HurdAudio Rotation: Shards of Surmountability

Susie Ibarra: Flower After Flower. 2000. Tzadik: TZ 7057.

Wadada Leo Smith: trumpet, brushes
Chris Speed: clarinet
Assif Tsahar: bass clarinet
Charles Burnham: violin
Cooper-Moore: flute, piano
Pauline Oliveros: accordion
John Lindberg: bass
Susie Ibarra: drums, kulintang, percussion

Music of transparent sophistication and primitivism. Susie Ibarra provides a compositional form that invites deep listening based improvisation from an outstanding ensemble. Sequentially, these eight pieces alternate between solo "Fractal" performances and larger scale compositions for various instrumental configurations. "The Ancients" covers a surprising range of territory with Ibarra's solo material on temple bells as its unifying motif. "Fractal 3," performed by Cooper-Moore as a solo piano piece is outstanding. The decision to fade out the ending of "Human Beginnings" is the only point of disappointment on this disc. There had to be a better way out of that piece. But overall it is the skilled listening that lurks behind each of these performers that shines through Flower After Flower.

Marc Ribot: Shoe String Symphonettes. 1997. Tzadik: TZ 7504.

Death by Unnatural Causes (1991) directed by Karen Bellone and Lisa Rinzler
Greg Cohen: bass
Jill Jaffe: violin, viola
Marc Ribot: guitar, sampler

Landlord Blues (1987) directed by Jacob Burkhardt
Marc Ribot: trumpet, banjo, guitar
Brad Jones: bass
Bill Ware: vibes
Curtis Fowlkes: trombone
Jim Nolet: violin
Roy Nathanson: saxophone
EJ Rodriguez: drums, percussion
Gregory Ribot: flute

Alita Queen of Mars (1928) directed by Yakov Protazanov
Paul Clarvis: drums, percussion
Dave Meric: keyboards
Phil Boyden: violin
Marc Ribot: guitar
Helen Thomas: cello
Mike Kearsey: trombone

Pieces From An Incomplete Project (1995-1996) directed by Joe Brewster
Dave Douglas: trumpet
Vicki Bodner: oboe
Charlie Giordano: piano, keyboards
Mauro Refosco: percussion
Jill Jaffe: violin, viola
Maxine Neuman: cello
Tony Garnier: bass

Summer Salt (1993) directed by Charlie Levi
John Zorn: saxophone
Andy Haas: saxophone
Cyro Baptista: drums
Marc Ribot: guitar, e-flat horn

Film scores tend to be a mixed bag. Without the linear visuals present we are left with a music that is formally subverted by unseen forces. Rather than building or transitioning by the internal, compositional logic, we have music that darts around and frequently leaves many ideas undeveloped and incomplete. Shoe String Symphonettes ranges wildly from atmospheric material to idiomatically grounded music ranging from surf guitar rock to blues to Latin and swing. While nearly everything on this disc is entirely too short, it is overwhelmingly pleasant. With sounding combinations that stick with the ears and invite further listening.

Paul Plimley Trio: Safe-Crackers. 1999. Victo: cd066.

Paul Plimley: piano
Lisle Ellis: contrabass
Scott Amendola: drums

I would put this recording up against any piano trio set in the history of jazz. The humor and taut transparency of this music is astonishing given the sheer density of these pieces and the deep roots that touch upon a full range of music history. This set gives so much to the listener upon each encounter with this disc. The richness of detail keeps the music fresh no matter how familiar the ears become with it. The effortless dialog that passes through these players is remarkable. The chemistry they bring is incredible. Easily one of my top ten discs.

HurdAudio Rotation: The Storytellers

Terry Riley/Kronos Quartet: Cadenza On The Night Plain. 1988. Gramavision: R2 79444.

David Harrington: violin
John Sherba: violin
Hank Dutt: viola
Joan Jeanrenaud: cello

Sunrise of the Planetary Dream Collector
G Song
Mythic Birds Waltz
Cadenza on the Night Plain (dedicated to Dr. Margaret Lyon)

Few composers can take on the role of shaman and spin a fine yarn out of a chamber music ensemble. Right from the opening strains from Sunrise of the Planetary Dream Collector this is music that has held me in thrall for more than two decades now. It has often been my road music of choice on long journeys and has long since become one of those studio recordings that I'm completely bonded to. It succeeds in an area that Terry Riley never gets nearly enough credit: arranging. This is narrative, story-driven music that plunges the ensemble through some inventive turns with a rare ability to bring equal attention to the large form and small details of its construction.

Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog: Party Intellectuals. 2008. Yellowbird: yeb-7707 2.

