Nate Dorward Posted October 25, 2008 Report Posted October 25, 2008 Not sure if this is the right forum for this post--if not the moderators can move it--as it's not a disinterested review but a plug for a project I was involved in somewhat. (I wrote the liners.) Anyway: the guitarist Jim McAuley's new two CD set The Ultimate Frog is now out in the world from Drip Audio. It's a set of duets recorded 2002-2007 with four different musicians: Leroy Jenkins (violin, viola), Nels Cline (guitar, dobro), Alex Cline (drums, percussion), Ken Filiano (bass). Some free improvisation, some structured improvisation, and a few nice tunes that draw on Jim's background in fingerpicked blues & folk music (& his study of the oud). Plus a "duet" between Jim & a rainstorm outside, dedicated to Rod Poole. I won't say a lot about it (you can find the press release on the Drip Audio site if you're curious--most of it is actually stuff I cut from the liners to get them to a single page) except that I think it's truly remarkable music with a lot of soul & honesty. Only the 2nd disc I've done the liners for (the other, by Charlie Kohlhase, hasn't emerged yet) & it's really a pleasure to be involved with such an exceptional record. There are several MP3s on the Drip Audio site if you want a taste. Quote
Bright Moments Posted October 25, 2008 Report Posted October 25, 2008 drip audio link for frog cd Quote
clifford_thornton Posted October 25, 2008 Report Posted October 25, 2008 Just from your post it sounds great. Anybody reviewing it for Bagatellen yet? (hint, hint) Quote
Nate Dorward Posted November 17, 2008 Author Report Posted November 17, 2008 Hey Clifford--no idea if anyone's doing it for Bags! I certainly hope so (& if you're in the mood yourself, drop me a line & I can get you a review copy). I think it'd definitely appeal to you, given its stylistic combo of free improv, classical & roots music. I just came across this very nice appreciation by the trumpeter Kris Tiner, which also has a few nice shots of Jim in action at a recent gig. Quote
randyhersom Posted November 25, 2008 Report Posted November 25, 2008 Just dropped on eMusic. I may check it out in a month or two, put it on my growing Save For Later stash. Quote
Nate Dorward Posted November 28, 2008 Author Report Posted November 28, 2008 A couple reviews in Canadian mags, including a brief Q&A: http://www.exclaim.ca/musicreviews/general...&fid1=34938 http://www.eyeweekly.com/ondisc/article/46311 Quote
Nate Dorward Posted January 3, 2009 Author Report Posted January 3, 2009 Just saw that Ben Ratliff gave a nice writeup of the disc in the NY Times (link here). Good to see, as so far (Drip Audio being a Canadian label), virtually all the coverage has been north of the border. Quote
Captain Hate Posted January 22, 2009 Report Posted January 22, 2009 Nate, I gave this (along with a few other cds) to a longtime bud of mine for Christmas which was both a sign of how much I liked it and how little else I've heard in the past year that I thought he'd like. Quote
Nate Dorward Posted January 22, 2009 Author Report Posted January 22, 2009 Hope you still have your friend.... Actually (seriously) it's a pretty user-friendly inside/outside kind of disc. My wife even tolerates it when I have it on the stereo.......! A few other reviews have rolled in since the Ratliff--I especially liked Massimo Ricci's writeup for his site Touching Extremes (link). Quote
Guest Bill Barton Posted January 25, 2009 Report Posted January 25, 2009 Hi Nate. I'm working on a review for CODA. Better late than never as the old cliche goes. This is a real ear-opener of a recording. Quote
Nate Dorward Posted January 25, 2009 Author Report Posted January 25, 2009 Hey, thanks Bill--I look forward to reading the piece! Quote
Nate Dorward Posted April 2, 2009 Author Report Posted April 2, 2009 Have been resisting the urge to post links to every review this disc has received so far, but thought I'd make an exception for this piece by Jason Bivins for Dusted, probably the best review (in terms of its really seeming to GET the music perfectly, & being written very well also) that the disc has received to date. http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/4865 Quote
Guest Bill Barton Posted April 21, 2009 Report Posted April 21, 2009 Hi Nate. I'm working on a review for CODA. Better late than never as the old cliche goes. This is a real ear-opener of a recording. Hey, thanks Bill--I look forward to reading the piece! Drat! The month-and-a-half when I was PC-less put a crimp in that plan... I haven't heard back from Andy since regaining Internet access, so it looks like the possible CODA review remains in limbo. Sigh... Quote
Nate Dorward Posted April 22, 2009 Author Report Posted April 22, 2009 Truthfully, I'm not entirely sure if Coda is still around--you heard anything? There's a thread elsewhere on the board about the prolonged silence from the mag..... Quote
Guest Bill Barton Posted April 22, 2009 Report Posted April 22, 2009 Whoa! It would be a major drag if such an esteemed publication went belly-up. I hadn't seen the other thread but will search it out. And, no, I haven't heard anything, although from my experience it's rather odd that I've never heard back from Andrew Scott, as he is very proactive as an editor. My old Hotmail account is now dead-in-the-water, so I didn't have his direct (home) e-mail anymore. I sent a message to the CODA editor e-mail and to date have received no response. Not a good sign... Sigh... Quote
_forumlogo.png.a607ef20a6e0c299ab2aa6443aa1f32e.png)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.