live album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
of
improvised
Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...
experimental music
Experimental music is a general label for any music or music genre that pushes existing boundaries and genre definitions. Experimental compositional practice is defined broadly by exploratory sensibilities radically opposed to, and questioning of, ...
Fred Frith
Jeremy Webster "Fred" Frith (born 17 February 1949) is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer, and improviser.
Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock ...
. It was recorded
Verona
Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Northern Italy, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and the ...
, Italy on 16 April 1999 and released by Recommended Records in April 2000. It was Frith and Cutler's third collaborative album.
The album title was derived from
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's play ''
The Two Gentlemen of Verona
''The Two Gentlemen of Verona'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1589 and 1593. It is considered by some to be Shakespeare's first play, and is often seen as showing his first tentative steps in laying ...
'', and the track names were taken from the play's act and scene titles.
Reception
In a review of ''2 Gentlemen in Verona'' at
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
, Thom Jurek described Cutler and Frith's performance as "a joyously brash and boisterous cacophony", and labelled the album "one of the greatest live duet improv recordings ever". Writing in '' All About Jazz'', Glenn Astarita called Cutler and Frith's set in Verona a "fascinating live exhibition" of "multi-textured pastiches ... abstract rhythms, otherworldly effects and mind-bending dialogue". Astarita rated the album "Highly recommended".
Reviewing the album in '' The Wire'', Philip Clark described ''2 Gentlemen in Verona'' as a "feral modern classic". He said Frith's "massed sonorities and simple singsong patterns" are accompanied by the "noisy, byzantine complexity" of Cutler's drums that from time to time settle down to "stretchy rock beats and rigid marching patterns".
In ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' Mike Joyce described the album as a "curious and quixotic excursion into freely improvised music", adding that despite the "odd sounds and surprising tangents", the duo remains on a "common wavelength, anticipating each other's moods and moves with quick speed and wit". Joyce wrote that anyone who has followed the career of Cutler and Frith will welcome this recording, but warned that the uninitiated may find it "unendurably indulgent".
David Ashcraft was more critical of the album. In a review in ''Exposé'' he wrote that this recording is "strictly for the hardcore fan of improvised exploration". He said that while it "showcases the improvisational talents" of Cutler and Frith, it is not without "hits and misses". Ashcraft felt that between "sublime moments of melody and emotion", there is "plenty of meandering and some dissonant sounds".
Fred Frith
Jeremy Webster "Fred" Frith (born 17 February 1949) is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer, and improviser.
Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock ...
.
Sources:
Liner notes
Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes.
Origin
Liner notes are desce ...
,
Discogs
Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...
, Fred Frith discography.
Personnel
* Chris Cutler – drums, electrified drums, flotsam
*
Fred Frith
Jeremy Webster "Fred" Frith (born 17 February 1949) is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer, and improviser.
Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock ...
– electrified guitars, voice, jetsam
Sources:
Liner notes
Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes.
Origin
Liner notes are desce ...
,
Discogs
Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...
, Fred Frith discography.
Sound and artwork
*Concert recorded and photographed by Sergio Amadori
*Edited and mastered by Chris Cutler at Wolf Studios, London, and Studio Midi-Pyrénées, La Borde Basse,
Caudeval
Caudeval (; Languedocien: ''Caudavalh'') is a former commune in the Aude department in southern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Val-de-Lambronne.Bob Drake at Studio Midi-Pyrénées
*CD cover and booklet design by Gregg Skerman
Sources:
Liner notes
Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes.
Origin
Liner notes are desce ...
,
Discogs
Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...