The Squid's Ear Magazine


Good, Zachary / Ben Roidl-Ward : arb (Carrier Records)

Focusing on the harmonic interaction, delicate nuances and harmonic functionality of closely related tones, Chicago instrumentalists Zachary Good on clarinet and Ben Roidl-Ward on bassoon recorded these six works of acoustical and phenomenological events using the interplay between coinciding clarinet and bassoon notes, creating illusory and haunting tonal works.
 

Price: $12.95



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:



Zachary Good-clarinet

Ben Roidl-Ward-bassoon


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




UPC: 759952113855

Label: Carrier Records
Catalog ID: 058
Squidco Product Code: 30126

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2021
Country: USA
Packaging: Cardboard sleeve, sealed
Recorded at The Pridmore in Chicago, Illinois, on June 7th, 2020, by the artists.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"Arb is an album of original works for clarinet and bassoon performed and collaboratively composed by Zachary Good and Ben Roidl-Ward. Each track features interplay between coinciding clarinet and bassoon multiphonics. While these sounds are often regarded as unstable and harsh, Zach and Ben focus on their delicate nuances and harmonic functionality. Emerging from these multiphonics, independently and especially in combination, are acoustical and phenomenological experiences that create the illusion that more than two people are playing."-Carrier



"Zachary Good and Ben Roidl-Ward are two young instrumentalists based in Chicago. Both are interested both in expanding the repertoire of their instruments (Good plays clarinets and Baroque recorders, Roidl-Ward plays the bassoon) and extending the possibilities of the instruments. During lockdown last year, they recorded an album in their Chicago apartment.

arb, on Carrier Records, is a disc of original works for clarinet and bassoon, collaboratively composed by Zachary Good and Ben Roidl-Ward.

There are six tracks on the disc, 'Fairchild', '2pm front room', 'Guby', 'Rege', 'Prid', and 'Arb' which seem to tantalisingly hint at subjects behind the music, but the pieces themselves are resolutely abstract. Each piece features extensive use of multiphonics, with the players relishing the interplay between the two instruments.

Pitch and rhythm are almost unimportant here, the two performers place individual notes in the air and the music is often slow moving. It is the multiphonics that are the interest, the fascinating tonal and textural changes that these bring about in the sound. The result is highly textural; in convential classical music such multiphonics would be seen as disturbances but here the two performers concentrate so hard on the acoustical effects that they become the point of music. At times, it seems as if there are more than two performers, but the album isn't about acoustical tricks, but exploring the edges of what is possible on a reeded wind instrument.

The album's name, arb, requires some explanation. 'arb' is the nickname of the Oberlin Arboretum which is part of Oberlin College and Conservatory where both Good and Roidl-Ward studied (what their press release refers to as 'a magical time'). Whilst at college the two formed a duo, Arboretum, dedicated to creating new music for clarinet and bassoon. And the names of the individual pieces contain similar such references, 'Prid' refers the name of the apartment block they were living in during Lockdown, The Pridmore, whilst 'Guby' refers to Good's 1992 Buick Regal!

There is something delightfully nerdy in this disc's focus on a single issue, multiphonics, the single minded exploration of what could be seen as rather a limited aspect of wind instrument performance. But in this sheer focus, the two reveal some amazing detail. And the disc is also about the wider issue of friendship, the two have known each other and performed together for ten years, so the disc is a celebration both of friendship and of shared interest.

The music requires quite a degree of adjustment in the listener, at first the sounds can seem insistent and jarring, but the performers sheer concentration makes you listen in detail. The different combinations of sounds prove to contain rich details which can prove surprising. This is a brave and challenging disc, not everyone will want to listen to nearly 30 minutes of multiphonics, but do give it a go."-Robert Hugill


Get additional information at Planet Hugill

Artist Biographies

"Zachary Good is a Chicago-based instrumentalist (clarinets and Baroque recorders), improviser, and performer. He approaches music making with a variety of perspectives, ranging from historically-informed to experimental practices, while working across a spectrum of genres and techniques.

Zachary is clarinetist of the GRAMMY-award winning sextet Eighth Blackbird, a founding Co-Artistic Director of the performance collective Mocrep, and one-third of the clarinet/percussion/cello trio ZRL. He has frequently performed with International Contemporary Ensemble, Music of the Baroque Chicago, Manual Cinema, and Ensemble Dal Niente. He has been a featured soloist with International Contemporary Ensemble, DePaul University's Ensemble 20+, and the Chicago Symphony OrchestraÕs All Access Chamber Series. His discography includes releases on Carrier Records, No Index, Homeroom, Parlour Tapes+, ears&eyes, and more.

