of their tugging but held. The other called it off. The pair hurried to catch up with the rest of their kind.

written while listening to:  Susan Alcorn, Chris Corsano & Bill Nace - Live at Rotunda (Open Mouth, OM59, 2019, United States, lp, discogs.com)

May 5, 2021
As the nocturnal song of the swamp resumed undisturbed, Periboea's unhappiness with hiding prompted her to compare the custodian's closet to the cultists' pit. While she was not in immediate danger of drowning, her freedom of movement was constrained to a greater extent. What prevented her from disengaging the lock and escaping into the night was the image of the custodian's disappointed frown. She could not bear the thought, if she were captured again, of him finding out that she had squandered his efforts on her behalf.

written while listening to:  Cecil Taylor - Garden 2nd Set (hatOLOGY, hatOLOGY 720, 2015 (rec. 1981), Switzerland, cd, discogs.com)

May 6, 2021
Eventually sleep blanketed Periboea's impulse to flee. With a shoulder pressed against the woody interior wall of the closet, she remained seated on the bucket for the duration of the night. She waited only for the first rays of dawn to illuminate the swamp before she emerged from her hutch. Stretching her arms to their full reach, she inhaled deeply. So much did she relish her freedom that she paid no mind to the pervasive humidity or the odor of decaying leaf litter borne interminably by the stagnant air.

written while listening to:  Matthew Shipp & Rob Brown - Then Now (RogueArt, ROG-0101, 2020, France, cd, discogs.com)

May 7, 2021
She turned east, per the words of the custodian. She harbored a doubt that she would be able to locate the sanctuary of which he spoke simply by walking toward the rising sun. The trees here were closely spaced, the undergrowth dense. She might pass within a hundred paces of a structure and yet remain oblivious to its presence. Still, absent a compelling alternative, she proceeded. If she failed, she was insistent that her failure not be attributed to lack of effort on her part but rather to the ordinary indifference, which the world below and the gods above share for the affairs of mortal men.

written while listening to:  Tomeka Reid Quartet - Old New (Cuneiform Records, Rune 465, 2019, United States, cd, discogs.com)

May 8, 2021
Much of the carefree sense of adventure had drained from Periboea as a result of the events of the previous night. Replacing it was a meticulous scrutiny of the ground upon which she trod. She was adamant that she should not again fall prey to a similar trap. Even as she walked, she reproved herself, for the custodian had warned her precisely of such perils. Was she a foolish girl or a fierce warrior? She could not be both if she intended to uphold her oath to slay the beast, much less to extract her vengeance upon he who had ordered her taken from Athens and entombed in the mine.

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

May 9, 2021
As she had feared, Periboea would have missed the building had the matron of the house not been in the habit of burning incense. When Periboea's nose detected an acrid odor in the air, she stopped in her tracks. The smell disappeared for a moment but returned with a distinct woody fragrance, which triggered the memory of a childhood visit to a temple where chalbane was burned as an oblation to the gods. She allowed the scent to guide her as she wove through the trees. Despite the custodian's promise of sanctuary, she remained cautious lest she discover that the cultists made similar offerings at their altars.

written while listening to:  Cecil Taylor & Tony Oxley - Birdland, Neuburg 2011 (Fundacja Sl̷uchaj!, FSR 13|2020, 2020 (rec. 2011), Poland, cd, discogs.com)

May 10, 2021
Like the custodian's shack, this structure was elevated on stilts to protect it from periodic flooding. However, this home was significantly larger and displayed abundant evidence of much greater care having been taken to make it appear civilized despite the wild environs. The banister of the wide, wooden stairs leading up to the house was ornately carved to resemble braided leafy vines. From her vantage point at the base of the steps, the molding about the front entryway bore intricate arabesque decoration, which while foreign to Periboea brought her relief through its dissimilarity with the wicked carvings on the trees scattered through-out the swamp.

written while listening to:  George Lewis, Douglas Ewart, Joëlle Léandre, Derek Bailey & Steve Lacy - Rainbow Family (Carrier Records, carrier 051, 2020 (rec. 1984), United States, cd, discogs.com)

May 11, 2021
The building possessed numerous windows, with wooden shutters decorated in a manner similar to the entrance. On this morning, the shutters had been opened wide, inviting a slight breeze to gently billow the lavender-shaded curtains that hung within. Periboea mounted the first step. The smell of incense was stronger here, leaving no doubt as to its origin. However, Periboea also detected another scent, a spicy musk that she did not associate with solemn rituals or holy shrines. As she placed one foot on the second step, she heard the sounds of some sort of commotion. More than one voice reached her ears.

