High-flying quality

Paul Riley relishes a refreshing recital of contemporary music

By Ken Smith

New music stars find a groove they like and stick to it

The new-music group eighth blackbird (the lower-case spelling apparently an ee cummings take on Wallace Stevens’s “Thirteen Ways …”) have clearly become one of the stars of contemporary composition. Like the Kronos Quartet, the Bang on a Can All-Stars or, more recently, the string quartet Ethel, they’re among the few ensembles who remain instantly identifiable in whatever they’re playing, almost like a rock band that’s developed a distinctive sound and stuck with it.

By Andrew Quint

Don’t think you’ve got the discipline and concentration to tackle new, cutting-edge music? Let eighth blackbird be your guide. There’s nothing sterile or forbidding about any of the selections on this CD. Yes, some of the music is “difficult.” But each of the six works, by five American/Canadian composers no older than 50, should be immediately engaging to any open-minded listener.

By Ian Quinn

The young Pierrot-plus-percussion ensemble eighth blackbird has released its fourth great disc in four years. These are mostly first recordings of pieces by young composers. (Mackey’s piece, the exception, is 20 years old and has been recorded before, but he was at least young when he wrote it.) Like the band itself, all the music is fresh, vibrant, exciting and slightly addictive—a younger version of Bang on a Can.

By Jesus Vega
Especial/El Nuevo Herald

El prestigioso y revolucionario ensemble Eight Blackbird, nos ofrece esta entrega de su trabajo musicológico donde la poesía y lo filosófico se fusionan con la innovación y el desafío, para darle un nuevo impulso al género de la música experimental contemporánea. [continues with English translation]

By Gregg Shapiro

It's a Queer Year

"Zaka," a 2003 composition by 2005 Outmusic-winning composer Jennifer Higdon, receives its world premiere recording on Strange Imaginary Animals (Cedille) by contemporary music ensemble eighth blackbird (which performed here last month in a Houston Friends of Music concert).