Tag: The Transparent Quartet

The Merry Frolics of Satan

Post author By Phillip Johnston
Post date 27 November 2014
2 Comments on The Merry Frolics of Satan

The Transparent Quartet: The Merry Frolics of Satan

Released in 1999 via Koch, and re-released in 2014 via Asynchronous Records.

This is a studio recording of Johnston’s scores for eight films by the French master of the fantastic Georges Méliès.

“Saxist Johnston is a conceptualist with a sense of humor and history. Here, he and the Transparent Quartet present spirited music for short films by silent-cinema pioneer Georges Melies. Jazz wriggles in, as do cabaret, klezmer, avant garde, and pop stylings evocative of the early 20th century, sounding fresh on the brink of the 21st.”

– Josef Woodard, Entertainment Weekly

Albums by The Transparent Quartet

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Page of Madness

Phillip Johnston: Page of Madness Released in 2019 via Asynchronous Records. Page of Madness is a live recording of Johnston’s…

Rub Me the Wrong Way

Phillip Johnston: Rub Me The Wrong Way Released in 2004 via Innova This CD features a series of compositions written…

The Needless Kiss

The Transparent Quartet: The Needless Kiss Released in 1998 via Koch Jazz. “The Needless Kiss, the latest recording by Johnston’s…

Tags Asynchronous Records, The Transparent Quartet

Recordings

Page of Madness

Phillip Johnston: Page of Madness

Released in 2019 via Asynchronous Records.

Page of Madness is a live recording of Johnston’s score for Teinosuke Kinugasa’s 1926 silent Japanese masterpiece. This recording was done at Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater by Jon Rosenberg. It was performed by The Transparent Quartet.

Media

“…an engaging and absorbing piece of chamber jazz composition/improvisation by a highly skilled band.”

– Mark Corroto, All About Jazz. (USA)

“…one of the richest forms of written jazz, plucked from the air by the musicians with great intelligence and immense emotional power. “

– Noël Tachet, Improjazz (FRANCE)

“…really excellent.”

– Beppe Colli, Clouds and Clocks. (ITALY)

“…like a clown gone bad…”

-Dave Mandl, The Wire (UK)

Tags Asynchronous Records, The Transparent Quartet

Recordings Uncategorized

Rub Me the Wrong Way

Phillip Johnston: Rub Me The Wrong Way

Released in 2004 via Innova

This CD features a series of compositions written and performed live for the choreographer Keely Garfield, for several different groups, over the late 90s. They have been described by critics as both ‘sweet’ and ‘sourly bouncy’.

Purchase the album from Innova Records

“Immensely charming and just a bit wonderfully weird.”

– Bruce Gallanter, DMG

“Fans of Nino Rota, Frank Zappa and John Zorn will find much to admire.

– John Shand, Sydney Morning Herald

Tags Innova, The Transparent Quartet

Recordings Retrospective

The Needless Kiss

Post author By Phillip Johnston
Post date 18 August 1998

The Transparent Quartet: The Needless Kiss

Released in 1998 via Koch Jazz.

“The Needless Kiss, the latest recording by Johnston’s Transparent Quartet, is full of nineteen-fifties formalism (West Coast cool, Modern Jazz Quartet subtlety), which Johnston gleefully personalizes with sharp phrasings and free jazz tangents. It’s all held together by Johnston’s fine alto-saxophone work and superb soprano-saxophone playing, and by a drummerless unit that makes imaginative use of vibes, piano, baritone saxophone, and bass.”

—Steve Futterman, The New Yorker.

Albums by The Transparent Quartet

All Posts
Bands
Concert Music
Contemporary Film
Current
Musical-Theatre-Opera-Dance
Recordings
Retrospective
Silent Film & Comics
Uncategorized

Tags Asynchronous Records, The Transparent Quartet