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Noodle Shop: Moon Dog Girl

By AAJ Staff
March 1, 2000
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Out of the creative firestorm of avant-garde music in New York comes Noodle Shop, an impromptu quartet consisting of Elliott Sharp, John Kruth, Jonathan Segel, and Atilla Engin. Their debut recording, which was recorded shortly after the death of the idiosyncratic blind multi-instrumentalist Moondog, spans the range from funk to free jazz with many stops in between.

The idea here, as far as I can tell, is to leave no stone unturned in their musical journey. Swirling mists of free jazz clarify into deep grooves with an improvisatory edge. A generous helping of Middle Eastern and African influence leaps out of the mix (including an acknowledged debt to the master musicians of Jajouka). Though not without due attention to structure and form, Moon Dog Girl experiments quite creatively with style and instrumentation. Fresh is the operative word. For the open-minded, this recording is guaranteed to satisfy.

Track Listing

Leopold in Mali; Old World Kraftsmanship; Every Pregnant Woman's Worst Nightmare; Moondog's Blues; Medley: Distressed Passenger / Like Walkin' on Your Nose / Old World Kraftsmanship Part 2: Songs My Grandmother Taught Me; Medley: I Wasn't Aware That I Wasn't Awake / The Sonny Blount Side of the Street / Little Onions; Neon Noodle.

Personnel

Elliott Sharp: guitar, 12-string guitar, baritone guitar, Hawaiian guitar, 6-string bass, bass clarinet, alto sax; John Kruth: mandolin, steel body mandolin, 4-string electric mandolin, mandocello, flute, pennywhistle, lira, harmonica, sheng; Jonathan Segel: violin, guitar, piano, mandocello, dulcimer; Atilla Engin, percussion, ektara, voice.

Album information

Title: Moon Dog Girl | Year Released: 2000 | Record Label: Sparkling Beatnik Records

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