The Wayward First Complete Recording
Bridge, 2025
9/10
Listen to The Wayward First Complete Recording
The Partch Ensemble, who happen to be a Grammy Award winning outfit specializing in the music and instruments of the iconoclastic American composer Harry Partch, brings us 6 pieces that surround spoken and written words of hobos and other characters.
“Barstow” opens the listen with 8 hitchhiker inscriptions from a highway railing in Barstow, CA, where animated percussion suits the bright storytelling, and “San Francisco” follows with the cries of 2 Newsboys on a foggy night in the ‘20s, where Derek Stein’s moody cello suits the ominous landscape.
In the middle, “The Letter” embraces strings and percussive ideas via a worldly appeal that relays a depression message from a hobo pal, while “U.S. Highball” soundtracks a transcontinental hobo trip thanks to the meticulous marimba from Erin Barnes.
Close to the end, Dan Rosenboom’s lively trumpet adds much to the playful album highlight, “Ulysses At The Edge”, and the improv version of the same track finishes with a spontaneous and adventurous spirit.
Partch was a true original and his mashing of spoken text and custom instruments makes this assembly both unconventional and imaginative.
Travels well with: Louis Karchin, Vol. 4- Tribute To The Angels; William Bland- Sonata No. 6 & No. 15