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Australian group Topology is "exhilaratingly unpredictable" in blend of contemporary classical music and jazz

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The Australian band Topology ventures into the twilight zone between contemporary classical music and jazz. On their latest album Difference Engine, Topology experiment with moods, sounds, and rhythms; nothing ever quite stays the same or functions within patterns. At the same time, there is a surface beauty to their compositions that is easily accessible even when their songs are being twisted into knots. Despite the classical tag, Topology are nearly unclassifiable; they may use classical instrumentation, and their jazz inspirations may be vividly heard, but the group has created a genre all its own.

Featuring violist Bernard Hoey, bassist Robert Davidson, violinist Christa Powell, pianist Kylie Davidson, and saxophonist John Babbage, Topology was formed in 1996. Since then, the band has developed a substantial following in Australia, performing sold-out dates in Brisbane and throughout the country. In 2003, Topology even embarked on an international tour which landed them gigs in Canada. Topology's ability to create a loyal and increasingly larger fan base may be rooted in their creative take on classical music and courage to fuse new ideas into a relatively conservative art form.

On Difference Engine, the group is exhilaratingly unpredictable. In the opening track, “Centaur I Obsidian," Powell's violin shifts in tone from soothing tranquility to rain-drenched sorrow, then giving way to the wild abandon of Davidson's piano. It's like seeing the seasons change in a single song. “Exterior I" percolates with tribal rhythms and bracing improvisation. “Centaur II Jasper" pushes the right emotional buttons with its reflective piano and melancholic violin. None of these tunes resemble each other; they all occupy their own space.

The obscure album title is named after a mechanical, automatic calculator designed for the tabulation of polynomial functions. Its inventor, Charles Babbage, despised street musicians, especially organ grinders. It's doubtful that Topology would have escaped his wrath, but like the late mathematician himself, they're true visionaries.

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