alt.times

Denman Maroney - Ratzo B. Harris - Bob Meyer

       Piano & Compositions              Bass & Compositions        Drums & Cymbals

 

The recordings now playing were made at Denman Maroney's home in Monsey NY on April 16 and 17, 2011 by Scott Wilson.

See the Wimpy Player below for titles and controls.

alt.times plays tunes in layers of time:  two in Frogs and Hamlet; three in Fowler’s Blues, Kilter, and MC; six in Lattice; an evolving pair in One Off, or Two. Call it cubist jazz. In most music you relate to a beat. In ours you pick a beat to relate to. Pick another, and your perspective changes. Listen casually, and it sounds loose; closely, and it sounds tight. In most harmony, a chord sounds different if the intervals are inverted. In our temporal harmony or relative time, the same thing happens with rhythm. This is perfectly natural. Stars, planets, and moons keep separate but related times—the music of the spheres—as do clouds, waves, birds, arms, legs, eyes, ears, lungs, hearts, and minds. And we think we keep time by our watches! No; we keep alternate times.


"Ratzo defies musical gravity as he explores, wanders and expounds upon the outer reaches of his instrument." 

Peter La Barbera, The Jazz Zine

 

Ratzo Harris is an innovative bassist and composer who has applied extended bass techniques while working and recording with some of the greatest musicians of our time.  Ken Werner, Judi Silvano, John Handy, Charles Lloyd, Joe Lovano, Jon Hendricks, Ted Curson, Tim Berne, Betty Carter, Helen Merrill, Les Paul, Joanne Brackeen, Joe Henderson, Jim Pepper, Bruce Arnold, and Betty Buckley are just a few of the artists who have repeatedly called on his services for concerts, tours and collaborations.



"Pianists have been tinkering with the guts of their instruments for nearly a century now, but it's altogether likely that no one has explored the art of prepared piano as diligently or creatively as hyperpianist Denman Maroney."

Time Out New York

Pianist and composer Denman Maroney takes his inspiration from John Cage, Ornette Coleman, Henry Cowell, Duke Ellington, Charles Ives, Scott Joplin, Olivier Messiaen, Thelonius Monk, Conlon Nancarrow, Harry Partch, and Karlheinz Stockhausen, among others. He uses extended performance techniques he calls hyperpiano and rhythmic ideas he calls temporal harmony to compose and improvise in multiple tempos. He has recorded as both a leader and sideman with an impressive roster of musicians, including Mark Dresser, Michael Sarin, Alexandra Montano, Mat Maneri, Leroy Jenkins, Min Xiao-Fen, Rich O?Donnell, Ned Rothenberg, Dave Ballou, Kevin Norton, Matthias Ziegler, Earl Howard, Hans Tammen, Gerry Hemingway, Mary Rowell, Theo Bleckman, Dave Douglas, Phil Haynes, Robert Dick, and David Simons.

 

"Meyer added color changes with his ride cymbal. During Moore's bass solo Meyer displayed exceptionally skillful playing, using his snare in clairvoyant unity with Waldron's left-hand comping."

Earshot Jazz (Seattle)

 

Drummer Bob Meyer has had a long and distinguished career, playing and recording with Joe Lovano, John Scofield, Ed Schuller, Ken Werner, Judi Silvano, Perry Robinson, Glenn Moore, Cameron Brown, Andy Statman, Sheila Jordan, Ray Nance, Art Davis, Jaki Byard, Paul McCanless, Julian Priester, Gary Peacock, Peggy Stern, Bert Wilson, Diane Schurr, Stanley Cowell, Mal Waldron, David Friesen, Jim Pepper, Red Rodney, Itzhak Perlman, Arnie Lawrence, James Moody, Kirk Leitsey, Avishi Cohen, Wayne Horvitz, John Abercrombie, Drew Gress, Mike Bisio, Don Friedman, James Emery, Tony Malaby, Essiet Essiet, Santi Debriano, Vic Juris, Harvey Wainapel, Peter Barshay and Mel Martin among many others. He is co-leader of Jackalope with John Abercrombie and Loren Stillman; The New Quartet with Abercrombie, Adam Kolker, Johannes Weidenmuller; and his own group, Mount Airy, performs Jewish liturgical music in a modern improvisational style.