Marc Ribot: guitar, vocals
Ches Smith: drums, percussion, electronics, vocals
Shahzad Ismaily: bass, vocals, moog

Janice Cruz: additional vocals
Martin Verajano: additional percussion
Jenni Quilter: additional vocals

Setting the tone with a deviously un-Doors-like take on "Break On Through," Ceramic Dog sets out to bring equal parts party and intellect to Party Intellectuals. Along the way it delivers some wide ranging punches that frequently hit their mark with both fun and fury. A power trio that isn't afraid to surf or take a sideways stab at multiple genres. All of it with Marc Ribot's unerring sense of soul.

The Zs: untitled. 2003. Ricecontrol: 10. (Single sided vinyl)

Alex Hoskins: drums
Brad Wentworth: drums
Charlie Looker: guitar
Matthew Hough: guitar
Alex Mincek: saxophone
Sam Hillmer: saxophone

Glyphs
Play

A quick dose of the manic precision and obsessive musical qualities of the Zs. The reinforced sonic dissonance of a garage band combined with the rhythmic tightness of a Berkeley student wood shedding in a practice module. The Zs demonstrate a compatibility of extremes. An aesthetic that finds humanity by keeping it tightly wound up.

HurdAudio Rotation: Cracked and Hanging By A Shoe String

Marc Ribot: Shoe String Symphonettes. 1997. Tzadik: TZ 7504.

Film scores by Marc Ribot:
Death by Unnatural Causes (1991) - directed by Karen Bellone and Lisa Rinzler
Marc Ribot: guitar, sampler
Greg Cohen: bass
Jill Jaffe: violin, viola

Landlord Blues (1987) - directed by Jacob Burkhardt
Marc Ribot: trumpet, banjo, guitar
Brad Jones: bass
Bill Ware: vibes
Curtis Fowlkes: trombone
Jim Nolet: violin
Roy Nathanson: saxophone
EJ Rodriguez: drums, percussion
Gregory Ribot: flute

Aelita Queen of Mars (1928) - directed by Yakov Protazanov
Marc Ribot: guitar
Paul Clarvis: drums, percussion
Dave Meric: keyboards
Phil Boyden: violin
Helen Thomas: cello
Mike Kearsey: trombone

Pieces From An Incomplete Project (1995 - 1996) - directed by Joe Brewster
Dave Douglas: trumpet
Vicki Bodner: oboe
Charlie Giordano: piano, keyboards
Mauro Refosco: percussion
Jill Jaffe: violin, viola
Maxine Neuman: cello
Tony Garnier: bass

Summer Salt (1993) - directed by Charlie Levi
Marc Ribot: guitar, e-flat horn
John Zorn: saxophone
Andy Haas: saxophone
Cyro Baptista: drums

An absolute gem. Often music composed for film - or any mixed media - has a tendency to feel incomplete or unnaturally malformed by the bullying exigencies of visual momentum. While many of these pieces are short, or subjected to abrupt jump cuts, these still feel like complete works. Sonic moments stretched taut with introspective beauty at one moment. Caricatures of idiomatic reference points served up with irreverence in the following moment. The focus that Marc Ribot brings to this - both as composer and guitarist - is unwavering regardless of the level of seriousness or serious mischief.

Paul Plimley Trio: Safe-Crackers. 1999. Victo: cd066.

Paul Plimley: piano
Lisle Ellis: contrabass
Scott Amendola: drums

A recorded documentation that captures exactly what makes each of these players so compelling in live performance. This disc gets a lot of spins in the rotation because it's so engaging to put it on and hear what these improvisers are doing. The complete lack of gravity in spite of the depth of musicianship is unbelievable. One of the great, under-rated piano trio recordings of all time.

Misha Mengelberg Quartet: Four In One. 2001. Songlines: SGL SA 1535-5.

Misha Mengelberg: piano
Dave Douglas: trumpet
Brad Jones: bass
Han Bennink: percussion

No recording can adequately capture the full-contact embrace of absurdity that marks Han Bennink's drumming style. What this one does preserve for aural posterity is an irreverent musicality willing to bolt scatter shot along the jazz continuum - or well outside such genre confines if need be. But when it's "inside," it's squarely in the pocket. And when it's "outside" it rarely upsets the furniture in its haste to get there. Paired with the understated humor of Misha Mengelberg's compositions this becomes a thrill ride of both virtuosity and careening "where-will-this-go-next?" dimensions. Adding the considerable improvisational chops of long-time collaborators Dave Douglas and Brad Jones (Douglas' trumpet playing being a peculiar addiction of mine) gives this quartet sound considerable personality. There's a sly mischief to this music that draws upon equal parts Thelonius Monk and Kurt Weill.