written while listening to:  Fred Van Hove & Roger Turner - The Corner (Relative Pitch Records, RPR1059, 2017, United States, cd, discogs.com)

May 12, 2021
A moment from announcing her arrival, Periboea was silenced when a woman's cry erupted from within the house. Taken in isolation, it might have been difficult to establish if the shriek arose from surprise, grief or pain. However, it was followed by a series of moans, intertwined with the energetic grunts of a male companion. Periboea froze, listening to the sounds of passion continue until she was convinced beyond any doubt of the amorous nature of activity. She did not wish to eavesdrop on a private affair although she did priggishly note to herself that it was at least an hour before noon.

written while listening to:  Greg Saunier, Mary Halvorson & Ron Miles - New American Songbooks Volume 1 (Sound American, SA004, 2017, United States, lp, discogs.com)

May 13, 2021
Periboea sat on the front stoop, studying the greenery of the swamp, though she already felt quite well acquainted with it. Meanwhile, the sounds of love-making extended for what she imagined was an unnecessarily long time. She twiddled her thumbs and hummed a tune. If we wonder what feelings this hidden scene aroused in the young woman, we should recall that it was a requirement of the youths taken from Athens, both female and male, that they be virgins. Consequently, her inexperience in matters of carnal love placed some limitations on her imagination.

written while listening to:  Paul Panhuysen & Johan Goedhart - Long String Installations 1982-1985, sides A & B (Apollo Records, AR 088502, 1986, The Netherlands, lpx3, discogs.com)

May 14, 2021
Once the crescendo of ecstasy arrived and subsided, Periboea waited a short spell further for the lovers to compose themselves. She quietly descended and retreated to the nearest tree. She then retraced her steps and stomped up the stairs with exaggerated footfalls. Her efforts were rewarded when she heard a man's voice call out in musical tones, "Joëlle, my love, you have a pilgrim at your door." Periboea found this appellation an unlikely addition to her already eclectic list of credentials, which included maiden, prisoner, fugitive, and (she supposed) warrior.

written while listening to:  Kasper T. Toeplitz/Zeitkratzer - Agitation | Stagnation, disc 1 (Bocian Records, BC-KTZE, 2018, Poland, cdx2, discogs.com)

May 15, 2021
The woman of the house made her appearance in the foyer, which opened to the exposed platform at the top of the stairs. She was dressed in sheets of fine silk, the bottom-most a pale shade of eggshell and each outer layer more floral and flamboyant than the last. Her ears were adorned with numerous gold hoops. As she opened her arms in an expressive greeting, silver bangles on her wrists clinked against each other. "My child," she said and, taking no heed of the fineness of her own garb and the filthy mud-stained shift of her guest, embraced her.

written while listening to:  Susan Alcorn & Tom Carter - Ajax Peak (Drawing Room Records, DRLP00035, 2020, United States, lp, discogs.com)

May 16, 2021
Periboea feared that she might burst into tears at this sudden show of warmth, so long absent from her life. What saved her from emotional collapse was her perplexity at the next words of the matron. "You finally made it. I expected you a few days ago." The suspicion that she had been mistaken for someone else soured the moment. If she did not immediately speak out, might she be cast from the house for duplicitously taking the identity of another? Still locked in an embrace, she spoke into the shoulder of the woman, "I am not she for whom you waited."

written while listening to:  Indigo Trio (Nicole Mitchell, Harrison Bankhead & Hamid Drake) - Live in Montreal (Greenleaf Music, GRE-P-03, 2006, United States, cd, discogs.com)

May 17, 2021
Joëlle gently pushed Periboea back and held her at arm's length. She met the girl's gaze with her own dark, lustrous eyes. If the eyes are indeed windows to the soul, Periboea felt as if the woman plumbed the depths of her very being. Our heroine was absurdly relieved to hear the older woman disagree with her. "No, my child, it is your coming that I have anticipated." She spoke with an accent of lands to the west and smiled kindly. "Do you think me unable to distinguish one warrior from another?"

written while listening to:  Tyshawn Sorey - Unfiltered, Part 1 (self-released, no catalog #, 2020, United States, digital files, discogs.com)

May 18, 2021
Joëlle wrapped an arm around Periboea's shoulders and escorted her from the entry into the building proper. She found a kind of sitting room, in which guests were entertained, furnished with a chaise lounge, a sofa for three and several armchairs. Situated between them were end tables, with carved wooden legs and oval marble tops. Like the hostess, much of the seating was draped in layers of colorful fabrics embroidered with botanical elements. In one corner, a thread of smoke wafted from an ornate censer set atop a silver platter. Certainly, Periboea had not expected to find the accoutrements suitable to a palace in so remote a setting.

