Label: Pi Recordings, 2026
Personnel - Marc Ribot: guitar; James Brandon lewis: tenor saxophone (#1,6); Brian Settles: tenor saxophone (#3); Briggan Krauss: alto saxophone (#2,4,5); Hilliard Greene: bass (#1,3,6); Sebastian Steinberg: bass (#2,4,5); Chad Taylor: drums, percussion.
Three years after the excellent Connection, created with his premier trio Ceramic Dog, and on the heels of last year’s vocal-centered album Map of a Blue City, guitarist and composer Marc Ribot returns with a new iteration of his acclaimed quartet Spiritual Unity (mainly dedicated to the music of Albert Ayler), which featured the peculiar bassist Henry Grimes, the unchained trumpeter Roy Campbell Jr., and the powerhouse drummer Chad Taylor. The former two have passed away, but the latter still holds the rhythm chair of a mutable quartet that alternates saxophonists and bassists across two different sections. The album title, Hurry Red Telephone, was taken from Richard Siken’s autobiographical poem “Several Tremendous”, which described his efforts to rebuild his ability to write and speak while recovering from a stroke.
“New Monsters” is a 15-minute odyssey featuring the compulsive bagpipe sounds of David Watson in a Scottish-style avant-jazz foray complemented by electric guitar, Hilliard Greene’s droning arco bass, and Taylor’s quick, toms-focused drum runs with cymbal color. Saxophonist James Brandon Lewis brings a joyously raucous jamboree over a bass groove that uncorks a series of funky guitar chops. Another bass groove in seven is laid down for Ribot’s solo within a deeper rock context, and a sax-guitar figure in five is spotted by the end.
“Faucets of Terrible” is layered with cross-rhythm currents as Ribot exposes a central odd-metered riff, with the band progressively taking it to a chaotic climax where altoist Briggan Krauss intensifies the texture with unruly passion. “Ghost of Sleeping” showcases a more lyrical side, acquiring the poignancy of a Cuban song, a fact that doesn’t stop Ribot and Krauss from amping it up before Taylor and bassist Sebastian Steinberg return to sultry, melancholic tones.
“Gnat” is a visceral, high-intensity avant-garde experiment that brings to mind Sonny Sharrock’s scorching riffery. Greene’s powerful bass activity, together with Taylor’s modern swinging style, invites tenorist Brian Settles to explore rough edges in his soloing time.
The album widens its views with beautiful renditions of two songs by Haitian classical guitarist Frantz Casséus, with whom Ribot studied as a teenager in New York City: “Nan Guinan” is a classical hymn turned spiritual avant-garde exultation at the hands of Lewis, while “Rara” relies on an exuberant rhythm typical of African-derived Caribbean folk music.
Ribot’s eclecticism and rebelliousness have been treasured by a devoted legion of fans who embrace the crossroads of styles, influences, and pointed political shouts with enthusiasm. They will certainly be delighted with the principle of spontaneity that governs these performances.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - New Monster ► 03 - Gnat ► 05 - Nan Guinan