The Squid's Ear
Writing about improvised, contemporary, experimental and unusual music,
following the activities of Squidco...
  •  •  •     Join Our Mailing List!



The Squid's Ear




Heard In

Reviews of artist releases:
cd's, books, magazines, &c.


  Fred Frith And Arte Quartet 
  Still Urban
  (Intakt) 


  
   review by Jeph Jerman
  2009-05-02
Fred Frith And Arte Quartet: Still Urban (Intakt)

This little gem might be overshadowed by other recent Frith-related offerings (the Henry Cow box set for example) and it's a shame. What we have here are pieces composed by Frith for a saxophone quartet, aided and abetted by his very recognizable guitar improvising and some field recordings of cityscapes. Placing these compositions among traffic sounds and the odd bit of conversation gives the feeling that the recording could've happened out on the street, and further, that it wouldn't be at all bizarre or uncommon. They somehow fit right in.

The main thrust of sound is the sax quartet, and Frith's guitar is sometimes so unobtrusive that it just sounds like another horn. He does occasionally jut out by himself, but not for long, and often to signal a change in the form. When his feedback and scraping erupt during "part 2", it's to throw a foil into the until-then serene orchestrations. Soon after we get diced up guitar/sax improvisations placed alongside big saxophone chords. The whole seesaws back and forth like this quite a bit, with a goodly amount of Fred's sense of humor intercut with solemn pathos, never residing for too long in any one emotional place.







Comments and Feedback:



More Recent Reviews, Articles, and Interviews @ The Squid's Ear...


The Squid's Ear presents
reviews about releases
sold at Squidco.com
written by
independent writers.

Squidco

Recent Selections @ Squidco:


Oliver Lake/
Fred Hopkins/
Phillip Wilson/
Baikida Carroll/
Michael Gregory Jackson:
Rivbea Live! Series,
Volume 4
(NoBusiness)



Ziv Taubenfeld/
Helena Espvall/
Joao Sousa:
You,
Full Of Sources
And Night
(NoBusiness)



John Zorn (
Adams/
Raskin/
Ackley/
Ochs/
Glenn/
Lopez/
Siler/
Winant):
John Zorn's Olympiad
-
VOL. 4
-
Curling
(Tzadik)



Last Dream
Of the Morning (
John Butcher/
John Edwards/
Marc Sanders):
Sharp Illusion
(Listen! Foundation (
Fundacja Sluchaj!))



Agusti Fernandez/
Artur Majewski/
Albert Cirera/
Ramon Prats:
Som-hi!
(Listen! Foundation (
Fundacja Sluchaj!))



Remedy + Aki Takase (
w/ Thomas Heberer/
Joe Fonda/
Joe Hertenstein):
Remedy
+
Aki Takase
(Listen! Foundation (
Fundacja Sluchaj!))



John Zorn (
Davis/
Halvorson/
Gress/
Wollsen):
The Bagatelles
Vol. 5
-
Kris Davis Quartet
(Tzadik)



Flojter (
Mats Gustafsson/
Delphine Joussein):
Paris Blow
(Utech Records)



Tyshawn Sorey:
Monochromatic Light (
Afterlife)
(DaCamera Editions)



Arkady Gotesman (
w/ Nate Wooley/
Charles Gayle/
Mark Sanders/
Liudas Mockunas/
Martin Kuchen/
Ned Rothenberg):
Music For An Imaginary Ballet
(NoBusiness)



Tomeka Reid Quartet (
w/ Roebke/
Halvorson/
Fujiwara):
Dance! Skip! Hop!
(Out Of Your Head Records)



Tomeka Reid Quartet (
w/ Roebke/
Halvorson/
Fujiwara):
Dance! Skip! Hop!
[VINYL]
(Out Of Your Head Records)



Steve Beresford/
Pierpaolo Martino/
Mark Sanders:
Be S-Mart
(Confront)



Luke Stewart/
Aymeric Avice/
Chad Taylor:
Deep In The Earth(RogueArt)



Jane in Ether (
Klein Mayas/
Voutchkova):
Oneiric
(Confront)



Joe McPhee/
Steve Swell/
Mark Tokar/
Klaus Kuge:
Spontaneous Convergence
(Not Two)



Unsub (
Fetusk/
Davis):
Xodiak
(Love Earth Music)



Remergency (
Hirsh/
Hollenberg/
Sewelson):
Wave Benders
(Squid Note Records)



Marty Ehrlich/
Julius Hemphill:
Circle the Heart
[CD + DOWNLOAD]
(Relative Pitch)



John Butcher:
Away, I Was
[CD + DOWNLOAD]
(Relative Pitch)







Squidco
Click here to
advertise with
The Squid's Ear






The Squid's Ear pays its writers.
Interested in becoming a reviewer?




The Squid's Ear is the companion magazine to the online music shop Squidco !


  Copyright © Squidco. All rights reserved. Trademarks. (35761)