Reid, Tomeka / Filippo Monico - The Mouser
SKU
RPR 1081
“The Mouser, an intimate session between Chicagoan- now-New-York-based cellist Tomeka Reid and Italian drummer Filippo Monico (who has worked with Giorgio Gaslini, Mario Schiano and others since the early ‘70s) recorded in Milan, Italy, is unstructured play at its best. Imaginative and daring, the two dive into the margins and depths of the cello and drums to uncover a much richer instrumentation and aural palette than one would expect from a duo.
“Let’s play,” Monico says earnestly on the first track. He and Reid have a natural rapport immediately apparent from the very first note. Their interplay is cerebral yet joyful. “Without Recourse” begins with a flurry of horn-like squeaks and squeals followed by acoustic plucking and guttural tones. Then Reid’s melodic sensibility gives way to Monico’s gentle brush strokes and soft vocals.
They dive into a more solemn soundscape in “Walk Within the Eye of the Storm”. Distinct and forcefully plucked cello lines snake through the low- register shakes and whistles of the drums. They explore still more novel sounds and tones while weaving harmonic grooves and abstract improvisation in the title track. It’s only about three-quarters through the recording, in “Wefting Through a Starry Sky”, that Reid and Monico return to the sounds more typically associated with their instruments. Cello flows between classical themes and avant-jazz motifs while percussion build in heat. The momentum continues to build in broad strokes and dramatic tremolos in “Intimations of Things to Come”, the final track of the 40-minute recording. It’s all climax and intensity until the very end, leaving us stunned by what Reid and Monico are able to achieve together in this brief but imaginative set of tracks.”-NYC Jazz Record
- LabelRelative Pitch
- UPC5902249001297