Rough Spaces
Self-Released, 2022
8/10
A veteran composer and arranger who can handle a violin with much skill, Tom Swafford brings us 18 very unique, improvised tunes here, where punk, jazz, folk, experimental and classical ideas are all present and appreciated.
“The Surrogate” opens the listen with the swift and dynamic string manipulation unfolding with a very intense and focused delivery, and “Worms” follows with strong attention to mood as Swafford plucks and bows with much allure.
Further on, “Brain Pig” is quite inventive with the violin emitting both playful and stirring gestures, while “Wyoming” is a bit dreamy, cinematic, and mesmerizes us with its complicated yet accessible tones.
Deeper still, “Evacuate Now” quivers with a very technical spirit that’s incredibly meticulous, and “Floating Out To Sea” exits with both calm and firm bouts of well timed progressions.
An album that soundtracks the experience of the pandemic on Swafford and his wife, as a full time subway performer he was left with no way to monetize his skills, and the pair were left to deal with physical space challenges, as well as mental space issues. Like any good artist, he parlayed that difficult time into an exciting body of work with a solo violin listen that few, if anyone, could replicate.
Travels well with: Jason Kao Hwang- Uncharted; The Nels Cline 4- Currents, Constellations