Departure | Rubin Kodheli · Trevor Dunn · Brian Chase
An exploration of contemporary improvisation, bringing together three distinctive musical voices in a dynamic collaboration.
MEET THE ARTISTS
Rubin Kodheli - Cellist and Juilliard-trained composer whose work bridges classical music, improvisation, jazz, and experimental performance. His compositions appear in the film Precious (2009); his performance collaborations include Philip Glass, Meredith Monk, Christian McBride, and others.
Read Rubin Kodheli’s biography
Trevor Dunn - Bassist and composer, founding member of Mr. Bungle, working across avant-garde jazz, experimental rock, and contemporary music.
Brian Chase - Drummer and composer best known as a member of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, whose work spans experimental music, avant-garde jazz, and improvisation.
EPK: Download https://www.rubinkodheli.com/s/Departure-Trio-EPK.pdf
Roulette performance with Mary Halvorson
Rubin Kodheli, Trevor Dunn and Brian Chase — with Mary Halvorson
“An otherworldly trio, both pure and distorted, patiently transporting us to new and expansive spaces.”
- Mary Halvorson
Kodheli puts aside the traditional cello in favor of a unique electric one designed by Ned Steinberger. This left-of-center tool allows the cellist to provide textures more commonly associated with an electric guitar. Perhaps Kodheli is attempting to escape the pomposity many wrongly associate with a stereotypically classical string instrument. That’s not to say the work is without moments of grandeur, particularly within Kodheli’s solos on “Mountainous Crag.” That piece also provides a repetitive motif that speaks of minimalism. But those more classical elements but a few of several colors at the trio’s disposal. Apple Music identifies the EP as “punk” music. Of course, it sounds nothing like Black Flag or the Sex Pistols, but that open defiance of the establishment is a shared characteristic, nonetheless. The driving rhythms of bassist Trevor Dunn and drummer Brian Chase also give an impulsive heavy-metal aesthetic to the outing. Compositionally, the pieces are freely improvised, harkening to the long history of jazz. It’s an intriguing work that defies convention as it finds its own musical space.
- Rob Shepherd
