Rub Me The Wrong Way
(innova 626)

I first met Keely Garfield in the 1990's when she choreographed her piece "The Adventures of Slap & Tickle" to my composition "The Waltz of the Recently Punished Catholic School Boys" from the record Beauty Based on Science by The Microscopic Septet. When I went to see her work for the first time, I felt an immediate kinship with, and admiration for her unique vision; she has developed an original dance language of her own, akin to the personal musical language of a Thelonious Monk or a Steve Lacy. On hearing the name of her company, Sinister Slapstick, it struck me that this might be a good description of my own music. We immediately hit it off and decided to create some original work together. What resulted was a wonderful collaboration that has lasted a number of years, some of which is represented on this record.

Minor Repairs Necessary

• Whodunnit - (4:19)
• Jitter Duel - (2:36)
• Crash - (2:57)
• Mermaids - (5:17)
• Float - (1:47)
• Cliffs - (2:39)
• Knight - (4:51)
• Family - (2:25)
• Birds - (2:44)
• Comfort - (2:38)
• Nightmare - (5:45)

Rub Me The Wrong Way

• Rub Me The Wrong Way - (15:52)

The Further Adventures of Slap and Tickle

• Slap - (3:13)
• Ta Da - (1:28)
• Tango - (3:37)
• Windmill - (0:49)
• Tickle - (5:53)
  
  

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  Credits
  
  Minor Repairs Necessary
  Phillip Johnston, soprano saxophone; Mark Josefsberg, vibraphone;
  Jonathan Dryden, piano; Lindsey Horner, bass.
  Except: Nurit Tilles, piano (Birds)
  
  Recorded July 10th & 28th 2003 at Peter Karl Studios, Brooklyn, NY
  engineer: Peter Karl
  
  Rub Me The Wrong Way
  Phillip Johnston, soprano saxophone; Will Holshouser, accordion;
  Lindsey Horner, bass; Barbara Merjan, drums;
  
  Recorded May 11, 2003 at Loho Studios, NYC
  Engineer: Jason Candler; 2nd engineer, Tom Gloady; 3rd engineer, Christian Bruccoveri.
  
  The Further Adventures of Slap and Tickle
  Phillip Johnston, tenor saxophone, Mark Josefsberg, vibraphone;
  Joe Ruddick, piano; David Hofstra, bass.
  
  Recorded 4/15-17, 1998 at Tedesco Studios, NJ;
  Engineer: Jon Rosenberg; Digital Editing by Tom Tedesco.
  
  To Purchase, go to Innova Recordings
  
  Reviews:
  
  "Rub Me the Wrong Way consists of music that was originally composed for three separate dance performances entitled (a) Minor Repairs Necessary, (2) Rub Me the Wrong Way, and (3) The Further Adventures of Slap & Tickle. These tracks stand up on their own without the visuals, proving that Phillip Johnston is a true musician with a real flair for composition. Instead of being overproduced, these tracks are sparse...relying on the bare essential elements (most tracks feature no more than four musicians). These smooth sounding cuts are as easy as pie on the ears...and showcase Johnston's prowess on the saxophone. Much of today's modern jazz is cluttered with an overabundance of spontaneous noise..but this is not the case here. Restraint is the word for the day, as Johnston and his associates prove that you can be hipper than the hippest...by playing less instead of more. This is a beautiful and absorbing album featuring seventeen compositions that are reminiscent of some of the great jazz artists of decades gone by. Quite serene...and very real." (Rating: 5++)
  --babysue.com.
  
  Philip Johnston's unique approach to jazz mixes nostalgic sounding music with forward thinking approaches and his ever present humor, as on his earlier CDs as a leader and compositions when he was a part of the Microscopic Septet. This CD features three separate works written for Keely Garfield's modern dance company, which is appropriately called Sinister Slapstick. Minor Repairs Necessary is made up of eleven separate dances, all featuring Johnston's inventive soprano sax with vibraphonist , bassist Lindsey Horner and pianist Jonathan Dryden (Nurit Tiles subs on one track). “Whodunnit", the quirky opener, features Johnston alternating with each of his sidemen in a playful manner. “Jitter Duel" at first suggests the influence of Ella Fitzgerald's old hit “Hernando's Hideaway" in a duet for bass and vibes, then Johnston's mournful yet hilarious soprano sax takes center stage. Dryden suggests early ragtime piano in “Crash," while “Cliffs" suggest a bizarre march, first serious and then comical. “Rub Me the Wrong Way," the centerpiece of this release, is an extended single movement work which substitutes Will Holshouser's accordion for the piano and drummer Barbara Merjan takes the place of the vibes. This many- faceted work exhibits the influence of klezmer music and some tight unison playing. Johnston switches to tenor sax for the last piece, The Further Adventures of Slap & Tickle, with Josefsberg returning on vibes and pianist Joe Ruddick and bassist David Hofstra also on hand. This work easily eclipses earlier attempts by better known artists to write and perform jazz oriented dance music. It's a shame that there isn't at least one video clip of the dancers performing to this fascinating music, but that might have excessively increased production costs for this delightful CD by Philip Johnston.
  
  Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
  
  On the surface, Johnston's goal for this disc was indeed to rub me the wrong way. The title track begins as an accordion-driven polka, then launches into a series of starts and stops, demonstrating all of the awkwardness of a Midwestern boy dancing at his first church social. Then it inexplicably morphs into a chaotic Dixieland jazz solo. However, despite these seemingly intentional attempts to annoy, the results are kind of charming -- the disarming, down-home mood buoys the rest of the album as well. Johnston, who switches between tenor and soprano saxophones, plays with a clear, honest tone that gives the music a boost. Whether he's working the spy-noir sounds of the five-part suite of "The Further Adventures of Slap & Tickle" or the off-kilter Pee Wee Herman orchestration of the eleven part "Minor Repairs Necessary", Johnston and his backing band play their odd compositions honestly and with affection. This makes odd shifts and corny melodies completely engaging, elevating them above the kitsch in which they might otherwise have become mired.
  
  Ron Davies, Splendid Magazine
  
  Email Phillip Johnston.
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