<BACK TO PROJECTS

A new CD of music composed by Phillip Johnston for dances choreographed by Keely Garfield. The CD features music for Garfield’s Minor Repairs Necessary, Rub Me The Wrong Way, and The Further Adventures Of Slap & Tickle.

To Purchase, go to Innova Recordings and for more information link to PhillipJohnston.com

Here is what Phillip has to say on the liner notes from the CD…
“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.” – Phillip Johnston

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.

”Phillip 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 Phillip 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