Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Fred Frith / Darren Johnston: Everybody's Somebody's Nobody

5

Fred Frith / Darren Johnston: Everybody's Somebody's Nobody

By

Sign in to view read count
Fred Frith / Darren Johnston: Everybody's Somebody's Nobody
Here's a West Coast entrant to the slim body of guitar/trumpet duets from iconoclastic strummer Fred Frith and trumpeter Darren Johnston. It collects 11 short cuts from two studio sessions into a three-quarter hour program. They're not averse to co-opting rhythms (Frith) or melodic figures (Johnston), meaning that what we have here can be termed the accessible avant-garde. Each jointly crafted extravaganza explores a different mood. They ring the changes both between numbers but also within them, especially in some of the longer pieces.

Both men succeed in keeping things interesting through unexpected decays and twists, well exemplified on the guitarist's unaccompanied "Rising Time." Frith deploys a multiplicity of textures and electronic effects, such that he blends chameleon-like with whatever the prevailing character dictates. Johnston matches the guitarist with a range of attacks. But the difference is that even in the most out there moments, lyric invention is never too far below the surface.

Improv meets ambient might be the headline, particularly in those tracks where Frith sets up a backdrop over which Johnston extemporizes. Prominent in this category are the folky "Barn Dance" where Johnston's slow refrain combines with Frith's bagpipe like drone to fashion a beautiful introduction to the disc, and the brief but animated "Scratch" where Johnston's forthright splutters float over Frith's lumbering percussive fretwork. The selection which gives the album its title constitutes another example. Frith sets up a ponderous lurch, like something from a Tom Waits' performance, while Johnston responds muted yet garrulous, producing a free funk creation.

But at times they indulge in more experimental and unfettered exchange. "Morning and The Shadow" is a case in point, where the trumpeter's swirling series of rising and falling arpeggios foreshadows a panoply of odd noises from Frith comprising rattles, growls, scrapes and tinkles, before they revisit the opening gambit. On the final "Standard Candles" a series of sustained tones shimmer and bloom, rounding out a thoroughly enjoyable meeting of open minds for those with open ears.

Track Listing

Barn Dance; Scribble; Luminescence; Everybody /s Somebody /s Nobody; Bounce; Morning and The Shadow; Down Time; Rising Time; Scratch; Ants; Standard Candles.

Personnel

Fred Frith
guitar

Fred Frith: electric guitar; Darren Johnston: trumpet.

Album information

Title: Everybody's Somebody's Nobody | Year Released: 2016 | Record Label: Clean Feed Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris
Candid
Sunny Five
Inside Colours Live
Julie Sassoon

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.