One of the top
jazz
cellists of the 1980s and 1990s,
Hank Roberts
performs eight of his spirited originals on this set which was his debut as a leader.
Roberts
, who also plays a bit of
classical
12-string guitar and what is called a "jazz-a-phone fiddle" (a one-string violin that was modified so the sound came out of a tube put in his mouth), is joined by altoist
Tim Berne
; the trombones of
Ray Anderson
,
Robin Eubanks
and
Dave Taylor
; guitarist
Bill Frisell
; drummer
Joey Baron
; and (on one song) bassist
Mark Dresser
. The music is as eccentric as one would expect from this personnel and full of spirit, particularly
"Granpappy's Barn Dance Death Dance."
Recommended to open-eared listeners who have a strong sense of humor. ~ Scott Yanow