steve tibbetts: c/d

Totally fell in love with the album, esp the opening tune "Name Everything," which still holds up today, I think. Heard Yr around that time too, was fond of it but not crazy, the Fall of Us All was well produced but somehow not as magical (compositionally speaking, anyway) as Exploded View.

Recently dug out Exploded View to listen again, but was unable to judge it as an album, drenched as it was for me in memory and nostalgia. Provocative artist to be sure, though I do wonder how the mish mash of tablas and Tibetan vocals and distorted guitars would sound to my ears today -- genuinely forward-thinking or kitsch or superficial or.

Northern Song is sounding just about perfect right now. so icy chilled, last glass of wine by the fire

Northern Song is really beautiful. I haven't heard anything else.

All I have is Natural Causes and I love it.

Any recs on where I should venture from here?

Well I picked up A Man About A Horse today and it's really good. A bit more on the noisy, guitar shredder-y side of things, but no less gorgeous than Natural Causes. Would've picked up anything else if there was anything else in the section at Amoeba, but that was it.

I love exploded view and yr and fall of us all

Yeah, I definitely would like to get as many of his albums as possible.

Just ordered his first two albums from Discogs today. Will report back after they've arrived.

Really tempted to just order everything all at once. I must pace myself though. Self-discipline and whathaveyou.

Got the first album in the mail today (that was FAST!) and I'm a bit freaked out by it. The acoustic playing on the first half is quite ethereal for 1976 and not like anything else I've ever heard. The synthy freakouts on side two are not really my cup of tea, but interesting nonetheless if for nothing else than it's vaguely reminiscent of the wacky early Tangerine Dream stuff I've heard.

Looking forward to Yr quite a bit.

Safe Journey right now. . . it's really soundtracky. Got all kinds of different things on it, as well: ethereal acoustic playing, stinging electric shredding, steel drums, even kalimba! What a nice and unexpected find.

That one I haven't heard in a long time. Has yr arrived yet?

No, the dude I bought it from on Discogs took his sweet time getting it in the mail, so it's still en route. Really looking forward to it though.

Got Yr in the mail today. Really good stuff. Hard to believe that it was first released in 1980. It seems so contemporary, but still ageless. The electric stuff is toned back, but still some shredder moments to gush over. This one though seems more about mood than the first album and it's definitely calmer than that one.

Taking Northern Song for the first time right now. It's very calm — no electric work at all. Easily the calmest album of his I've come across (with Natural Causes being a very close second). There's a searching quality, especially on the sidelong track 'Nine Doors/Breathing Space' where he's less about playing singular notes than he is about leaning on these subtle chords and just letting them ring and float. Really wonderful music.

Got Exploded View and Big Map Idea in the mail today — two completely polar opposites.

Exploded View is loud and atonal. Easily the most "violent" thing he did since side two of his first album. The added vocals on some tracks are a bit much. I don't love it on first listen.

Big Map Idea is all acoustic, though nowhere near as sparse and quiet as Northern Song. I'm actually very much reminded of Rain Tree Crow on some tracks by its use of atmospherics and ambient washes.

And now The Fall of Us All. . .

It's back to the more gnarly side of Tibbetts. I initially kind of scoffed at the running time (seventy minutes!) as a gimmicky way to use up the capacity of the CD running time just because it's there. But upon several listens, I have to say it hangs together together exceptionally well and doesn't feel like it runs for over an hour. For all the moments of noisy shards of guitar shred and clanging percussion attacks, it balances those out really well with very reflective playing; in fact this is the first time Steve plays those acoustic notes that seem to swell in intensity as he lets them ring. I don't know if there's a name for that trick (or even if you know what I'm referring to), but it's pretty awesome and adds a very unique sound. I do believe this is the largest band assembled on any of his albums, so it has a very big sound at certain points. Definitely some of his most intense music.

I think of the ones I've heard (a handful), Northern Song is the only one I enjoy enough to go back to once in a while. I guess I prefer placid Tibbetts to shred-y Tibbetts. And even on Northern Song, some of the "world musicTM" sounds grate on me a bit.

love his work and am loving these reflections, Austin!

It's been really fun and rewarding to go through his discography. I can't remember the last time I was able to do that and not really be disappointed by anything.

I thought I didn't have Big Map Idea but I do! And I'm listening to it now. So good.

I don't think there's anything 'world music (tm)' about what tibbetts, anderson and wise do at all. His/their engagement with these instruments is deep and highly individual and never just a flavor.

Austin are you going to listen to the albums he did with the monk? I've never heard those...

I don't know. I gave the first one a run on Spotify and it was little too vocally focused for my mood at that point. They're relatively cheap on Discogs. We'll see.

So is his name pronounced tib-ETs or TIB-its?

I always said it like the latter

Depends on what mood I'm in.

So apparently, there's a new record out. . .

I have very high expectations. Will check back in when I get it.

Oh shit please do

was just checking in to see what stuff of his is out there. this is a nice hendrix cover. (there are a lot of bad hendrix covers out there.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTNImbkQkow

spoiler alert, the new one is very very mellow & very very good.

Uhmm. . . fuck yeah?

100% fuck yeah

Haven't heard it yet but I just read Washington Post critic Chris Richards say:

Tibbetts’ exquisite new album, “Life Of,” is his strongest since 1989’s superb “Big Map Idea,” and is easily the most elegant of his career. Accompanied by longtime percussionist Marc Anderson and cellist Michelle Kinney, Tibbetts plays only with his fingertips — no pick — applying both hands to his fretboard, making his notes gently drip and streak.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/three-guitarists-head-into-the-beautiful-unknown-is-it-still-jazz/2018/05/18/1f6e8474-5ab7-11e8-858f-12becb4d6067_story.html?utm_term=.0e380a978281

Like I said: high expectations.

So this is all very encouraging.

I am very happy to report that to me this sounds closest to Northern Song, my favorite of his records. Just what I need right now.

This guy's never made a bad record though

Yeah, this is fantastic.

The heavier use of piano really ups the emotional ante a lot. It's definitely picking right up where the last two moody tracks on Natural Causes left off. I love how his later albums have no repetition in the songs. Very much feels like collective improvisation in that regard. And this new one is even more sparse than I had expected. It's a very hefty listen, for sure, but ultimately, eerily gorgeous.

Have been taking walks recently whilst listening to Steve's discography on shuffle. Something about walking around the now significantly less busy streets with his music is actually very comforting. In random order I hear these songs that I recognize in contexts that I don't; all while walking around familiar locations that now seem less familiar without the usual traffic and company of strangers.

Still never checked out the albums with Chöying Drolma. Seems like there's no time like the present.

hi this is tangential—

a while back he posted an ecm mixtape and it's predictably fantastic. some probably pretty obvious choices, but also some real curveballs. xpost to ECM: C/D, S&D