Following on the heels of their successful collaboration on 2013's Slobber Pup, one of the most intensely throbbing releases in the RareNoise catalog, keyboardist Jamie Saft and guitarist Joe Morris have reunited for another potent and provocative offering in Plymouth. Joining them on the three expansive pieces that comprise this purely improvised set are the indelible rhythm tandem of bassist Chris Lightcap and drummer Gerald Cleaver, who have played together in various settings (including Morris' quartet) since the late '90s, and rising star avant garde guitarist Mary Halvorson (a former student of Morris'). Together they create compelling stream-ofconscious sonic excursions that range from zen-like quietude to hellacious distortion-laced fury, as on the 20-minute Manomet, the 13-minute title track and the 29-minute journey, Standish. Nothing is ever predictable or resolves neatly on this audacious, wildly uncompromising outing. Down Beat writer John Ephland reviewed Plymouth's U.S. debut on a special RareNoise label showcase held at Shapeshifter lab in Brooklyn on Dec. 13, 2013: Beginning with a dose of dreamy electric piano, Plymouth brought on a storm of floating, shimmering rubato. The playing centered around a gently implied beat. Halvorson's guitar work started with deft, unobtrusive slide playing, which provided a contrast to Morris' more dedicated single-note lines. Saft's chimey chords directed the music into a loose-limbed rock cadence, while Morris' hard-edged picking served as a drone. Halvorson replied with lush chordal phrases, while Saft's scarymovie organ lines were a lattice for what became a two-note jam of squirrelly lines, repeated over and over. Saft continued with dense thickets of sound combined with repeated loops and pedal effects from both guitarists. By this point, there was an audible heaving and sighing over a definite groove, menacing but also somehow innocent. The group improvisation could be heard as a collection of voices five indi.......
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Following on the heels of their successful collaboration on 2013's Slobber Pup, one of the most intensely throbbing releases in the RareNoise catalog, keyboardist Jamie Saft and guitarist Joe Morris have reunited for another potent and provocative offering in Plymouth. Joining them on the three expansive pieces that comprise this purely improvised set are the indelible rhythm tandem of bassist Chris Lightcap and drummer Gerald Cleaver, who have played together in various settings (including Morris' quartet) since the late '90s, and rising star avant garde guitarist Mary Halvorson (a former student of Morris'). Together they create compelling stream-ofconscious sonic excursions that range from zen-like quietude to hellacious distortion-laced fury, as on the 20-minute Manomet, the 13-minute title track and the 29-minute journey, Standish. Nothing is ever predictable or resolves neatly on this audacious, wildly uncompromising outing. Down Beat writer John Ephland reviewed Plymouth's U.S. debut on a special RareNoise label showcase held at Shapeshifter lab in Brooklyn on Dec. 13, 2013: Beginning with a dose of dreamy electric piano, Plymouth brought on a storm of floating, shimmering rubato. The playing centered around a gently implied beat. Halvorson's guitar work started with deft, unobtrusive slide playing, which provided a contrast to Morris' more dedicated single-note lines. Saft's chimey chords directed the music into a loose-limbed rock cadence, while Morris' hard-edged picking served as a drone. Halvorson replied with lush chordal phrases, while Saft's scarymovie organ lines were a lattice for what became a two-note jam of squirrelly lines, repeated over and over. Saft continued with dense thickets of sound combined with repeated loops and pedal effects from both guitarists. By this point, there was an audible heaving and sighing over a definite groove, menacing but also somehow innocent. The group improvisation could be heard as a collection of voices five indi.......
more