Customer Reviews

Book of Silk

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Book of Silk is an ancient Chinese manuscript that contains the first definitive comet atlas, which was an attempt by early astronomers to make sense of the world. For thousands of years, the appearance of a comet was thought to be a portent of impending calamities such as earthquakes, draughts, floods, plagues, or the fall of empires or kings. In the case of Tin Hat Trio, comets have come to represent disasters already transpired; the trio recorded the album only months after the sudden drowning death last year of Mark Orton's wife, singer-songwriter and artist Lauren Orton. Her presence is palpable throughout the album.

While Book of Silk isn't all shades of gray (there are several up-tempo pieces), I will agree with another Amazon reviewer that its overall mood is a bit more somber than previous efforts. "Osborne Ave." is a mournful and elegiac solo piano piece that features a beautiful, low-brass reprise. "The Longest Night" is equally melancholy. Carla Kihlstedt's "Pablo Looks Back" is a brief but beautiful nod to Sergio Leone, complete with whistling, and the avant-garde music box creak-and-moan of "Elliott Carter Family" would be at home on many a horror film soundtrack if not for the quiet little melody tucked away near its conclusion. The final two songs serve as a kind-of yin and yang response to Lauren's tragic passing. While "Lauren's Lullaby" is a bittersweet, bluegrass-tinged eulogy, "Empire of Light" (dedicated to Lauren Elizabeth Orton), with the sweet and plaintive vocals of Carla Kihlstedt, has a mournful but looking forward mood. The song conveys the sense that Lauren is looking down on the proceedings and smiling. With the overwhelming sadness of the events surrounding the song, lines like "Same blue skies that cheered me on a new day, they're not so far behind" are remarkable for their optimism.

From its inception, Tin Hat Trio has defied categorization. Featuring Rob Burger on accordion, prepared and toy pianos, celeste, marxophone and harmonica, Carla Kihlstedt on violin, viola, trumpet-violin, marxophone and voice, and Mark Orton on guitar, dobro, banjo, their music is equal parts Eastern European folk, klezmer, tango, blues, Americana, jazz, country and half a dozen other genres. The three core members are consummate, classically trained musicians all, their resumes (both as members of Tin Hat Trio and their various solo and side projects) are enough to impress even the most jaded music fan. For this album they are joined by Zeena Parkins, the avant-garde harp virtuoso known for her work with Bjork, and tuba master Bryan Smith from Deep Banana Blackout. While Parkins and Smith both contributed to Tin Hat Trio's previous effort, The Rodeo Eroded, their roles here have expanded greatly, expanding the trio to a working quintet.

If you are new to the music of Tin Hat Trio, Book of Silk and The Rodeo Eroded are equally great places to start. With so much of today's music being utterly disposable, Tin Hat Trio is making music that stands the test of time. Their emphasis on composition and improvisation sets them apart from most others on the musical landscape, and as musicians they have few equals. I look forward to hearing from them in the future.

Tin Hat Trio is one of the few groups whose CDs I buy on faith. I don't bother reading reviews beforehand; I'm happy to pay my money, since they haven't let me down yet. On "Book of Silk," the music is a more subdued (though not always quieter) than their past efforts. Like their other recordings, this CD pulled me in with its compelling compositions and stellar musicianship. The songs are varied, with songwriting credits divided fairly evenly between Orton, Burger, and Kihlstedt.

For those unfamiliar with Tin Hat Trio, the instrumentation includes guitar/pedal steel; piano/toy piano; and violin. They are often categorized as jazz, though I think it's more fair to say their work defies such pigeonholing (and I write this as a jazz fan). As I understand it, all three musicians are classically trained, yet they're experimental in their work. At the music store where I shop, a music clerk mentioned to me that whenever Tin Hat Trio's music is played in the store, a number of customers ask what they are listening to and purchase one of the group's CDs.

Undoubtedly, much will be made of the fact that "Book of Silk" is their first release since the very sad death of guitarist/composer Mark Orton's wife. In an interview with Orton that I read, he says that he penned the disc's first song (again, a melancholy piece) before the tragic event. Rather than draw unfounded connections between Orton's loss and the music on "Book of Silk," I think what's worth noting is that once again Tin Hat Trio has bested its previous efforts. The addition of the harpist and tuba player are lovely as well. I'll just end by saying that if you ever get the chance to see Tin Hat live (something I've had the pleasure of doing half a dozen times), do so. They are exhilarating and amazing in concert.

The melancholy, accordion tinged sound of the Tin Hat Trio vividly brings to mind one of my favorite films, Waking Life. The groups tango-seasoned jazz creates a colorful palate of sound for the listener to enjoy. The accordion sings, the violin sobs and the guitar sets a beautiful background for the two other melodic instruments. While these tree represent the main instruments in the trio, we hear everything from piano to dobro and even some low brass instruments on this album. The music weeps and spirals with emotion. The listener even gets a taste of some prepared piano and guitar with "Eliot Carter Family" which provides a striking contrast to the mellow piano and brass of the preceeding track "Osborne Avenue." Every track provides its own sense of color and emotion to the album.

The only qualm I have with the album is I would like to hear a little more melody and or soloing from the guitar. It primarily acts as a background instrument and while it is essential, the instrument tends to fade into the woodwork. Though, there is a little more six stringed exposure on the spirited "Things that might have been." Regardless of this, The colors and melodies served up by the Tin Hat Trio create a wonderful picture.

Personel:
Rob Burger- Piano, Accordion other keyboard instruments
Carla Kihlstedt- Violin , Viola ect.
Mark Orton- Guitar, Dobro

While not as sturdily put together as past albums, the trio still offers a unique synergy with their Parisian-by-way-of-Texas sound. They do provide stimulating minimal avant-garde soundscapes, but fuller-fleshed out compositions would have rounded out BOS into a more complete experience.

Don't believe the description for this item. The Japanese release does come in a nice slipcase, has the OBI strip, and a Japanese language insert but does NOT come with any bonus tracks or bonus multimedia material. It has 15 tracks like the domestic version and times out at 52:09. Still, you can't go wrong with this group so buy whichever version suits your wallet if you haven't already.

almost a year since this record came out, and here I am writing the third review. not even amazon could muster one up. personally, i think tin hat trio should be a household name by now, but i guess we'll have to wait till they break up and start the reunion tour. they deserve more fans, more shows,and more cash. besides all that, this record may be their most fascinating to date. while not as accessible as rodeo eroded, the songs rich textures will become more apparrent with each listen, making this a truly satisfying record. hopefully one of these days theyll get on the wrong plane and come play a show here in miami.

It is great. I tried to purchase another for a Christmas gift. But you cancelled the order due to inability to obtain it. I have since ordered a used one from one of your "stringers"... I have not yet received it. Unless I am the only one asking for this item,the publisher could be well advised to press more and market them. This title is a true classic. Karla Kihlstedt is and will continue to be a great talent in both modern and classical work.
Roger Hale

I first heard this music in a videogame. It was so surreal, so haunting and dreamlike I had to have it. So I bought the album. The first 5 songs create an awesome dreamscape and allow the imagination to go wild. There is a song or two though that's little more than noise, but that can be easily overlooked. The last song is the only one that has vocals, and it makes you wonder why the rest don't. It's very beautiful and enjoyable. As someone who normally listens to rock, I can easily switch to this and be entertained.