Wednesday 20 February, 2008

Ben Goldberg - Eight Phrases for Jefferson Rubin (1998)



"In the last few years Ben Goldberg has become the most consistently splendid of all clarinetists. Each of his half dozen plus releases are superb & distinct in their own way. So far he has done two avant/klez cds the New Klezmer Trio, a duo cd with Kenny Wollesen, a live gig with Zorn as the West Coast Masada, an avant/bebop Junk Genius quintet cd, a double clarinet quintet cd with Marty Ehrlich, a trio improv cd with John Schott & Michael Sarin and another new cd on Music & Arts. This new effort was originally commissioned by John Zorn and features a double unit of two reeds-Larry Ochs (Rova) & Ben, the two acoustic basses of Trevor Dunn, John Schott on electric guitar without effects and Michael Sarin ( or Thomas Chapin & Dave Douglas) on drums. This cd is dedicated to a childhood friend of Ben's who died too young in a truck accident. The pieces range from delicate, melancholy, shadows moving through fields of dreams to restrained explosions of well written ensemble passages. A well selected sextet that shines throughout. Often beautiful" DMG

"Dedicated to a boyhood friend who died at age 35, this music is neither an elegy nor a celebration, but a journey into the mysteries of human ---and musical---interaction. The six instrumentalists make scattered appearances. like characters in a play, in order to feed off of another person's energy and compassion, or contribute their ideas into a continually shifting mosaic of thematic and emotional details. Often the mood is of quiet introspection--epitomized by Goldberg's understated clarinet and supported by the strength of bassists Trevor Dunn and L.S. Ellis---which is momentarily shattered by the brittle polyphony of "Brace and Bit" or the eruption of Larry Ochs' tenor in "Lost Touch." This piece and guitarist John Schott's solo epilogue, "Snow" swell and recede like a painful but fulfilling memory." Art Lange

1. Problem
2. Plain of Jars
3. Visited
4. Eight Phrases
5. Brace and Bit
6. Elements
7. Lost Touch
8. Snow

Trevor Dunn - bass
L. S. Ellis - bass
Larry Ochs - saxophone
Michael Sarin - drums
John Schott - guitar
Ben Goldberg - clarinet

megaupload |OR| rapidshare part1 : part2 [all@320]

7 comments:

il angelo said...

Gracias Juju, This is deep and Goldberg too underappreciated

bravo juju said...

It's difficult to understand why Goldberg remains unknown in these circles, but some things are not meant to be understood. Glad you liked this. Check his New Klezmer Trio post, if you don't know it yet, and stay tuned: there will me more Goldberg here one of these days.

Juan Duque said...

Excellent, excellent stuff! Thanks so much, from a klezhead in Medellín, ColOmbia.

enid said...

I love the music too, esp. Tin Hat, but alas, I can no longer listen to this guy. There is a hidden, ugly side to Ben Goldberg. I just found out he is sucking dry the savings and income of his ex and two young sons from a recent divorce settlement, whilst raking more in under the table. His higher education was financed by the wife. But there will be no college for his two brilliant sons. Listen on if you will, but I thought you should know.

Light said...

Enid's right. Ben's living off his ex and two young sons, depriving them of money for their well being and college educations. His music rings hollow for us.

The Great Dictator said...

Hey! Thanks for posting all of this awesome music. I've learned about a lot of new music from your page and appreciate your hard work!

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