written while listening to:  Wadada Leo Smith & Anthony Braxton - Organic Resonance (Pi Recordings, PI06, 2003, United States, cd, discogs.com)

May 19, 2021
A man, seated in one of the chairs, rose to his feet at their entrance. He was broad of chest and possessed the bearing of one at ease not only in this house but in many fine places of the wide world. He was garbed in black trousers and a pale silk blouse, loosely folded. The contours of his muscled arms were apparent through the sheer fabric. His face was tanned by years in the sun. Perhaps a fellow warrior, Periboea surmised, though something of a dandy. He strode to Joëlle and, taking a knee, kissed her many-ringed fingers. To Periboea, he bowed.

written while listening to:  Jimmy Giuffre 3 - Graz Live 1991 (ezz-thetics, 1001, 2019 (rec. 1961), Switzerland, cd, discogs.com)

May 20, 2021
In his presence, Periboea found the source of the second scent, in addition to incense, which she had detected from the stairs. He wore a musky cologne and had cultivated a whisper of a moustache. Strangely free of inhibition, he smiled at her in a manner that made her self-conscious. She could not help but recall the activity in which he had been engaged only a few minutes earlier. Either oblivious or indifferent to these signals, Joëlle introduced him as Raoul, a partner in the business of forecasting.

written while listening to:  Bogan Ghost - Zerfall (Relative Pitch Records, RPR1021, 2014, United States, cd, discogs.com)

May 21, 2021
"Forecasting?" asked a curious Periboea.

"Oh," Joëlle said dismissively, as if it were the most ordinary occupation in the world. Releasing her guest, she allowed Raoul to lead her by the arm to the chaise lounge. "It has many names: divination, prognostication, or augury if you prefer birds, palmistry if hands, horoscopes for the literate, cleromancy if the visual spectacle of casting lots appeals to you... I invoke whatever means will satisfy a particular patron. Although there are a few practices, haruspicy comes to mind, which I eschew. Digging through entrails is not my preferred method to glimpse the future."

written while listening to:  Dave Douglas - Uplift: Twelve Pieces For Positive Action (Greenleaf Music, GRE-CD-1068, 2018, United States, cd, discogs.com)

May 22, 2021
"An oracle," Periboea muttered aloud. In truth, it seemed rather mundane given that the swamp had already produced a faerie princess and a frog man.

Raoul had returned to his armchair. "Not an oracle," he corrected her, "The most prescient eye of this land and the many lands lying beyond its borders."

"As you may imagine," Joëlle said to Periboea, "it can be useful having a partner so adept at promoting the business."

Raoul veritably glowed at the praise. In age, he appeared more than a decade younger than the oracle, but as many years older than their guest. They made to Periboea a strange pairing.

written while listening to:  Trance Map + - Crepuscule In Nickelsdorf (Intakt Records, Intakt CD 329, 2019, Switzerland, cd, discogs.com)

May 23, 2021
The oracle bade her visitor sit but one glance at the sofa convinced Periboea that she was too dirty to touch it. She thought to lay her blanket down first, only to realize that she did not have the pack, which the custodian had given her. "I've lost my pack!" she exclaimed in a panic, as she glanced futilely about the room.

"You had nothing but the gown on your back and the knife at your side when I greeted you on the stairs," Joëlle told her truthfully, though her description of Periboea's tattered shift was generous.

written while listening to:  Ingrid Laubrock & Tom Rainey - Utter (Relative Pitch Records, RPR1076, 2018, United States, cd, discogs.com)

May 24, 2021
When could she have lost the pack? It must have been as she struggled against drowning in the pit. Or perhaps it had fallen when the custodian picked her up. More surprisingly, how could she have gone through the whole night and morning without noticing its absence?

Joëlle came to her and pulled her down to the sofa. Seated beside her, she said in a consoling tone, "You have had a hard time of it and are in a state of shock. But you are safe here now. Don't fret about a misplaced bag. Raoul is headed into town tomorrow. I'll have him pick up new supplies for you."

written while listening to:  Spectral (Dave Rempis, Darren Johnston & Larry Ochs) - Empty Castles (Aerophonic Records, AR016, 2018, United States, cd, discogs.com)

May 25, 2021
Periboea had no viable choice but to stay with the oracle. Joëlle offered her cool water poured from a pitcher decorated with incised circles lined in black glaze. Although her behavior was regal, she possessed no servants. She and Raoul shared the serving duties, one bringing a plate of cold fowl and the other a loaf of bread and fresh figs. Periboea set aside her dismay at the loss of her possessions and, with encouragement from her hosts, sated her appetite.

As she ate, Raoul asked with keen interest, "Warrior, from whom did you learn your trade?"

written while listening to:  Jack DeJohnette - New Directions (ECM Records, ECM 1128, 1978, Germany, lp, discogs.com)

May 26, 2021
She swallowed a mouthful of bread and was on the verge of replying when she hesitated. Should she reveal herself to strangers? Recalling her recent humiliation, she thought better of it. Had she been properly trained, she would not have needed to be rescued by the custodian. It was a kind of truth to admit she had no formal instruction at all. "I learned everything on my own."

"Ah!" exclaimed Raoul with delight, "An autodidact. Your kind are the most unpredictable and the most formidable." His tone grew serious. "It is a dangerous path to trod; many follow it but briefly ere they meet a bloody end."

written while listening to:  Ivo Perelman & Matthew Shipp - Efflorescence Volume 1, disc 3 (Leo Records, CD LR 866-869, 2019, United Kingdom, cdx4, discogs.com)

May 27, 2021
Enveloped by a steady haze of incense, Periboea passed the hot hours of the day within Joëlle's unlikely homestead. The oracle assured her that her presence was no bother. She did not have a client scheduled for several days and unannounced visitors were exceedingly rare, given the convoluted paths of the swamp. Those who sought her advice hired guides, Raoul or another, to lead them to her doorstep. Periboea begged to make herself of use with one odd chore or another, but the oracle insisted that Periboea's greatest utility could be found in occupying her time in lively conversation. "It can get lonely out here."

written while listening to:  The Art Ensemble of Chicago - We Are On The Edge: A 50th Anniversary Celebration, disc 2 (Pi Recordings, PI80, 2019, United States, cdx2, discogs.com)

May 28, 2021
Later, after Periboea had been shown to a guest room, she lay on a soft bed, listening to the nightly song of frogs, insects and birds filter through the curtains. Staring up at the wooden rafters, she regretted not having been fully truthful. She should have confided more openly to her hosts the answers to the questions they had posed. She should have divulged the identity of the one who had been responsible not only for hardening her mettle but also for first forcing her to recognize her nature as a warrior. She worried needlessly though, for, like many of us, the oracle was accustomed to people speaking in half-truths.

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

May 29, 2021
On an impulse, Periboea sprang out of bed determined to make a late confession and to share that which she had withheld during the day. As soon as she entered the sitting room, however, her plans were thrown asunder, for she was greeted by the same rhythmic moans of pleasure that she had encountered upon her arrival. For a moment, she paused where she stood. The lovers, she thought somewhat indignantly, made no attempt whatsoever to be discreet. Theirs was an exuberant act. She returned to her bed. Now alerted to this activity, she detected notes of it intermingling with the other performers in the swamp's nocturnal chorus.

written while listening to:  Fred Van Hove - At 80, disc 1 (Dropa Disc, DD#006, 2019, Belgium, cdx3+book, discogs.com)

May 30, 2021
In the early morning, Raoul's baritone voice entered the window, rousing Periboea. She slipped out of bed and, hiding behind the curtain, peeked through the window. Equipped for a trek through the swamp, with a pack on his back and a rapier at his side, he bade Joëlle farewell. The oracle had remained on the elevated entryway and stood outside Periboea's view. She experienced vicariously their affection in the tender parting. She also felt a keen envy of the man's sword, which, even at a distance, struck her as a vastly superior weapon to her own modest knife.

written while listening to:  Senyawa & Kazuhisa Uchihashi - eponymous (Contra-Disc, con-tra 001, 2012, Japan, cd, discogs.com)

May 31, 2021
When the two women were left alone, they shared a breakfast of eggs and fruit. Afterward, Joëlle declared that it was her mission of the day to make the younger woman presentable before she released her back into the swamp. "That means you are in for a bath." Like the custodian, the oracle had a cistern that collected rainwater. They hauled two buckets to a room intended for this purpose, infused with the aroma of smoldering bay-leaf. Joëlle made no pretense of permitting her guest to tend to her own ablutions. Rather, she carefully orchestrated the proceedings and, when necessary, scrubbed vigorously to remove all visible traces of her travails.

written while listening to:  Vijay Iyer, Linda May Han Oh & Tyshawn Sorey - Uneasy (ECM Records, ECM 2692, 2021, Germany, lpx2, discogs.com)

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This work is made available to the public, free of charge and on an anonymous basis. However, copyright remains with the author. Reproduction and distribution without the publisher's consent is prohibited. Links to the work should be made to the main page of the score.