The Squid's Ear Magazine


Mostly Other People Do the Killing: Paint (Hot Cup)

The first release by the piano trio configuration of Mostly Other People Do the Killing features bassist/composer Moppa Elliott, pianist Ron Stabinsky, and drummer Kevin Shea, with each composition named after a small town in Pennsylvania that contains a color, and the town of "Paint, PA" lent its name to the title, with one apt Duke Ellington cover.
 

Price: $13.95



Quantity:

In Stock

Quantity in Basket: None

Log In to use our Wish List
Shipping Weight: 2.00 units

Sample The Album:





product information:

Personnel:



Ron Stabinsky-piano

Moppa Elliott-bass

Kevin Shea-drums


Click an artist name above to see in-stock items for that artist.




UPC: 888295610575

Label: Hot Cup
Catalog ID: Hot Cup 171
Squidco Product Code: 25008

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2017
Country: USA
Packaging: Digipack
Recorded at Oktaven Audio, in Mount Vernon, New York, on March 13th, 2017, by Ryan Streber.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"No sooner had Mostly Other People Do the Killing expanded to a septet with Loafer's Hollow (Hot Cup Records, 2017) than they shrink to their smallest formation to date with the trio release Paint. Founding member, bassist, and composer Moppa Elliott is joined by pianist Ron Stabinsky and drummer Kevin Shea. Trumpeter Peter Evans had departed the group before its 2015 Mauch Chunk album and now without Jon Irabagon's alto saxophone in the lineup, the sound takes a very different form. But convention has never been the MOPDtK modus operandi and this piano trio is hardly traditional.

Stabinsky, became a regular member of MOPDtK with Mauch Chunk having previously performed with the group live in 2013 and on the Hot Cup album Blue (2014). The label (under Elliott's leadership) also produced the pianist's solo outing Free for One in 2016 as well as Elliott's solo album Still, Up In The Air. Both of those releases are examples of the astute use of texture, melody, and improvisation but are very different in nature compared to Paint.

Elliott wrote seven of the eight compositions with the sole cover being Duke Ellington's "Blue Goose." As usual, the titles are linked to locations in Pennsylvania-this time with a secondary color-coded "paint" theme. The album opens in high spirits with the multiple themes of "Yellow House" where Stabinsky's mastery of phrasing, complex harmony, and free playing finds a platform. The pianist rapidly drops torrents of notes through the otherwise bluesy "Orangeville," slowing down to allow Elliott an impressive lead spot. The blues figure prominently in sections of "Black Horse" and more so on the excellent "Plum Run" after it sheds its early waltz specs. "Golden Hill" may go down in MOPDtK history as their musical outlier, if only because it is consistently closer to the jazz tradition. The album closes with "Whitehall," a piece that Elliott originally called "Blue Goose" and changed after learning of the Ellington composition.

Stabinsky is naturally the cornerstone in this setting and he is superb, but Elliott and Shea have ample opportunity to stand out. Shea is unconstrained, providing continuity and seismic shifts in equal measure. His decisively chaotic method is a pleasure to hear in this less cluttered environment. Elliott's basslines are beautifully resonant, his voicings vibrant. There's little rationale for talking about Paint in the context of other MOPDtK albums given the unique spectacle of sound that defines the larger group. Taken on its own merits, the trio works within taut compositional structures while still expressing boisterous independence; the intense free improvisations are well-placed, sharp and focused. Paint is one of the best trio albums of the year and highly recommended."-Karl Ackermann, all About Jazz


Get additional information at All About Jazz

Artist Biographies

"Ron Stabinsky recently released his debut album, Free for One, the culmination of more than a decade of evolving his improvised solo language. In addition to continuing to pursue his ongoing interest in solo piano improvisation, he enjoys working on music in a stylistically diverse array of situations throughout the United States and Europe with many other musicians and ensembles, including free-improvising saxophonist Jack Wright, bass trombone virtuoso David Taylor, Meat Puppets bassist Cris Kirkwood, and NEA Jazz Master David Liebman. Recent festival appearances include Newport Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival (Netherlands), Moers Festival (Germany), Jazzfestival Saalfelden (Austria), Outreach Festival (Austria), and Jazz and More Festival Sibiu (Romania). He is currently a regular member of the band Mostly Other People Do the Killing, the new music ensemble Relâche, the Charles Evans Quartet, and the Peter Evans Quintet."

