Agony Pipes and Misery Sticks
Jazz
| Jun 2005
Reviews
Craig Matsumoto
Reviewed 2005-06-20
Reviewed 2005-06-20
A five-clarinet band spinning jazzy oldies, melodic originals, and a few out-jazz amusements. Elegant and often playful. Many tracks feature rich big-band harmonies and interwoven, overlapping solos. Lots of soundtrack-like pieces as well (4,10).
Beth Custer formed this Bay-Area group in 1990, and this CD collects live recordings from the past 15 years. Clarinet Thing plays only sporadically, due to the busy careers/lives of all five members: Custer, Ben Goldberg, Ralph Carney, Sheldon Brown, and Peter Josheff.
1- Loping Duke Ellington song. Swaying and nostalgic
2- Airy mid/fast, with Euro-cafe jazz tinges (by Brazilian composer Pixinguinha with Benedito Larcerda)
3- Mid/fast and fun. Cartoony harmonies
4- Circus waltz, quietly midtempo and slapstick
5- Slowish lingering blues
6- Upbeat and bouncy/spiky. Midtempo madcap '50s jazz.
7- Scurrying avant-garde (John Carter)
8- Romantic jazz oldie (Eubie Blake)
9- Ballroom jazz, mid-fast and formal (Kurt Weill)
10- Bright circus ballet (Polish classical composer Ignacy Podgorski)
11- Mysterious chugging beat (Bobby Bradford)
12- Slow. Playfully funereal
13- Mid/fast, folky
14- Mid/fast, a bit chaotic. Quiet ending
15- Delicate and pretty (Abdullah Ibrahim)
16- Slow, reverent Ellington classic. Great big-band harmonies and some delicious wailing.
Beth Custer formed this Bay-Area group in 1990, and this CD collects live recordings from the past 15 years. Clarinet Thing plays only sporadically, due to the busy careers/lives of all five members: Custer, Ben Goldberg, Ralph Carney, Sheldon Brown, and Peter Josheff.
1- Loping Duke Ellington song. Swaying and nostalgic
2- Airy mid/fast, with Euro-cafe jazz tinges (by Brazilian composer Pixinguinha with Benedito Larcerda)
3- Mid/fast and fun. Cartoony harmonies
4- Circus waltz, quietly midtempo and slapstick
5- Slowish lingering blues
6- Upbeat and bouncy/spiky. Midtempo madcap '50s jazz.
7- Scurrying avant-garde (John Carter)
8- Romantic jazz oldie (Eubie Blake)
9- Ballroom jazz, mid-fast and formal (Kurt Weill)
10- Bright circus ballet (Polish classical composer Ignacy Podgorski)
11- Mysterious chugging beat (Bobby Bradford)
12- Slow. Playfully funereal
13- Mid/fast, folky
14- Mid/fast, a bit chaotic. Quiet ending
15- Delicate and pretty (Abdullah Ibrahim)
16- Slow, reverent Ellington classic. Great big-band harmonies and some delicious wailing.
Recent airplay
Mountains of the Moon
No Cover, No Minimum — Jul 20, 2017
Echoes of Harlem
No Cover, No Minimum — Jan 19, 2017
Echoes of Harlem
No Cover, No Minimum — Aug 10, 2007
The Mooch
Umami Jazz Program — Apr 11, 2006
Touchy
Memory Select — Jan 13, 2006
The Mooch
Umami Jazz Program — Nov 29, 2005
Charting
2005-06-19 — 2005-08-21
Jazz
| Week Ending | Airplays |
|---|---|
| Aug 21 | 2 |
| Aug 7 | 1 |
| Jul 31 | 1 |
| Jul 24 | 1 |
| Jul 17 | 1 |
| Jul 10 | 3 |
| Jul 3 | 3 |
| Jun 26 | 1 |
Track listing
| 1. | Echoes of Harlem | ||
| 2. | Vou Vivendo | ||
| 3. | Akeem the Dream | ||
| 4. | Sweeping Staircase | ||
| 5. | Fired Manager Blues | ||
| 6. | Touchy | ||
| 7. | Sticks and Stones | ||
| 8. | Memories of You | ||
| 9. | Das Lied Von Den Braunen ... | ||
| 10. | Oberek Krakowski | ||
| 11. | Song of the Unsung | ||
| 12. | Lips that Kissed the Paper | ||
| 13. | Primitive Southern Brass ... | ||
| 14. | Family Heap | ||
| 15. | Mountains of the Moon | ||
| 16. | The Mooch | ||
| 17. | Misery Talks |