Zachary loves teaching and mentoring musicians and composers. He is currently a middle school band director at the Chicago Waldorf School. Alongside the musicians of Eighth Blackbird, he was Visiting Instructor at the University of Richmond during the 2019Ð20 academic year. In 2018, Zachary worked closely with cellist YoYo Ma to mentor young musicians at the second annual Youth Music Culture Guangdong Festival in Guangzhou, China. As a Fellow and clarinetist in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago from 2014Ð2016, he helped conceive and establish the Orchestra's New Music Workshop. He has presented masterclasses on the clarinet, bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet, chamber music, and contemporary performance techniques at institutions across the US, including Portland State University, Gettysburg College, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Northwestern University, University of Oklahoma, and University of Richmond.

Born in Pittsburgh, Zachary is currently a doctoral student at Northwestern UniversityÕs Bienen School of Music. He holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory of Music and DePaul UniversityÕs School of Music. Zachary has participated in fellowships with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and the Aspen Contemporary Music program. His body of research explores the phenomena and functionality of dyad multiphonics on the soprano clarinet.

Projects:

Mocrep

ZRL

Eighth Blackbird

Frequent collaborators:

Manual Cinema

International Contemporary Ensemble

Ensemble Dal Niente

Civic Orchestra of Chicago"

-Zachary Good Website (https://zacharygood.com/)
3/13/2024

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

"Ben Roidl-Ward is a bassoonist and improviser based in Chicago. His dedication to working with and advocating for composers of his generation has led him to commission and premiere numerous solo and chamber works featuring the bassoon with the goal of broadening the repertoire and expanding the possibilities of the instrument. Ben has appeared as a soloist with the Seattle Symphony and the Northwestern and Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensembles, along with several regional orchestras throughout the United States. He has performed with the International Contemporary Ensemble, Ensemble Dal Niente, the Spektral Quartet, the Chicago Symphony, and the New York Philharmonic. His festival appearances include the Mostly Mozart, Ravinia, Lucerne, Tanglewood, Spoleto, and Banff Festivals. A 2018 Luminarts Fellow in Classical Music, Ben was recently named one of five finalists for the International Double Reed Society's 2020 Gillet-Fox Competition. He is currently the second bassoonist of the Illinois Symphony and was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago for three years. Ben serves on the faculties of Carthage College, the Music Institute of Chicago, the People's Music School, the Merit School of Music, and the North Carolina Governor's School. He is a doctoral candidate at Northwestern University, where he studied with David McGill. Previous teachers include Ben Kamins at Rice University, George Sakakeeny at the Oberlin Conservatory, and Francine Peterson in the Seattle Area."

-Ben Roidl-Ward Website (https://benroidlward.wordpress.com/)
3/13/2024

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


Track Listing:



1. Fairchild 7:24

2. 2pm Front Room 2:57

3. Guby 4:47

4. Rege 2:46

5. Prid 3:25

6. Arb 7:47

Related Categories of Interest:


Compositional Forms
Recordings by or featuring Reed & Wind Players
Duo Recordings
Chicago Jazz & Improvisation
New in Compositional Music

Search for other titles on the label:
Carrier Records.