-Ron Stabinsky 3/27/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"A short biography from the artist:

I was born on September 13, 1978, the first son of David and Carolyn Elliott in Scranton, Pa. Incidentally, they named me Matthew Thomas Elliott, not Moppa. My parents are both college instructors and intense music lovers, so I was able to hear a lot of music growing up. After a brief introduction to the piano, I started to play the trombone in the sixth grade, and after deciding a few years later that I wanted to also play an instrument with strings, I was given an electric bass. When I was about 17, I fixed up my father's old acoustic bass in order to audition for a summer program. I then began to study the bass seriously with Pocono resident Tony Marino. In the fall of 1997, I enrolled in both Oberlin College and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music majoring in biology and Jazz bass performance in Oberlin's double-degree program. While there I was able to record my first CD, Pinpoint and to gain some experience playing in Cleveland OH for about 3 years. I was also fortunate enough to teach at the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts for four summers. I finished school in the winter of 2001, and moved to New York City the following summer. Here in New York, I have been able to play and record with some great musicians and to continue teaching at St. Mary's High School."

-Moppa Elliott Website (http://www.moppaelliott.com/who.html)
3/27/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Kevin Shea is valued as being a vital and original artist in the contemporary music scene. Shea's originality is manifested not only by his personal approach to his instrument, but also throughout his constant search for new musical horizons unifying all the bands he has been involved in despite the parameters set for musicians by genre definition, or by historical icons.

The plurality of rigorous artistic aspirations and creative engagement that distinguish the discography of Kevin Shea are not the product of chance or merely taking advantage of opportunities -- but the result of labor, strong convictions, and a strong conceptual support -- a deliberate search for transitional territories away from the dogmas of boring and unnecessary conventions.

Shea's artistic interests are rooted in reevaluating what a band/music, musician/performer, artist and audience can and should be. Splitting the difference between passion and song, Shea plays multi-dimensional utopian sound in which opposing musical forces integrate to form a new sustainable recipe for sound and social implication. Remaining devoted to his belief that the application of sonic diversity is paramount to the appreciation of human diversity, Shea's ultimate goal has been to wed disparate ideologies through proficiency, controversy, inquiry, and compassion -- an approach perpetuating audiences, listeners, and sometimes fellow band members, to face, question, define, and attempt to defend their own level of tolerance and compassion head-on, no-holds-barred.

Through this carefully planned direct method in the round, Shea's sonic investigations emphatically traverse the mobius strip highway of refurbished canticles, perpetually climaxing between Sadean semelparity and Platonic resurrection. At the heart of Shea's dialectical core, unabashed artifacts of rhythmic iconoclasm conjoin with anthemic melody gestures and modern memory loss to create a vital force that gives us bittersweet contemplation and empathy.

As a youth, Shea moved throughout the States many times, transforming any of his formal expectations into a joyous foundation of constant flux. He learned that intuition and customs had to be constantly re-evaluated and negotiated rather than held as sacred. This process of questioning is central to Shea's music. To him, sound is a result of a broader process rather than formulas tied to notions of predictable emotional response. Shea sees sound and music, not as a prize, but a simple aspect of banal daily life.

Kevin Shea has over 25 years of experience as a professional drummer, composer and performer. He has recorded on over 120 albums in a mish-mash of contexts and has performed in over 40 countries. His training started in public elementary school and continued steadily through his college years at Berklee College of Music."

-Kevin Shea website (http://www.kevinshea.info/)
3/27/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.


