Sunday, December 13, 2015

Ned Rothenberg's Inner Diaspora 12/11/15 Firehouse 12

Downtown reed-man Rothenberg takes his current group to the Firehouse. Rothenberg played clarinet, bass clarinet, and Japanese skakuhachi flute. Mark Feldman on violin, Erik Friedlander on cello, Jerome Harris on acoustic guitar/bass, and Satoshi Takeishi on percussion.
The second set started with a mournful clarinet-centric tune. I am currently reading "New York Noise", Tamar Barzel's book chronicling John Zorn's radical Jewish music and the downtown scene of Knitting Factory fame. I can' help but relish the thought of Freidlander, Feldman, and Rothenberg as being instrumental ( no pun intended) in this movement of the mid-90s. With masterful command of their instruments, these guys veer from ethnic to avant grade and back. Tight compositions with airy spaces to improvise keep them moving. The textural elements of Takeishi colored and shaded these songs to a sharp delivery. Great end to the winter season.

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