Recommended & Related Releases:
Good, Zachary / Ben Roidl-Ward
arb
(Carrier Records)
Focusing on the harmonic interaction, delicate nuances and harmonic functionality of closely related tones, Chicago instrumentalists Zachary Good on clarinet and Ben Roidl-Ward on bassoon recorded these six works of acoustical and phenomenological events using the interplay between coinciding clarinet and bassoon notes, creating illusory and haunting tonal works.
Other Recommended Releases:
Cundy, Chris
Mountains
(Aural Terrains)
Bass clarinetist Chris Cundy, uses the studio as a performance tool for accompaniment along with pre-recorded tapes, as he contrasts two different composers--Cornelius Cardew & Ton de Leeuw and their compositions titled "Mountains", alongside a Cardew graphic score piece, and 2 work for 5 bass clarinets, from Thanos Chrysakis and John Cage, the latter from his Numbers series.
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)".
Hodgkinson, Tim / Jason Alder / Chris Cundy / Yoni Silver / Heather Roche / Shadanga Duo / Thanos Chrysakis
Music For Bass Clarinets
(Aural Terrains)
A live performance at London's Cafe OTO from composer Thanos Chrysakis, performing compositions focused on the deeper reeds from composers Christian Wolff, Iancu Dumitrescu, Hannes Kerschbaumer, Georges Aperghis, and Chrysakis himself, in configurations from solo to quintet, with Tim Hodgkinson, Jason Alder, Chris Cundy, Heather Roce, Yoni Silver, and Shadanga Duo.
Reeder, Kory
Love Songs / Duets
(Edition Wandelweiser Records)
Four duets of gracefully moving music that focuses on tone without repeating melodies or rhythms, from composer Kory Reeder in his first release, performed by Erin Cameron & Luke Ellard both on bass clarinet; Jonathan Kierspe (saxophone) & Samuel Anderson (bass trombone); Alaina Clarice & Linda Jenkins, both on flute; and Mia Detwiler (violin) & Kory Reeder (piano).
exclusiveOr (Peter Evans / Wooley / Muncy / Olencki / Karre / Cimini / Young / Snyder / Pluta)
Modules
(Carrier Records)
The NY electronics duo exclusiveOr (Sam Pluta and Jeff Synder) join forces with the International Contemporary Ensemble and Architeuthis Walks on Land (Katherine Young and Amy Cimini) for this tour-de-force ensemble work, combining composed forms, electro-acoustic improvisation, noise, and lush harmonies, in a fascinatingly detailed album of creative musicianship.
Durand, Werner
Schwingende Luftsaulen 2
(ANTS Records)
A beautifully hypnotic album of saxophone, accompanied by Pan-Ney, Shruti Box and Organ, recorded in overdubs by composer/wind player Werner Durand in this 2nd chapter of his trilogy focused on the Pan-Ney, a self-built instrument for repetitive foundations, as Durand draws on elements of nature, mythology, dance, religion, literature and folklore.
Merce, Sergio
Three Dimensions Of The Spirit
(Edition Wandelweiser Records)
Conservatory trained Argentinian saxophonist Sergio Merce uses a prepared tenor sax and a microtonal sax to create rich harmonics and slowly moving tonal works, layering aberrant and alluring tones in restrained configurations that allow each stratum of sound to be distinguished and appreciated, creating mesmerizing compositions of elusive and illusionistic sound.
Quasar (quatuor de saxophones)
Du souffle
(Collection QB)
Montreal saxophone quartet Quasar (Jean-Marc Bouchard, Marie-Chantal Leclair, Mathieu Leclair, & Andre Leroux) in their 3rd incredible album of contemporary saxophone compositions, presenting 14 rich and varied compositions, including commissioned and premier works.
Bardeau / Couratier / Lecinte / Lemaire
Quaturo Machaut
(Ayler)
Taking their name from composer Guillaume de Machaut, Quentin Biardeau directs his saxophone quartet as they reinterpret his 1365 polyphonic mass "Messe de Nostre Dame", using the resonance of the the Abbey of Noirlac, France to enhance these beautifully paced compositions.



Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought:
Day, Bryan / Dereck Higgins
Woven Territories
(Public Eyesore)
San Francisco East Bay sonic artist and Public Eyesore/Eh? label-leader Bryan Day meets Omaha bass player and sound artist Dereck Higgins for four enveloping works of sound, sonically rich and epic journeys through terrains of identifiable musical elements and acousmatic curiosity, all with an ear to story-telling as the duo weave passages of fantastic elements.
Shiraishi, Tamio
Moon
(Relative Pitch)
Known for his resonant solo alto saxophone work, often recording with the New York City subways, this album presents ten unusual duos between Tamio Shiraishi and improvisers on piano, voice, cello, electronics, bass, guitar and sax, with Tim Dahl, Steve Baczkowski, Mico, Mike Sidnam, Austin Sley Julian, Nina Dante, Tara Fenamore, Leila Bordreuil, Chris Libutti, and Ami Yamasaki.
Derviche (Borchard / Favriou)
Murs Absurdes
(Ayler Records)
The 2nd Derviche album on Ayler Records from the French electric bass and drum improvising duo of Eric Brochard and Fabrice Favriou, in five sequences of assertive and masterful instrumental improvising rock, ecstatically heavy material of thick detail and ominous overtone, intended to be played as a continuous suite and clearly intended for maximum amplitude!
Kaluza, Anna / Jan Roder
Am Frankfurter Tor
(Relative Pitch)
Collaborating since 2004, Berlin alto saxophonist Anna Kaluza and double bassist Jan Roda--a member of Kaluza's Quartet with trombonist Christof Thewes and drummer Kay Lübke--in a studio album of duo improvisations, documenting their live performances in the same configuration since 2020 through ten succinct dialogs of informed affinity.
Renzoku (Kondo / Kaiser / Goodman / Oswald)
Jump
(Metalanguage)
Revealing 40 years of collaborations between late trumpeter Toshinori Kondo and West Coast guitarist Henry Kaiser, in configurations of duos between Kondo & Kaiser--most notably a beautiful and extended 2016 improvisation--then earlier duos from 1978, a 1980 trio with pianist Greg Goodman, a 1979 trio with saxophonist John Oswald, ending with a wonderfully idiosyncratic 2020 duo.
Richards, Steph / Joshua White
Zephyr
(Relative Pitch)
Exploring the sonic and visual territory of water, centering on concepts of metamorphoses and breathing underwater, pianist Joshua White and trumpeter & flugelhorn player Steph Richards also employ resonating water vessels and percussion as they present three fluid and introspectively fathomed works in multiple movements: "Sacred Sea"; "Sequoia"; and "Northern Lights".
Fielder, Alvin / David Dove / Jason Jackson / Damon Smith
The Very Cup of Trembling
(Astral Spirits)
Five inventive, lively and informed collective improvisations plus one brief interlude from the quartet of Alvin Fielder on drums, David Dove on trombone, Jason Jackson on tenor & baritone saxophones and Damon Smith on double bass, recording in Texas three years after their excellent From-To-From, with titles provided courtesy of poet and scholar Fred Moten.
Garcia, Violeta / Chris Pitsiokos
Uanmortaim
(Relative Pitch)
From fractured and fragmented to assertively raw improvisation in the unusual pairing of saxophone and cello from Chris Pitsiokos on alto and Argentinian cellist Violeta Garcia, using intense approaches to their instruments in a reactive set of 11 concise dialogs, a well-matched meeting of innovative improvisers uniquely responding to and clearly enjoying an eccentric conversation.
Avenaim, Robbie / Chris Abrahams / Jim Denley
Weft
(Relative Pitch)
The Australian trio of percussionist Robbie Avenaim, keyboard player Chris Abrahams performing on a Waldorf Q+ Synthesiser and bass flutist Jim Denley, all compatriots in a variety of groupings, in an extended studio improvisation of spacious textures and rapidly understated percussive elements, aptly titled for the weaving and cris-crossing threads on a loom.
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.
Gjerstad, Frode / Isach Skeidsvoll
Twenty Fingers
(Relative Pitch)
A sparkling and energetic encounter between Norwegian saxophone legend Frode Gjerstad and fellow Norwegian and relative newcomer, pianist Isach Skeidsvoll of groups Bear Brother and Garrubo Band, the two spurring each other to intense levels of interaction, stepping back at times for introspective moments only to plunge forward in a wonderfully enthusiastic dialog.
Shyu, Jen & Jade Tongue
Zero Grasses: Ritual for the Losses
(Pi Recordings)
An articulate and important collection of songs devoted to the marginalized voices of women around the world from NY vocalist Jen Shyu, performed in a masterful quintet with Ambrose Akinmusire on trumpet, Mat Maneri on viola, Thomas Morgan on bass, Dan Weiss on drums, Shyu singing and performing on percussion, piano, Taiwanese moon lute, and Japanese biwa.
Quatuor Bozzini
Alvin Lucier: Navigations
(Collection QB)
Performing four of avant composer Alvin Lucier's works composed between 1991 and 2004, the Montreal-based Quatuor Bozzini (Clemens Merkel on violin, Alissa Cheung on violin, Stephanie Bozzini on viola, and Isabelle Bozzini on cello) focus on Lucier's works of sonic exploration, including the intensely harmonic interactions of the album's title work.
Modirzadeh, Hafez (Davis / Sorey / Taborn)
Facets
(Pi Recordings)
Using an unusual re-tuning of the piano, saxophonist Hafez Modirzadeh enlists three inventive pianists--Kris Davis, Tyshawn Sorey, and Craig Taborn--for a set of melodically-oriented duos, Modirzadeh using alternate fingerings and embouchure adjustments to achieve intervals between major and minor, together freeing the improvisers to explore new tonal possibilities.
Leap of Faith
Principles of an Open Future
(Relative Pitch)
An embraceable & explorative example of the core duo of the Boston-area free improvising ensemble Leap of Faith (the foundation of the Leap of Faith Orchestra) of David Peck on reeds and Glynis Lomon on cello, aquasonic & voice, both employing the enormous Evil Clown arsenal of percussive and sonic devices, in two large works recorded at their headquarter studio.
Wick, Jacob / Brad Henkel
Lovely Bag You Have
(Relative Pitch)
Two like-minded experimenters and improvisers meet in Berlin to extract a fascinating mixture of both unusual and traditional tones & textures on their trumpets, energetically disassembling their instruments in aberrant ways to create clicks, clacks, airy hisses and other inexplicable sounds, revealing a dialog of solid ideas that captivate and surprise their listeners.



The Squid's Ear Magazine

The Squid's Ear Magazine

© 2002-, Squidco LLC