Track Listing:



1. Yellow House 6:11

2. Orangeville 5:37

3. Black Horse 6:28

4. Blue Goose 5:02

5. Plum Run 5:49

6. Green Briar 3:36

7. Golden Hill 7:04

8. Whitehall 6:54

Related Categories of Interest:


Improvised Music
Jazz
Free Improvisation
Melodic and Lyrical Jazz
NY Downtown & Metropolitan Jazz/Improv
Trio Recordings
Staff Picks & Recommended Items
Piano Trio (Piano Bass Drums)

Search for other titles on the label:
Hot Cup.


Recommended & Related Releases:
Nevai, Nandor
The Walls Of Song
(Psykomanteum)
A through-composed album of "Popular Brass & Military Songcraft" from composer, drummer and vocalist Nandor Nevai, in 9 original songs of cinematic vocals to the duo of bass trombones and a tonal percussion configuration including pedal timpani; and the world premiere of a previously unrecorded Krzysztof Penderecki instrumental conducted by Ron Stabinsky.
Nevai, Nandor (w/ Peter Evans / Tim Dahl / Matt Nelson / Ron Stabinsky)
Classified Maths
(Psykomanteum)
An unusual quintet of prominent New York improvisers--Peter Evans on trumpet, Tim Dahl on bass violin, Matt Nelson on tenor saxophone, and Ron Stabinsky on bass--performing Nandor Nevai's compositions: two Quintets and the two part "Sap Gloves"--Nevai performing on tenor sax, voice and conducting, blurring modern improv, chamber jazz and bizarre spoken word moments; outstanding and unsettling.
Nevai, Nandor / Peter Evans / Steve B / Ron Stabinsky
Trigesisextet for Brass + Gospel Power Walls
(Psykomanteum)
Two large-scale compositions from "Through-Composer of Brutal Classical" Nandor Nevai, scored for 35 brass players and a vocalist, accomplished through 10 layers of Peter Evans (trumpet, piccolo trumpet), 9 of Steve B (tenor trombone), 7 of Ron Stabinsky (bass trombone) and 10 of Nevai himself on tenor trombone & voice; plus "Gospel Power Walls" for a chorus of 5 (bad) people.
Nevai, Nandor / Peter Evans / Steve B / Ron Stabinsky
Trigesisextet for Brass + Gospel Power Walls
(Psykomanteum)
Two large-scale compositions from "Through-Composer of Brutal Classical" Nandor Nevai, scored for 35 brass players and a vocalist, accomplished through 10 layers of Peter Evans (trumpet, piccolo trumpet), 9 of Steve B (tenor trombone), 7 of Ron Stabinsky (bass trombone) and 10 of Nevai himself on tenor trombone & voice; plus "Gospel Power Walls" for a chorus of 5 (bad) people.
Nevai, Nandor (w/ Peter Evans / Tim Dahl / Matt Nelson / Ron Stabinsky)
Classified Maths
(Psykomanteum)
An unusual quintet of prominent New York improvisers--Peter Evans on trumpet, Tim Dahl on bass violin, Matt Nelson on tenor saxophone, and Ron Stabinsky on bass--performing Nandor Nevai's compositions: two Quintets and the two part "Sap Gloves"--Nevai performing on tenor sax, voice and conducting, blurring modern improv, chamber jazz and bizarre spoken word moments; outstanding and unsettling.
Millevoi's, Nick Desertion Trio (w/ Jamie Saft)
Midtown Tilt
(Shhpuma)
Leaning more towards rock than jazz, but blending compelling blues-based improv, NY guitarist Nick Millevoi leads his Desertion project through a look at Wildwood, NY, the core of the trio as bassist Johnny DeBlase (Many Arms, Sabbath Assembly) and drummer Kevin Shea (Mostly Other People Do The Killing, Talibam!), with Jamie Saft on organ throughout.
Lundbom, Jon & Big Five Chord
Jeremiah
(Hot Cup Records)
Guitarist Lundbom expands his Big Five Chord of Jon Irabagon (sax), Bryan Murray (sax), Moppa Elliott (bass) and Dan Monaghan (drums) to include Sam Kulik on trombone and Justin Wood (sax & flute) for a dynamic album of power jazz named after the prophet Jeremiah.
