NED ROTHENBERG

LOOMS & LEGENDS

Pyroclastic Records

Ned Rothenberg, alto saxophone/clarinet/bass clarinet/shakuhachi flute.

Since Ned Rothenberg has been celebrated in “All Music Guide” as one of “America’s most intimate composer and improvisor,” I was disappointed in Pyroclastic Records for not listing his amazing multi-talents on their CD jacket.  For those new fans who pick up this album, there is nothing printed on the jacket that celebrates this artist’s awesome talents on multiple instruments.

Thank goodness for the accompanying ‘one sheet’ from his publicist that gives us a hint on what Ned Rothenberg plays us on his first solo release “Looms & Legends,” since 2012 when he released a clarinet-focused production called “World of Odd Harmonics.”

The first song on this album “Dance Above” features Rothenberg on flute dancing brightly over a repetitious musical clarinet background line, that for me, goes on far too long, smudging the artistry of this piece.

To my ignorance, Ned Rothenberg explains in his press package what his intentions were.  He hints at explaining the title of his album, “Looms & Legends” and its deeper, esoteric meaning this way.

“I think of those elements as the X and Y axes of my approach.  In my improvisations, there are the more melodic pieces that have a definite sense of starting at a certain place and taking you along a storyline.  Then there are the ‘loom’ pieces which present the listener a rich and atypical aural environment in which to weave their own subjective narrative,” says Ned.

I am quite intrigued by the third track titled “Resistance Anthem.”  He plays it so soulfully and the melody is both beautiful and heart-wrenching.  Clearly, I am a fan of the ‘Legend’ part of his album title.

“I like to imagine my music as the indigenous sounds of a country that hasn’t been discovered yet.  I love the idea that there’s some weird culture out there whose traditions are built on circular breathing through reed instruments, and it sounds like what I’ve been doing in New York since the early 80s,” Ned Rothenberg explains.

Ned Rothenberg is a composer, performer, woodwind master, and multi-instrumentalist who has been internationally acclaimed for both his solo and ensemble music.  He has taken his unusual and creative musical approach to over five continents. This solo album as an improviser, allows him to expand his palette of sonic language, while expressing a very personal and independent style and talent all his own.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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