The Squid's Ear Magazine


Ali, Sean : My Tongue Crumbles After (Neither/Nor Records)

New York bassist Sean Ali demonstrates his astonishing bass technique and creative momentum in a solo album, accompanied at times by collages assembled from field and voice recordings, creating unusual sonic backdrops against which his powerful playing, preparations, bowing and other extended techniques reveal an optimistic and unusual creative intent.
 

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Personnel:



Sean Ali-double bass, cassette player


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UPC: 700261449180

Label: Neither/Nor Records
Catalog ID: n/n 007
Squidco Product Code: 26139

Format: CD
Condition: New
Country: USA
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold
Recorded in Brooklyn, New York, on August 8th, 2016, by Andrew Barker.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"Sean Ali's stunning solo bass debut album My Tongue Crumbles After features eight improvisations for acoustic double bass. On a few selections Sean also makes use of tape collages which he assembled from field recordings and voice recordings. One of the most original and influential voices of his generation in the New York City improvised music scene, Sean Ali has developed a unique vocabulary employing preparations and extended techniques with which he creates riveting and visceral improvisations."-Niether/Nor Records



"Improvisational bassist Sean Ali began his musical life as a guitarist, studying sitar and oud along the way. The Ohio native has been in New York City for more than a decade now and performs as a solo bassist, an ensemble player, and a spoken-word artist. He is the founder of The Mudbath Orchestra, a large ensemble that has been performing in and around NYC since 2011. My Tongue Crumbles After is Ali's solo bass debut album and features eight improvisations augmented on several tracks with sound effects played on cassette tape.

On the opening track, "Salutations" the natural voice of the bass is obscured in a mix of nature sounds andÑbrieflyÑa disembodied spoken passage. The acoustic bass stands alone on "Fingerdeep," a brief exercise in abstract plucking that precedes "Missing Persons Report," where the bowed bass buzzes like a swarm of bees. "Beneath the Cobbles" features a long-sustained tone through industrial noise and "Heartstack" returns to natural field recordings interacting with low, resonant notes from the bass.

Among Ali's eight original pieces, there are none that would fit into conventional categories. Within the empirical program, he offers a wide range of sonic experiments. Whether the squeaky wheel sound of "Lime Works," the minimal percussion of "Queens Gothic" or the bowed drone of the closing piece, "Hunger," Ali-Ña student of global linguistics-Ñhas found a unique platform for his narratives on the eclectic label, Neither/Nor Records."-Karl Ackermann, All About Jazz


Get additional information at All About Jazz

Artist Biographies

"Bassist, composer, and improviser Sean Ali from Dayton, Ohio has been living in New York City since 2003, where he participates in the city's vibrant experimental music scene both as a performer and curator. His current projects include: Fester, Hag, LathanFlinAli, Mattrey.Bordreuil.Ali, Natura Morta, PascAli, Phantom Circuit, While We Still Have Bodies, and solo performances. He is co-founder and member of the new music label Prom Night Records. He is co-founder and former curator at 65Fen Music Series. Sean Ali performs regularly in New York City and has toured extensively throughout the United States and Europe."

-Sean Ali Website (http://seanali.com/bio)
3/13/2024

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


Track Listing:



1. Salutations 4:03

2. Fingerdeep 2:32

3. Missing Persons Report 4:01

4. Beneath The Cobbles 3:17

5. Heartstack 5:22

6. Lime Works 3:00

7. Queens Gothic 4:40

8. Hunger 7:11

Related Categories of Interest:


Improvised Music
Free Improvisation
Electro-Acoustic
Field Recordings
Stringed Instruments
Solo Artist Recordings
NY Downtown & Metropolitan Jazz/Improv

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Neither/Nor Records.


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