States of Play - Solos & Duos by John McDonald and Robert Carl

States of Play - Solos & Duos by John McDonald and Robert Carl

BRIDGE 9564 (Bridge Records, CD)

FIRST RELEASE (18 November 2022)

Playing time: 66'22"
Tracks: 10
Booklet pages: 16
℗ 2022 Bridge Records Inc
© 2022 Bridge Records Inc
Main country of recording: United States of America
Reviewer: John Dante Prevedini
Review of States of Play - Solos & Duos by John McDonald and Robert Carl published on 5 January 2023

Robert Black, double bass (track 3)
Scott Woolweaver, viola (tracks 5 and 6)
John McDonald, piano

Robert Carl:

1 From the Ground Up

John McDonald:

2 Snowfall in Two Parts

Robert Carl:

3 Surge

4 Blues Box

Excavating the Perfect Farewell
5 Digging
6 Leave-Taking

John McDonald:

7 At Pelham Lookout

Robert Carl:

8 What's Underfoot

Robert Carl / John McDonald:

A Gift ... And an Invitation
9 1:Free Prelude

Robert Carl:

A Gift ... And an Invitation
10 2:Fugue

'States of Play', solos and duos by Robert Carl and John McDonald, features bassist Robert Black, violist Scott Woolweaver, and John McDonald, playing the keyboard parts of the solos and duos with the string players. The recording is a retrospective of joint projects undertaken over the past couple of decades by Carl and McDonald. McDonald writes that 'as longtime creative friends and mutual admirers, it seemed natural to team up here with Robert, Robert, and Scott for some "excavating" as well as some new discovering. "States of Play" thus represents this rediscovery-by-excavating, primarily through Robert Carl's music written between 1987 and 2018. Following Robert's invitation to contribute some music of my own, I've offered two piano pieces to this States of Play lineup that were both completed during 2016 and 2017.' A special collaboration!

Recorded 31 March-1 April 2004 at Berkman Auditorium/Hartt Recording Studio, Hartford, CT (tracks 5 and 6), 21 December 2005 (track 3) and 21 February 2006 (tracks 1 and 4) at Riverview Productions, Gill, MA and 23 September 2018 at Distler Hall, Granoff Music Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA (tracks 2 and 7-10).