Alex Cunningham is an American, St. Louis-based violinist, improviser, visual artist, and the head of the label Storm Cellar. His recorded output spans free improvisation, drone, noise, and minimalist composition, and he has collaborated with Damon Smith, claire rousay, Patrick Shiroishi, Jessica Ackerley, Sandy Ewen, Weasel Walter, Jaap Blonk, and K. Curtis Lyle.
Cunningham has released a series of solo, free improvised acoustic violin albums since 2015, pushing the instrument to its furthest sonic extremes. The aptly titled Axe adds seven more improvisations to this physically and mentally demanding series. Obviously, Cunningham employs an array of extended bowing techniques, alternate tunings, and percussive sounds to explore unsettling and uncharted harmonic palettes and textural passages.
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