steve tibbetts: c/d

I think of the ones I've heard (a handful), Northern Song is the only one I enjoy enough to go back to once in a while. I guess I prefer placid Tibbetts to shred-y Tibbetts. And even on Northern Song, some of the "world musicTM" sounds grate on me a bit.

love his work and am loving these reflections, Austin!

It's been really fun and rewarding to go through his discography. I can't remember the last time I was able to do that and not really be disappointed by anything.

I thought I didn't have Big Map Idea but I do! And I'm listening to it now. So good.

I don't think there's anything 'world music (tm)' about what tibbetts, anderson and wise do at all. His/their engagement with these instruments is deep and highly individual and never just a flavor.

Austin are you going to listen to the albums he did with the monk? I've never heard those...

I don't know. I gave the first one a run on Spotify and it was little too vocally focused for my mood at that point. They're relatively cheap on Discogs. We'll see.

So is his name pronounced tib-ETs or TIB-its?

I always said it like the latter

Depends on what mood I'm in.

So apparently, there's a new record out. . .

I have very high expectations. Will check back in when I get it.

Oh shit please do

was just checking in to see what stuff of his is out there. this is a nice hendrix cover. (there are a lot of bad hendrix covers out there.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTNImbkQkow

spoiler alert, the new one is very very mellow & very very good.

Uhmm. . . fuck yeah?

100% fuck yeah

Haven't heard it yet but I just read Washington Post critic Chris Richards say:

Tibbetts’ exquisite new album, “Life Of,” is his strongest since 1989’s superb “Big Map Idea,” and is easily the most elegant of his career. Accompanied by longtime percussionist Marc Anderson and cellist Michelle Kinney, Tibbetts plays only with his fingertips — no pick — applying both hands to his fretboard, making his notes gently drip and streak.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/three-guitarists-head-into-the-beautiful-unknown-is-it-still-jazz/2018/05/18/1f6e8474-5ab7-11e8-858f-12becb4d6067_story.html?utm_term=.0e380a978281

Like I said: high expectations.

So this is all very encouraging.

I am very happy to report that to me this sounds closest to Northern Song, my favorite of his records. Just what I need right now.

This guy's never made a bad record though

Yeah, this is fantastic.

The heavier use of piano really ups the emotional ante a lot. It's definitely picking right up where the last two moody tracks on Natural Causes left off. I love how his later albums have no repetition in the songs. Very much feels like collective improvisation in that regard. And this new one is even more sparse than I had expected. It's a very hefty listen, for sure, but ultimately, eerily gorgeous.

Have been taking walks recently whilst listening to Steve's discography on shuffle. Something about walking around the now significantly less busy streets with his music is actually very comforting. In random order I hear these songs that I recognize in contexts that I don't; all while walking around familiar locations that now seem less familiar without the usual traffic and company of strangers.

Still never checked out the albums with Chöying Drolma. Seems like there's no time like the present.

hi this is tangential—

a while back he posted an ecm mixtape and it's predictably fantastic. some probably pretty obvious choices, but also some real curveballs. xpost to ECM: C/D, S&D

https://i.postimg.cc/PxjhWwJ5/20240426-103919.jpg

my inability to crop my own feet of the photo now has me drifting off to thoughts of shoegazing tibbetts... northern song / pygmalion fusion ftw.

on full fucking blast, on repeat. just to get that full stop at 2:40. you have no idea how much i want to be deaf. it will never be loud enough, so just give up. turn it all the entire fuck off.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGEwrT1QUxA

"palden rangjung" with choying drolma