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David Strother: Azul
by Florence Wetzel
Azul is an aural meditation by electric violinist David Strother that covers a wide swathe of emotions and delves fearlessly into the human condition. The word azul means “blue" in Spanish, and indeed the songs explore many shades of this emotional color. The blues also refer to loss: during the editing and mixing phases of the EP, Strother learned about the death of bassist and composer Charlie Haden, a musician who influenced him deeply, so the EP also serves as ...
Continue ReadingDavid Strother: Muse
by Florence Wetzel
Muse is a poetic suite on loss and resilience by violinist and sound sculptor David Strother. His previous release, Soundings.live (Self-produced), was a lovely integration of improvised violin and Los Angeles street noise, but on Muse he delves into the personal to tell a story through sound. Given Strother's extensive experience with spoken word, it's not surprising that his new recording has a narrative quality: he has collaborated often with noted performance artist Ulysses Jenkins, and he also co-hosts a ...
Continue ReadingDavid Strother: Soundings.live
by Florence Wetzel
The Japanese term mono no aware means “the pity of things," a reference to the gentle sadness that results from acknowledging the impermanence and transience of life on earth. David Strother's beautiful EP, Soundings.live, evokes this quality throughout. Strother has created six aural haiku using the unique combination of a five-string electric violin and sounds from the streets of Los Angeles. Strother displays admirable restraint throughout the EP, tastefully merging his violin with a variety of street noises. ...
Continue ReadingDavid Strother: The Desert is Singing
by C. Michael Bailey
Violinist David Strother is the fiddle player on Lawrence Lebo's Don't Call Her Larry, Volume 3, American Roots. On that recording, Strother has a homey feel, very much in keeping with the stripped-down ambiance Lebo was trying to achieve on her recording. On his own 2007 recording, The Desert is Singing, Strother further strips things down to just himself and his Yamaha SV-110 electric fiddle. Among his original compositions are a couple of standards, one of which is Thelonious Monk's ...
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