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Resist the Middle by Gordon Grdina
From the album
Album Title: Resist
Irabbagast Records
Released: 2020
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About the Album
"Resist The Middle" is the fourth track from guitarist/oudist/composer Gordon Grdina's new septet album "Resist," slated for release April 10, 2020 via Irabagast Records. Out not long after his trio album Nomad (January 10, 2020, Skirl Records), an explosive date with pianist Matt Mitchell and drummer Jim Black, Resist reveals a very different side of Grdina’s expansive musical personality with the addition of the versatile multi-reedist Jon Irabagon on tenor and sopranino saxophones. The Gordon Grdina Septet fuses the bandleader’s East Van Strings, with cellist Peggy Lee, violinist Jesse Zubot and violist Eyvind Kang; with Grdina’s triomates, bassist Tommy Babin and drummer Kenton Loewen. Separately, both of these ensembles boast more than a decade of experience together, bringing a deep understanding of Grdina’s intricate vocabulary. Joining forces for the first time, they offer an astounding palette for Grdina’s compositions, which veer from the lush and intimate to the violently abstract. Irabagon, of course, contributes the boundless with and inventiveness that he’s become known for through his own eclectic projects as well as bands such as the Dave Douglas Quintet and Mostly Other People Do the Killing. With a life beyond a single concert in mind for his new piece, Grdina composed “Resist” with a modular vision, thinking of it as a suite of self-contained sections that could be taken on their own as vehicles for improvisation. “The Middle” isolates the minimalist abstraction of the suite’s center section, in this version becoming even more ferocious and tense in its scraping strings and knotty sopranino.
Tracks
Resist; Seeds; Varscona; Resist the Middle; Ever Onward.
Personnel
Gordon Grdina
oud
Jon Irabagon
saxophoneJesse Zubot
violin
Eyvind Kang
viola
Peggy Lee (cellist)
celloTommy Babin
bassKenton Loewen
drumsAdditional Personnel
Gordon Grdina: oud; Jon Irabagon: sopranino sax.
Date featured
October 9, 2020
This song appears by permission of the contributing artist and/or record company. It is for personal use only; no other rights are granted or implied.