Evans, Peter Quintet
Destination: Void
(More Is More)
The second release from NY trumpeter Peter Evans Quintet with Ron Stabinsky on piano, Tom Blancarte on bass, Sam Pluta on live electronics, and Jim Black on drums, an epic and amazingly sophisticated album based on Frank Herbert's novel of the same name.
Talibam! & Sam Kulik
Discover AtlantASS [CD & Graphic Book]
(Belly Kids)
NY's Talibam! team up with artist graphic artist Sam Kulik to tell the absurd and fantastic story of a young teen named Franklin who gets abducted by a revolutionary jazz fish into the undersea world of Atlantis.
Other Recommended Releases:
Elliott, Moppa
Jazz Band / Rock Band / Dance Band [2 CDs]
(Hot Cup Records)
An unusual conglomerate of styles across 2 CDs from bassist Moppa Elliott, featuring three bands: Advancing on a Wild Pitch, his jazz band with Danny Fox, Christian Coleman, Sam Kulik & Charles Evans; Unspeakable Garbage, his rock band with Jon Irabagon and Nick Millevoi; and the 9-piece "dance" band Acceleration Due To Gravity with Nate Wooley, Ava Mendoza, Mike Pride, &c.
Mostly Other People Do The Killing
Disasters Vol. 1 [VINYL]
(Hot Cup)
Each of the compositions from bassist Moppa Elliot for this trio version of MOPDTK with Ron Stabinsky on piano & synthesizer and Kevin Shea on drums & synthesizer, is named after a Pennsylvania town that has experienced a disaster, including floods, fires, nuclear meltdowns, &c, re-imagining each event through complex and surprisingly lyrical compositions.
Evans, Peter Ensemble (w/ Swift / Stabinsky / Lorenzo)
Horizons [VINYL]
(More Is More)
After a few years of working, touring and one-off performances in New York City with Mazz Swift (violin & voice), Ron Stabinsky (synthesizers) and Levy Lorenzo (percussion & electronics), trumpeter Peter Evans recorded this incredible album, a new direction in his work with small ensembles, incorporating electronics into his exceptional compositions for creative improvisation.
Lafkas, Andrew
Two Paths with Active Shadows Under Three Moons and Surveillance
(Sacred Realism)
Composer Andrew Lafkas' large ensemble piece with performers including C. Spencer Yah, Ron Stabinsky, Barry Weisblat, Sean Meehan, Ben Owen, &c. is a meditative work intended for live performance, this album the 2nd of 3 performances, a brooding and resonant rendering of rich and subtle detail that evolves over 70 minutes, carrying its listeners in a profound revery.
Mincek, Alex
Torrent
(Sound American/Pleasure of the Text Records)
NY Composer and Zs founder Alex Mincek's first release since 2011 also launches Sound American's Young Composer Portrait series, presenting 4 chamber works--"Pendulum VII"; selected movements from "Harmonielehre"; "Pneuma"; and "Torrent"--performed by Wet Ink Ensemble, Mivos Quartet, and Yarn/Wire, in a deluxe hardcover book package with interviews and notes.
Mostly Other People Do the Killing
Slippery Rock
(Hot Cup Records)
Claiming to have been inspired by smooth jazz, the 6th MOPDTK album is a remarkable achievement of forward-thinking free jazz with a bizarre sense of humor and an irresistible love of poking fun at form while simultaneously paying homage.
Evans, Peter Quartet
Live in Lisbon
(Clean Feed)
Trumpeter Evan's Quartet with Ricardo Gallo, Tom Blancarte and Kevin Shea at the 2009 Jazz em Agosto Festival brilliantly restructuring jazz standards into collective compositions.



Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought:
Doneda, Michel / Frederic Blondy / Tetsu Saitoh
Spring Road 16
(Relative Pitch)
After 30 years of collaboration between French saxophonist Michel Doneda and Japanese double bassist Tetsu Saitoh, this 2016 recording was to be their last due to the premature passing of Saitoh, the two heard here in a trio with pianist Frederic Blondy recorded for Radio France in a remarkable and consuming performances of fully free and often darkly savage improvisation.
Chansons du Crepuscule (Helene Breschand / Elliott Sharp)
Aube
(zOaR Records)
A collection of original songs and interpretations inspired by Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg, from vocalist Hélène Breschand, also performing on harp, electronics & field recordings, in a duo with Elliott Sharp, who creates grooves and instrumental environments on guitar, synth, bass, drum programming & electronics, each song beautifully fractured and rich in detail.
Alexander, Sarah Ruth / Damon Smith
God Made My Soul an Ornament
(Balance Point Acoustics)
An unusual duo of double bass, voice, hammered dulcimer, recorder, slide whistle, and various objects, recorded in 2019 between bassist Damon Smith and Sarah Ruth Alexander, freely improvising through nine pieces that show the breadth of creative imagination and powerful technical skills of each; curiously compelling, unpredictable and marvelously diverse.
Parker, William
Migration of Silence Into and Out of The Tone World (Volumes 1-10) [10 CD BOX SET]
(Centering Records)
A 10-album collection in a solid box set of vocal and instrumental suites recorded expressly for this set between late 2018 and early 2020, with women's voices at its core (both on voice & other instruments), taking a vast view of music from around the globe through free improvisation and re-imagined sonic collage, performed by groupings of extraordinary performers.
MoE w/ Mette Rasmussen / Ikuro Takahashi
Painted
(Relative Pitch)
During their 2019 Japan Tour, the collaboration of the Norwegian experimental rock band MoE and alto sax virtuoso Mette Rasmussen extended their trio with legendary drummer Ikuru Takahashi to record this energetic, rough and tumble album exploring the boundaries between free improvisation, skronky rock, and other confrontational, conceptual crossover forms.
Futari (Satoko Fujii / Taiko Saito)
Beyond
(Libra)
Futari (meaning "two people") is the stunningly beautiful debut album of pianist Satoko Fujii and vibraphonist Taiko Saito, recorded in 2019 after a concert tour in Japan, the confluence of these similar instruments and the performer's technical mastery blending in introspective and active modes, adding rich sonic dimensions through preparations and extraordinary technique.
Gato Libre (Tamura / Fjuii / Kaneko)
Koneko
(Libra)
The 8th album from Gato Libre with compositions from trumpeter Natsuki Tamura in a trio with Yasuko Kaneko on trombone and pianist Satoko Fujii here on accordion, Koneko translating to "Kitten", as Tamura explores 8 new cats from strays to shop cats through deceptively simple pieces of melodic appeal of warm color, tone & texture; absolutely charming.
Seabrook, Brandon (w/ Cooper-Moore / Gerald Cleaver)
Exultations
(Astral Spirits)
The title aptly describes the intense excitement and exhilaration of NY guitarist Brandon Seabrook's second trio album on Astral Spirits, performed with rhythm giants Cooper-Moore on Diddley Bow (a single-string bass) and free jazz drum legend Gerald Cleaver, the two creating a percolating interactive foundation for Seabrooks powerfully expressive and investigative playing.
Bruckmann, Kyle
Triptych (Tautological)
(Carrier Records)
Performing on oboe, English horn and live electronics, West Coast double-reedist Kyle Bruckmann presents three extended solo works of deep electroacoustic binding, each dedicated to a writer, artist or musician: "A Spurious Autobiography for John Barth (2015)"; "An Extruded Introversion for Blixa Bargeld (2016)"; and "A Fuzzy Monolith for James Turrell (2015)".
Evangelista, Karl (w/ Alexander Hawkins / Louis Moholo-Moholo / Trevor Watts)
Apura! [2 CDs]
(Astral Spirits)
Filipino guitarist Karl Evangelista translates the name of the seminal South African sextet Chris McGregor Group's album "Very Urgent" to the tagalog equivalent--"Apura!"-- recording in London with McGregor group drummer Louis Moholo-Moholo and kindred soul Trevor Watts on saxophones, plus luminary pianist Alexander Hawkins, for a sophisticated album of exemplary collective improv.



The Squid's Ear Magazine

The Squid's Ear Magazine

© 2002-, Squidco LLC