Threadgill is one of the true originals in American art. His music is its own universe, with proprietary organizational principles and unique aesthetic assumptions. Over the years, he has assembled a coterie of undaunted artists who have learned to play his music. Several are in the new band: tuba player Jose Davila, cellist Christopher Hoffman, drummer Craig Weinrib, pianist David Virelles. He has also built an adventurous audience and taught them how to listen to Henry Threadgill.
His new suite, titled Of Valence, is a multimedia work. When it debuted with two performances at the Roulette Intermedium in Brooklyn in May 2022, it included video, projected paintings and photographs, a prerecorded choir and prose recitations. This CD is a recording of the second performance with the multimedia elements edited out, leaving only the music. The audience's applause is also edited out (until the end). Yet the recording feels alive. You feel the air around you, in a 240-seat space. All 12 instruments are vivid and clear.
Threadgill came on the scene in the 1970s as a saxophone revolutionary, but he does not play on The Other One. He conducts his cacophonous, arcane, astonishing orchestra. The suite is a rare example of Threadgill's writing for large ensemble and for strings. There is a string section at the heart of this band (violin/viola/two cellos) and also three saxophones (two altos/ one tenor), two bassoons, a piano, drums, and a tuba. With this array of instruments, Threadgill has at his disposal a huge diversity of colors and textures.
Denne historien er fra September 2023-utgaven av Stereophile.
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Denne historien er fra September 2023-utgaven av Stereophile.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
My last Far East trip
First comes the anticipation, that initial jet of warm water, that miraculous searching, finding the sweet spot, then heaven on earth as it cleans and caresses.
Riding the Common Wave
In the e-commerce era, brick-and-mortar dealerships must give customers compelling reasons to stop by. Los Angeles hi-fi dealership Common Wave's owner Wesley Katzir keeps customers coming through the door with a simple idea: that music matters in our everyday lives and that what he enjoys, other people will enjoy, too.
Mind Games to the bottom of the rabbit hole
After a wild decade in the biggest pop music group ever, John Lennon's post-Beatles years were spent in protest, in various kinds of therapy, in immigration court, and in search of a new musical identity.
Trane meets the Motor City
Detroit became a destination for migrating African Americans early, starting with the Underground Railroad; the city's proximity to Canada was convenient for those seeking to escape Southern slavery.
Vital art never rests
At this late date, it seems impossible that there could still be \"lost\" albums lingering in the vaults by musicians as important and successful as Johnny Cash and Paul McCartney.
DUKE IN 10
TO COMMEMORATE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF DUKE'S DEATH, ROBERT BAIRD SELECTS A DOUBLE HANDFUL OF EXEMPLARY TRACKS FROM PERHAPS AMERICA'S GREATEST MUSICAL GENIUS.
Piega Coax Gen2 811
It's funny how we discover some music in unexpected, twisting ways.
Pass Laboratories XP-27
One of the pleasures of reviewing-and also using-products from Pass Laboratories is an encounter with Nelson Pass's writing, which can usually be found in the owner's manual and is always competent, insightful, and sometimes funny.
EMT 928 II
Modern turntables are a paradox.
Dynaudio Contour 30i
Ah, Denmark. Land of the Vikings and blue-eyed, blond-haired folk with faces sculpted just so.
