Program:

Baym Rebyn in Palesteena [3:37]
The Cat and the Rooster [3:23]
3+3+3+3+2+2 [6:20]
The Awakened Somnambulist [4:12]
To the Little Radio [1:38]
Morrocan Jig [6:12]
Stolen Tango [8:37]
Divertissements for Performing Bears [2:53]

total time: 36:49
released:1997

label: Self produced
Order from: www.3legtorso.com
e-mail: CVondrehl@aol.com

Review by Joe Natoli:

3 Leg Torso is just about as creative as a group can get with defining their name.  It conjures up all kinds of images and thoughts about how they arrived at the name as well as what significance it bears to the performers and/or to the music they represent.  In my experience, a creatively titled group usually leads way to creative music, and 3 Leg Torso did not disappoint me in that arena.  They have come up with a selection of tracks on this CD that is definitely creative, off the beaten path, a little odd yet at the same time very accessible.  Also, one gets the sense that this team of performers made a commitment to themselves to pursue their vision of what they would like to perform, without compromise.  I applaud them for that, even though I don't always have a special affinity for some of their compositional materials.  But that is a matter of personal taste, rather than a value judgment.  They pursued their musical vision for this CD consistently from beginning to end, which is never an easy feat.

An aspect of Torso that I really enjoyed is that they do not sound like an "accordion band" even though Courtney Von Drehle (the group's accordionist) took part in most of the composing and/or arranging of a large percentage of the tracks.  This lack of "accordionistic" thinking enables Mr. Von Drehle to pursue music that is evocative, varied, non cliché, and also not pre-defined by the accordion's sound.  The other two regular instrumentalists in Torso (Bela Balogh on violin and Gabe Leavitt on cello) also help to provide a set of musical tools that bring one's attention away from the accordion as a solo instrument, thereby letting it become a much stronger team player in the sonic environment the group tries to develop.  My one compositional objection however, is that it would have been great to hear the two string instruments used in more lyrical and melodic roles occasionally.  The cello especially has such a wonderful capability of blending with the accordion when its vocal quality is used.  I found myself longing for the potential of that lyricism every time the cello was relegated again to the role of staccato eighth note accompaniment.

While I am delving into constructive criticism, let me mention another obvious oddity about the CD.  Torso has gone to great lengths it seems to put some creativity into their CD art work as well.  Just like the musical contents, it is creative, odd enough to be very interesting, and has a very "art noveau" kind of quality to it.  For example the title "3 Leg Torso" is done in three different fonts (one of which looks like it is a hand-written paste-in correction) as you can see from the image above.  Also, the photographs are very "hip" and unusual.  I especially like the one on the back cover, which looks very strange at first until one realizes all three members are being photographed upside down on a set of steps (see photo on left).   The titles of each of the CD tracks are also just as unusual and evocative.  Yet with all of this cosmetic creativity abounding on the CD, there are no liner notes!  Nothing to explain anything about the group, how they got their name, how they arrived at some of their very interesting track titles, or any interesting background information on how some of the pieces were developed.  I think listeners would really appreciate knowing how "The Cat and the Rooster", or "Divertissements for Performing Bears" got their names and their compositional materials.  It would be entertaining reading and would really help the listener get deeper into the music.  Since the group has conjured up some very programmatic titles, it would have seemed logical for them to offer a readable program as well.  Similarly, there seem to be frequent returns on this CD to quasi Greek/Arabic/Mid Eastern rhythms and scales for compositional impetus.  Some liner notes on where the group developed and the background of each of the musicians might help the listener understand the revisiting of these styles on many of the tracks.

At any rate, back to the music.  As I mentioned above, the music delves into Mid Eastern influences frequently.  Some of those attempts were more attractive than others.  My favorites on the CD however were the tracks that seemed to be born out of a Piazzolla influence ("The Cat and the Rooster" and "The Stolen Tango").  Each of these compositions seems to hover around tonal and atonal worlds simultaneously (as Piazzolla's music often does), which seems to inject copious amounts of passion and intrigue into the music.  "The Cat and the Rooster" has a very long, 35 second tension building ensemble crescendo at the 2 minute mark in the piece, which immediately falls into a very stealthy mysterioso section and ends on a somewhat unresolved version of the first motif.  This type of unpredictability (harmonically and structurally) is what is so attractive about this and many of the other tracks in the compilation.

Track #3, "3+3+3+3+2+2" is also a very interesting composition and has a few noteworthy unexpected twists and turns.  The theme itself is a very memorable and singable "hook".  The theme however gets juxtaposed with more adventurous harmonic materials in the answering phrases.  All of this modal/atonal material gets mixed together in the compositional soup as the piece drives towards a climax at the 3 minute mark, ending on a very Penderecki-like upward glissando from the violin.  It is quite an exciting moment and I am sure this effect is even better on one of their live concerts.  The rhythms (as the title suggests) are more complex than the typical 4/4 or 3/4, yet the group manages to keep the ensemble very tight and organized and executes the difficult rhythms cohesively.  The return to the thematic material two-thirds's into the piece with the mysterioso and glassy sounding "sul ponticello" violin followed by the "sul tasto" violin section a few bars later is very tasty and attractive.  The cello is playing a stealthy ostinato underneath this texture, which is very effective at building tension leading into the next section. There is an elegant return to some of the main thematic materials before the piece comes to a close.  A very nicely conceived composition.

Also, I would be remiss if I did not mention the fine assistance on Track #1 and Track #6 by percussionist Brian Laverne Davis.  His antique cymbals, finger cymbals, triangles, tabla-like drums, and other percussion added a lot of color and drive to these more rhythmic tracks and were quite a welcome addition.  Additionally there are some pretty exciting violin pyrotechnics on Track #6 ("Morrocan Jig") with violinist Bela Balogh.

My only major objection on the CD was Mr. Von Drehle's usage of his accordion's Master register switch predominantly on each and every track (even on the softer more exposed sections).  The accordion has so much more color to offer any ensemble setting than just the Master switch.  The cello especially blends beautifully with single middle and single low register switches.  Hopefully these are just oversights of inexperience and we will find the accordion's color potential used more completely on future Torso offerings.

All-in-all, 3 Leg Torso is a very interesting CD well worth hearing.  I'm guessing 3 Leg Torso (the group) is even more interesting to hear live, especially since they probably take some time with the audience to cover those things that were missing on this CD with the absence of the liner notes.  Their repertoire as I said is odd, in a very creative and interesting way.  And although the level of playing has its rough edges at times, this is what adds to the charm of the music.  Their performances have the same edge and intensity of a group of street or gypsy musicians who really love performing and simply play the hell out of their creations, even when the performances are not always "classically" perfect.   Although, one gets the sense that these are very accomplished musicians who love what they are doing and thoroughly enjoy presenting it to the rest of the world with determination and passion.

As a footnote, let me congratulate the designer of the 3 Leg Torso CD cover, Dawn Kish.  She is a real graphic arts talent with a sharp eye for creating distinctive and memory-burning CD designs.  I'm sure she has a great career already or is headed towards one.  Bravo Dawn!  I'll certainly know whom to call if I ever need CD cover myself someday.