So There CD

The pairing of post-bop bassist Steve Swallow and minimalist modern poet Robert Creeley is much more apt than it may appear at first. Both artists are interested in improvisation, in the concision and contortion of line, in breath, and in the textures of both accessible and avant-garde aesthetics.

SO THERE features Swallow's compositions for string quartet, bass, and piano set to Creeley's readings of his own work. Swallow's surging, atmospheric music perfectly complements the poet's laconic recitations so that each artist creates an attractive, intriguing frame for the other. Combining jazz and poetry can be a potentially dicey prospect, but it works very well on SO THERE.

Personnel: Steve Swallow (double bass); Robert Creeley (spoken vocals); Henrik Hannisdal, Odd Hannisdal (violin); Marek Konstantynowicz (viola); Morten Hannisdal (cello); Steve Kuhn (piano); Cikada String Quartet.

Recording information: Kunsthogskolen, Oslo; The Make Believe Ballroom, West Shokan, New York (2001 - 2005).

JazzTimes (p.116) - "Creeley reads once again...his kindly, unpretentious voice takes on a special poignancy."