Jane Bom-Bane &
Nick Pynn
RotatoR
Inspired by 2002, the Year of the Palindrome, Jane Bom-Bane and Nick Pynn
have created a collection of new songs and tunes that explore the reversible
delights of rhythm 'n' rhyme.
Using an unusual combination of instruments - harmonium, violin, dulcimer,
mandocello, guitar and theremin - they perform forward and backward melodies,
lyrics and stories based on their various interpretations of the palindrome.
“…Rotator is a sincere, intimate programme of songs served up
as a skillfully woven, reflective musical tapestry.” Musician Magazine
June 2003.
"Jane Bom-Bane (vocals, harmonium, guitar) and collaborator Nick
Pynn (guitar, violins, dulcimer, mandocello, bass pedals, theremin, harmonium),
along with Tom Arnold on percussion, run rampant through a self-made hall
of musical mirrors.
Inspired by the palindromic nature of the year 2002, Bom-Bane and Pynn present
a collection of playful, striking compositions. "Palindromic Love,"
with Bom-Bane getting all Dolly Collins on the harmonium, reads the same in
reverse order, word by word. "So Many DynamoS" has reversal in its
title as well as its musical construction: each of its two parts is played
twice and then "reflected." The charmingly catchy Latin-lover song
"Boy," the first song Jane wrote as a "grown-up," is followed
by the stately "yoB," in which the chorus of "Boy" ("...and
be that bad boy's muchacha") is sung backward, phonetically: "Hash
hash dwum ziob dab at theebna...." The lengthy, June Tabor-like "Kindle
my songs if my own words should fail" turns, when it reaches the title
line, and the lines are sung in reverse order.
"Rotator" is palindromic by the letter ("Net level, ten/Set
o'notes/Snip, snips/Set o'rotes"). "Riddle of the Mode" is
based on a modal palindrome that's way too complex for this mere scribe to
explain, but it's certainly a pretty Renaissance dance tune with enigmatic,
feminine-rhyming lyrics.
"Saippauakivikauppias - The Finnish Soapstone Seller" is a largely
narrative, Kalevala-based epic about the longest palindromic word Bom-Bane
and Pynn could find. Rotator is musical and witty at the same time -- never
a mere party game, always a work of art"- Rambles
Pamela Murray Winters
www.rambles.net May 2003
Edinburgh Festival 2002. "Year of the Palindrome".
"...magi of mystical word and sound puzzles exploit the idea in some
fascinating ways."
"...gives each musical riddle an unearthly quality.
Chloe Veltman. 'The Scotsman'. 17th August 2002.