MARC RIBOT — Silent Movies (review)

MARC RIBOT — Silent Movies album cover Album · 2010 · Jazz Related Improv/Composition Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
snobb
Marc Ribot is one of the musicians you never know what to wait from their next release. After rock-noisy album with Ceramic Dogs and exotic participation on RIO/avant-pop release of Russian band's Auctyon,it wasn't easy to expect what will come next.

Silent Movies is really surprising release even for unpredictable Ribot. This album is almost acoustic guitar only soundtracks for existing or non-existing movies. Ribot plays ascetic,almost minimalist melancholic compositions as a tribute to his love for old silent movies.

Obvious influence is Ribot's experience preparing for a live accompaniment of the Charlie Chaplin film The Kid at Merkin Concert Hall in January 2010 as part of the New York Guitar Festival. Two compositions are reworked soundtracks for real movie he recorded some time ago (for Natalia Almada’s documentary film about Mexican dictator Plutarco Elías Calles). Three more songs are future soundtrack for still unreleased movie "Drunk Boat". All compositions are original, only one ( “Sous le Ciel de Paris”) is coming from the classic French movie (and was a Edith Piaf's hit in its time).

Ribot's guitar playing is unusually lyrical (as much as you can expect it from Marc Ribot),without technical abilities demonstration and experimental sounds or noises. The only other sounds on the album are minimalistic overdubs,Ribot's vibraphone on one track and very ascetic effects from Keefus Ciancia. While Ribot isn't classic jazz guitarist,this album doesn't sound as "Friday Night In San-Francisco" for sure,but are closer to Bill Frisell's acoustic solo works,just with down town soul instead of Frisell's Americana.

Pleasant surprise,showing the different side of Ribot's artistic personality.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

Sued, Nandayapa, Bergmann, Saunders : Mad Dream Avant-Garde Jazz
BRUCE SAUNDERS
Buy this album from MMA partners
Juno What It Is Jazz Related Electronica/Hip-Hop
MATT TWADDLE
Buy this album from MMA partners
Blue House Session Hard Bop
MUNEER NASSER
Buy this album from MMA partners
Camera Obscura Post-Fusion Contemporary
PIERRE VAIANA
Buy this album from MMA partners
21days Post-Fusion Contemporary
SUKEZA BAND
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

Juno What Time It is
MATT TWADDLE
js· 17 hours ago
Sukeza Band - When She Dreams
SUKEZA BAND
js· 1 day ago
Zac Harmon - Stop the Killing
ZAC HARMON
js· 1 day ago
Richard x Bennett - SCAVENGER in 6 parts
RICHARD X BENNETT
js· 3 days ago
Rangelands (feat. Josiah Joyce & Ben Thompson)
COLIN TRUSEDELL
js· 4 days ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed