Artist: The Red Microphone
Title: The Red Microphone Speaks!
Label: self released
Genre: jazzy revolutionary music
CD Review by Matt Cole
Recently, I reviewed the CD release show for The Red Microphone‘s new album, The Red Microphone Speaks!. Having listened to the CD, I can safely say that The Red Microphone does just as well in the studio as live at putting together a very cohesive package of free, revolutionary-tinged music. Continue reading
Date: May 16 through June 2, 2013
Venue: La Mama (NY)
Review by Dawoud Kringle
Produced by Crossing Jamaica Avenue and Big Red Media, Inc. /Commissioned by The Japan Society and Peregrine Arts
Venue: Bowery Electric (NY) May 25, 2013
Date: May 25, 2013
Concert review and photo by John Pietaro
Gloomy skies and chilly rain moved in on this late-May evening, and the East Village was covered by that certain grayness it was once known for. If you squinted just enough, you could almost avoid the bistros and hipster joints that now line the Bowery in place of the dive-bars, restaurant supply houses and dusty bodegas that once were. Remember when there was an artful edginess to this town, downtown? While most of the creative community has been priced out of the chromium rentals that have sprung up everywhere that cool resides, thankfully there are still pockets of inspiration hidden between the Bowery Mission and the million-dollar views. Just a block north of where CBGB once stood, post-Punk NYC commanded the stage: B.A.L.L. reunited for the first time in 25 years. And at the crossroads of Bowery and Joey Ramone Place, no less.
Date: May 9, 2013
Venue: Tea Lounge (NY)
Review by Dawoud Kringle
When I walked in to the Tea Lounge for Brandon Terzic’s Trio performance for the Brooklyn Raga Massive (I was a little late. Sorry guys), the boys were playing for dear life, simultaneously caressing lovely poetics from the maqam and pummeling it into submission. Rufus Cappadocia’s solo was amazing; a Hendrixian powerhouse. Matt Kilmer’s percussion solo was as solid and innovative as ever. Terzic’s oud playing took the maqam and dipped it in a pool of jazz inspired deviations which always landed in its feet.
Date: April 17, 2013
Venue: ZirZamin (NY)
Review by Matt Cole
I saw The Red Microphone for the first time at their CD release show at ZirZamin for The Red Microphone Speaks!, and was thus happy to see that they were a quartet consisting of four members of the Dissident Arts Orchestra, who had created a fine improvised soundtrack to Eisenstein’s classic Battleship Potemkin a few months back. Specifically, The Red Microphone consists of John Pietaro on vibraphone and percussion; Ras Moshe on tenor and soprano sax, flute, and spoken words; Rocco John Iacovone on alto and soprano sax, and Nicolas Letman-Burtinovic on bass.
It can be a challenge for musicians to play free music in sync with each other, but The Red Microphone manages to be a very tight, cohesive unit. The music started with a driving baseline and ethereal vibraphone sounds, and soon the two saxes came in playing in harmony, at times sounding like they were in different keys that nonetheless created a good sound, not unlike what Charles Ives might have written had he anticipated the free music of the ’60s or the Downtown flowering of the ’80s and beyond. The overall sound was rooted in modern avant-garde jazz, leaning towards the free end; the sounds of rock, hard bop, and even a hint of modern classical also could be heard in the mix. Right away, I noticed that there was a lot of communication between the band members, enabling them to move together as a single unit, changing rhythms, feel, and tempo with ease (or at least it looked that way to Yours Truly, watching from the audience). Themes would appear, bounce around, make an impression, and vanish into the ether like a pair of virtual particles in sub-Planck time. The band members took turns taking the lead, with tenor man/flautist Ras Moshe playing bluesy, uplifting solos with a definite undertone of urgency just beneath (and often breaking) the surface. Throughout the set, the band showed a talent for evolving pieces, with individual instruments coming in and out over time as the music grew.
