Tattarrattat — a word created by James Joyce in his opus Ulysses is a palindrome that refers to the specific rhythm of someone knocking on a door. For this week’s Audio Agitation, we take "tatarrattat" as our guiding light, our investigation of rhythm as it appears in instrumental melodies.
Audio Agitation presents songs that dart from cluttered to classical, sweet to strange.
The 442s: According to their bio, the 442s features “two outstanding members of the world-class St. Louis Symphony with two of the city’s finest jazz musicians.” The instrumentation is classical, but the approach is not. These musicians occasionally make use of other STL musicians like vocalist Erin Bode who sings on their past album. The group is slated to release a new album this year.
Animal Children: This self-titled album is the product of area percussionist Kaleb Kirby and was recorded at local studio Native Sounds. Kirby functions as a JazzU professor and has appeared with Tommy Halloran's Guerrilla Swing outfit. Kirby’s control is most evident on the album track Plus | Minus. The 442s maestro Adam Maness appears on the album as well.
Marble // Wall: Last year, area percussionist Louis Wall and classically trained Nika Marble began filtering classical music through experimental riffs and rhythmic structures. The music is at times familiar and jagged, as if you pushed a Satie-centric player piano filled with kitchen implements down the stairs. It’s a good thing. The pair plays primarily acoustic improvisation sets and have yet to release a proper album.
