9 Horses - Perfectest Herald '2015

Tracks list

“Anything you do creatively is autobiographical. And catharsis is built
into any creative act.” 

Composer and mandolin player Joseph Brent knows how to reinvest emotion
harvested from heartbreak. The exquisite music that he composed for the ensemble
9 Horses’ new release Perfectest Herald provides an aural storyboard of
sorrow and renewal, making his own words ring true. 

Brent is a master mandolin player, who plays a custom-built 10-string instrument
by luthier Brian Dean. He has been featured playing classical music with
numerous orchestras and popular and improvised music with a number of artists,
including Regina Spektor, Stephane Grappelli and Alan Ferber. 

As stories are best recalled by their writers, Brent is also a member of the 9
Horses ensemble, whose name comes from a Billy Collins poem that uses the
metaphor of a simple gift as a key to a deep emotional bond. Naturally,
ensembles are built through relationships. Brent met bassist Shawn Conley
through a mutual acquaintance, and based on Conley’s amazing facility and
musicality, as he is equally versed in jazz and classical music, Conley quickly
became a member of Brent’s working ensemble. 

Brent became acquainted with the extraordinary improvising violinist Sara
Caswell when they performed together at Carnegie Hall. Caswell has become one of
the leading lights of creative violin playing, as well as a highly sought
collaborative partner with the likes of Roseanna Vitro and Esperanza Spalding.
Their musical kinship led to duo performances, an EP release, and the eventual
formation of 9 Horses, an unusual string trio that finds influence in jazz,
roots, indie rock and classical music. 

The intent of the ensemble was to use their three humble acoustic instruments to
communicate large ideas and emotions, once again imbibing the ethos of Collins,
taking simple things and finding a grandeur in them. The trio does this with
aplomb, as the music they make is filled with energy, heart and empathy. 

The title of the album stems from Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing,
the Bard eliciting the speechless elation of Claudio in receiving
Beatrice’s hand. The title is also the name of a four-part suite that is
the centerpiece of the album. 

The recording begins with guest percussionist (and album engineer) Ben Wittman
kicking off “Monochrome Shoe #2,” a feisty Brazilian choro-inspired
number with powerful solos from Conley and Caswell. The following track,
“Snow Musik,” is Brent’s ode to the power of a simple melody
that sticks with the listener, actually providing two in the tune’s
contrasting sections. 

But it is with the beginning of “Perfectest Herald” that the album
takes a turn as the joy and optimism of the first two pieces begins to fray.
“Movement I: 4K” is mostly through-composed and based on a rock
riff, as tension begins to build into “Movement II: listening to the
Elliott Smith discography in reverse order,” which was written during an
especially traumatic period where Brent did exactly as the song’s title
suggests while running in Central Park. The movement opens with Conley’s
expressive bass solo before giving way to a simple theme which is treated to a
multitude of permutations, wending its way through Middle Eastern 
music, jazz, and a finally a fugue which leads to the track’s chaotic
finish. 

Inspired by the philosophy of a helpful friend, “Movement III: the socket
doesn’t know its power until it’s inspired by the plug”
features an R&B-inspired riff and Caswell’s gorgeous Hardanger
d’amore playing. The title of “Movement IV: when the wolf comes
home” comes from a line in the Mountain Goats’ song “Up the
Wolves,” and is grievingly quiet for much of the piece until it builds
into a spectacular apotheosis and a ruminative coda; a catharsis of sorts, but
one shaded in ambiguity. 

The palate cleansing “NaNo” is a simple ballad which again features
Caswell’s soaring Hardanger playing, while the driving “every
journey is a desperate act” amplifies the urgency of the ensemble with
Wittman’s cajon and steel drums along with another electrifying solo from
Caswell. The recording concludes with the lilting “Don’t
Rush,” an introspective, soulful piece that brings the story of the album
to a close. 

Inspiration, art, and accrued wisdom are often the silver linings of traumatic
experiences. Loss and heartbreak have inspired some of the most moving pieces of
art and music. It is no surprise that a talent like Joseph Brent could take his
own heartbreak and turn it into a wonderful musical vehicle for a standout group
like 9 Horses. Perfectest Herald is a beautifully conceived recording that
cannot be ignored. 

Joe Brent - 10-string mandolin 
Sara Caswell - violin (1-4, 6, 8, 9) & Hardanger damore (2, 5, 7) 
Shawn Conley - bass 
Ben Wittman - percussion (1, 7, 8)

Tracklist:
01. 9 Horses - Monochrome Shoe#2 (5:05)
02. 9 Horses - Snow Musik (5:57)
03. 9 Horses - Perfectest Herald I: 4K (12:30)
04. 9 Horses - Perfectest Herald II: listening to the Elliott Smith discography
in reverse order (9:45)
05. 9 Horses - Perfectest Herald III: the socket doesn’t know its power
until it’s inspired by the plug (5:58)
06. 9 Horses - Perfectest Herald IV: when the wolf comes home (9:35)
07. 9 Horses - NaNo (6:35)
08. 9 Horses - Every journey is a desperate act (6:15)
09. 9 Horses - Don’t Rush (6:00)

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