HurdAudio Rotation: Ghostly Noise

Marc Ribot: Shoe String Symphonettes. 1997. Tzadik: TZ 7504.

Film scores by Marc Ribot:
Death by Unnatural Causes (1991) - directed by Karen Bellone and Lisa Rinzler
Marc Ribot: guitar, sampler
Greg Cohen: bass
Jill Jaffe: violin, viola

Landlord Blues (1987) - directed by Jacob Burkhardt
Marc Ribot: trumpet, banjo, guitar
Brad Jones: bass
Bill Ware: vibes
Curtis Fowlkes: trombone
Jim Nolet: violin
Roy Nathanson: saxophone
EJ Rodriguez: drums, percussion
Gregory Ribot: flute

Aelita Queen of Mars (1928) - directed by Yakov Protazanov
Marc Ribot: guitar
Paul Clarvis: drums, percussion
Dave Meric: keyboards
Phil Boyden: violin
Helen Thomas: cello
Mike Kearsey: trombone

Pieces From An Incomplete Project (1995 - 1996) - directed by Joe Brewster
Dave Douglas: trumpet
Vicki Bodner: oboe
Charlie Giordano: piano, keyboards
Mauro Refosco: percussion
Jill Jaffe: violin, viola
Maxine Neuman: cello
Tony Garnier: bass

Summer Salt (1993) - directed by Charlie Levi
Marc Ribot: guitar, e-flat horn
John Zorn: saxophone
Andy Haas: saxophone
Cyro Baptista: drums

With several moments of episodic brilliance, this is film music without the requisite blandness of more mass market fare. The shuffling of tracks from multiple projects allows for a meta-narrative arc complete with sequential tracks for closing credits. The sonic language encompasses reference points rooted in story while still careening into abstract bliss and noise. This disc is a journey and a familiar favorite in the rotation.

Paul Plimley Trio: Safe-Crackers. 1999. Victo: cd066.

Paul Plimley: piano
Lisle Ellis: bass
Scott Amendola: drums

With Ellis and Amendola as collaborators Paul Plimley fashions an exquisitely buoyant intensity on one of my all time favorite piano trio recordings. The episodes of whimsical play are offset by a rich substance of deeply informed, historically grounded improvisation.

Cold Reading Trio: Life of Ghost. 2007. Form Function Records: f(F)0701.

John O'Brien: drums, percussion
Evan Mazunik: accordion, melodica, electronic piano
Chris Pincock: laptop computer

The live processing of sources both internal and external to this trio adds an element of unpredictability to this sound and often reminds these ears of AMM without the epic durations. The odd twists and turns of this music is greatly enhanced by the fragments of live drumming and accordion that weave through these textures. For a music brimming with quiet strangeness this one is enjoyable.

HurdAudio Rotation: I Heart Heart Mountain

Marc Ribot: Shoe String Symphonettes. 1997. Tzadik: TZ 7504.

Film scores by Marc Ribot:
Death by Unnatural Causes (1991) - directed by Karen Bellone and Lisa Rinzler
Marc Ribot: guitar, sampler
Greg Cohen: bass
Jill Jaffe: violin, viola

Landlord Blues (1987) - directed by Jacob Burkhardt
Marc Ribot: trumpet, banjo, guitar
Brad Jones: bass
Bill Ware: vibes
Curtis Fowlkes: trombone
Jim Nolet: violin
Roy Nathanson: saxophone
EJ Rodriguez: drums, percussion
Gregory Ribot: flute

Aelita Queen of Mars (1928) - directed by Yakov Protazanov
Marc Ribot: guitar
Paul Clarvis: drums, percussion
Dave Meric: keyboards
Phil Boyden: violin
Helen Thomas: cello
Mike Kearsey: trombone

Pieces From An Incomplete Project (1995 - 1996) - directed by Joe Brewster
Dave Douglas: trumpet
Vicki Bodner: oboe
Charlie Giordano: piano, keyboards
Mauro Refosco: percussion
Jill Jaffe: violin, viola
Maxine Neuman: cello
Tony Garnier: bass

Summer Salt (1993) - directed by Charlie Levi
Marc Ribot: guitar, e-flat horn
John Zorn: saxophone
Andy Haas: saxophone
Cyro Baptista: drums

With the unseen drama, jump cuts, narrative wrinkles and closing credits, these short episodic compositions cut a wide gamut. At times atmospheric before turning into a salsa, surf music or late night bar band. And with Ribot's chops and sensibilities (not to mention guitar playing) behind these works it all comes off as convincing. It's hard to imagine any motion picture worthy of such a soundtrack.

Paul Plimley Trio: Safe-crackers. 1999. Victo: CD066.

Paul Plimley: piano
Lisle Ellis: bass
Scott Amendola: drums

A sound full of rich substance that manages to feel unencumbered by the weight of so much jazz history and technique at work behind it. The improvisational ideas soar and get caught in all kinds of eddies and currents as Plimley takes the lead in an effort that is equal parts free improvisation and whimsy. Titles like "We Got Noh Rhythm" and "After Boulez, a Doorbell with Perfect Pitch" bring a smile every time. The roots of this music run deep. Many disparate elements of jazz tradition are thoroughly absorbed and rendered audible. There are many surprising turns in the melodic and harmonic content. This one is an understated masterpiece.

Myra Melford/Tanya Kalmanovitch: Heart Mountain. 2007. Perspicacity: PR03.

Myra Melford: piano, harmonium
Tanya Kalmanovitch: viola, violin

The creative compatibility of Melford and Kalmanovitch is exquisitely audible in this collection of brief collaborations of wordless poetry. Melford's spare extended technique inside the piano, adding pizzicato piano strings to Kalmanovitch's plucked viola lines, or sculpting tones from scrapes and preparations blends warmly as the sound of these two performers melt together throughout this listening experience. The combination of harmonium with viola makes for a shimmering track. Even as Melford works the ivories, as she does for most of this recording, it's the conversant interplay between these players that casts a spell. This is one to savor.

HurdAudio Rotation: 2 Victos and a Tzadik Tzunday

Elliott Sharp/Orchestra Carbon: Abstract Repressionism: 1990-1999. 1992. Victo: cd019.

Orchestra Carbon:
Elliott Sharp: composer, double-neck guitar/bass
Gregor Kitziz: violin
David Soldier: violin
Wendy Ultan: violin
Ron Lawrence: viola
Michelle Kinney: cello
Margaret Parkins: cello
Mary Wooten: cello
Lindsay Horner: acoustic bass
Joseph Trump: drums, percussion

As one of Elliott Sharp's finest large-scale works for a large string ensemble it's hard to keep this one from constant HurdAudio rotation. And nothing complements a lazy Sunday afternoon like "Heads Are Beaten Against Walls, Some Voluntarily." From the opening sonic barrage of "Unlockstep" to the teeming world of pizzicato and timpani that oozes out from behind that opening gesture this disc is an aggressive beauty that demands one's attention and rewards it with every listening.

Marc Ribot: Shoe String Symphonettes. 1997. Tzadik: TZ 7504.

Film scores by Marc Ribot:
Death by Unnatural Causes (1991) - directed by Karen Bellone and Lisa Rinzler
Marc Ribot: guitar, sampler
Greg Cohen: bass
Jill Jaffe: violin, viola

Landlord Blues (1987) - directed by Jacob Burkhardt
Marc Ribot: trumpet, banjo, guitar
Brad Jones: bass
Bill Ware: vibes
Curtis Fowlkes: trombone
Jim Nolet: violin
Roy Nathanson: saxophone
EJ Rodriguez: drums, percussion
Gregory Ribot: flute

Aelita Queen of Mars (1928) - directed by Yakov Protazanov
Marc Ribot: guitar
Paul Clarvis: drums, percussion
Dave Meric: keyboards
Phil Boyden: violin
Helen Thomas: cello
Mike Kearsey: trombone

Pieces From An Incomplete Project (1995 - 1996) - directed by Joe Brewster
Dave Douglas: trumpet
Vicki Bodner: oboe
Charlie Giordano: piano, keyboards
Mauro Refosco: percussion
Jill Jaffe: violin, viola
Maxine Neuman: cello
Tony Garnier: bass

Summer Salt (1993) - directed by Charlie Levi
Marc Ribot: guitar, e-flat horn
John Zorn: saxophone
Andy Haas: saxophone
Cyro Baptista: drums

I can only imagine if these films are as good as the scores written to accompany them. In their disembodied form, Shoe String Symphonettes is a wide-ranging, often moody collection of short pieces featuring some exciting players from the late-80s/early-90s New York improvised music scene. The shortness of these works feels constraining given the caliber of some of these players. But at the same time the these tight arrangements open up wide vistas and showcases Ribot's versatility as a composer.

Paul Plimley Trio: Safe-Crackers. 1999. Victo: cd066.

Paul Plimley: piano
Lislie Ellis: acoustic bass
Scott Amendola: drums

Making a return spin in the HurdAudio rotation, Safe-Crackers satisfies the Paul Plimley craving with an extremely well-recorded documentation of this outstanding piano trio.