Ergo

Ergo: As subtle as tomorrow

by Vic Albani
June 8, 2016

Ritengo la Cuneiform una delle migliori e intelligenti etichette musicali esistenti poiché, lavorando su territori spesso assai diversi fra loro, riesce regolarmente a evidenziare new forms e ricerche di spessore in molti lavori di artisti celebrati o meno. È il caso di questi Ergo (che hanno anche un sito che si chiama “ergo is a band"!), trio composto dal trombonista Brett Sroka (di lui si parla molto a New York anche per via delle ultime collaborazioni con ...

Ergo: As subtle as tomorrow

by Glenn Astarita
April 9, 2016

The premise for this album is based on a succinct Emily Dickenson poem, As Subtle as Tomorrow with the verse allocated to the individual track titles. Subtle is an adjective that parallels the trio's chief mode of operations. The band's muse is nestled somewhere within an existential progressive jazz format, layered with ambient-electronic treatments and hearty doses of improv. They also interlace minimalist sojourns, partly due to pianist's Sam Harris' harmonically driven ostinato phrasings. Thus, appealing melodies often serve as ...

Ergo: If Not Inertia

by Glenn Astarita
May 25, 2012

A few decades ago, it wasn't evident that computers could become an integral component to music, other than some experimental persuasions set forth by the likes of eminent modern jazz trombonist George Lewis, who helped pioneer live electronics. But trombonist Brett Sroka carries the torch, yet in a different or, perhaps, more subtle light. With first-call avant-garde guitarist Mary Halvorson injecting her sinewy, odd-tuned phrasings, and acoustic guitarist Sebastian Kruger appearing on one track of If Not Inertia, the band's ...

Ergo: Multitude, Solitude

by Elliott Simon
March 6, 2010

During the past two decades, electronic music has solidified its initial uneasy alliance with acoustic jazz. Newer releases such as Ergo's Multitude, Solitude are able to get past that original awkward balance and meld electronics with jazz improvisation and instrumental technique. The result is a trio that interacts like one but also accesses the broader sound palette and ambience that electronics allow. On most tunes, trombonist Brett Sroka remains at the music's center and in only rare ...

Ergo: Multitude, Solitude

by Nic Jones
January 16, 2010

This is a trio working the electro-acoustic margins, as the instrumental line-up might suggest; and whilst Ergo's music often flirts with ambient notions, there is equally a predominant air of unease about their work, as if by mutual consent they can only reach a kind of uneasy rapprochement with both silence and the moment.

The air of the unresolved--which is also sometimes symptomatic of their work--could similarly be the outcome of shared resolve. Indeed without that air the lengthy “Vessel" ...

Ergo: Multitude, Solitude

by Glenn Astarita
January 8, 2010

Keyboardist Carl Maguire is a multifaceted artiste, often-heralded for his work in various jazz-related formats for Between The Lines, MoonJune Records and other progressive record labels. On this trio's second CD, Maguire, trombonist/computer operator Brett Sroka and drummer Shawn Baltazor spawn an experimental muse, where rigid definitions or categorizations, justifiably fall flat. Essentially, the respective artists rely on synergy and intuition to get the job done. And that is a good thing, since the cutting-edge aspects translate into an endearing ...

Ergo: Multitude, Solitude

by John Kelman
January 4, 2010

As jazz leans away from characteristics that so defined its earliest days, groups are emerging with unorthodox instrumental combinations, fleshed out by the vast potential of technological soundscaping. Ergo, at its core, seems as unconventional as they get--trombone, keyboards, drums--creating music that wouldn't have been possible before relatively recent innovations in sound processing and sampling/looping. Its 2005 indie debut, Quality Anatomechanical Music Since 2005, received significant critical acclaim, making its follow-up on the better-distributed Cuneiform label a sure bet for ...

Saxophonist David Bixler to release 'incognito ergo sum' on June 26th, 2025

Source: All About Jazz
May 21, 2025

New York-based saxophonist, composer, and educator David Bixler continues his recent streak of creative reinvention with incognito ergo sum—the second release from his boundary- pushing trio with bassist Dan Loomis and drummer/percussionist Fabio Rojas, set for release on June 26th, 2025. A follow-up to their 2020 debut Inside the Grief—which responded powerfully to the overlapping crises of that year—this new album draws its energy from the trio’s earliest days, playing for parkgoers in pandemic-era New York. Born in a moment ...
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Celebrate Cuneiform Records Download Week: Free MP3s by Wadada Leo Smith, Ergo, Zevious, Jason Adasiewic and Beat Circus

Source: Michael Ricci
October 27, 2009

Download five free MP3s courtesy of Cuneiform Records.

She Haunts Me (3:41) Ergo From: Multitude, Solitude Cuneiform Records South Central L.A. Kulture (4:50) Wadada Leo Smith From: Spiritual Dimensions Cuneiform Records Where's the Captain? (5:10) Zevious From: After the Air Raid Cuneiform Records Hide (4:26) Jason Adasiewicz's Rolldown From: Varmint Cuneiform Records ...
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Ergo, Ways and Daniel Fandino to Perform at Monkey Town on April 22

Source: All About Jazz
April 20, 2007

Ergo, Ways and Daniel Fandino to perform at Monkey Town on April 22, 2007, 7:30 p.m. WHAT: Ergo is the collective sound of keyboardist Carl Maguire, Drummer Shawn Baltazor, lead by trombonist/laptopist Brett Sroka. Their music is one of stark melodic beauty, enveloping electro-acoustic texture and empathic imagination. Daniel Fandino will play a short segue set of solo guitar improvisations full of lush noise and thick reverb.
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Anatomechanical band ERGO this Saturday at the Knitting Factory

Source: All About Jazz
February 22, 2006

The electro-acoustic avant-garde band Ergo will perform at the Knitting Factory - Old Office this Saturday, February 25 at 10pm. WHEN: Saturday, February 25th, 10 pm WHERE: The Knitting Factory : Old Office 74 Leonard St., New York, NY PRICE: $10 INFO: 212-219-3132 www. knittingfactory.com www.ergoisaband.com www.myspace.com/ergo “Trombonist Brett Sroka, keyboardist Carl Maguire and drummer Damion Reid are all part of a ...
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Ergo Performs at Zebulon Monday, September 26

Source: All About Jazz
September 24, 2005

Ergo performs this Monday, September 26, 2005, at Zebulon in Williamsburg Brooklyn. Sets are at 10 and 11pm and there is no cover charge. The blood of Aphex Twin, the bones of Ornette Coleman and the splintered soul of three lost pilgrims align to form the anatomy of Ergo. The collective sound of drummer Damion Reid, keyboardist Carl Maguire and Brett Sroka on trombone and computer, Ergo’s music integrates compositional detail with improvisational empathy, acoustic earthiness ...
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Ergo appears at the 55 Bar

Source: All About Jazz
September 15, 2005

Ergo performs this Saturday, September 17, 2005, at the 55 Bar in Greenwhich Village, New York City Sets are at 6pm, 7pm and 8pm and there is no cover charge. The blood of Aphex Twin, the bones of Ornette Coleman and the splintered soul of three lost pilgrims align to form the anatomy of Ergo. The collective sound of drummer Damion Reid, keyboardist Carl Maguire and Brett Sroka on trombone and computer, Ergo’s music integrates compositional detail with ...
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