Releasing via Unheard Of Hope.
Independent label Unheard Of Hope have announced plans for a new series of Arthur Russell covers scheduled to release on 7″ vinyl.
Titled Small Wonder and comprising six releases, the series is set to feature contributions from the likes of Stereolab songwriter Lætitia Sadier, Efterklang alumni Peter Broderick and trombonist Peter Zummo, who is broadly known and revered for his numerous contributions to the works of Russell. Broderick and Zummo’s respective renditions of ‘All-Boy All-Girl’ and ‘Tone Bone Kone’ arrive digitally today with a vinyl pressing to follow soon.
Discussing their interpretations, the two musicians elaborate
“‘All-Boy All-Girl’ has been one of my favourite Arthur Russell tracks for years. I never thought to cover it before because, like most the material on the World Of Echo album, it is hard to pin down what exactly the song itself is. What is the song, what is the production, and what is the performance? It’s all very amorphous, and I love that about it. When asked to cover an Arthur track for this project, I thought I’d finally give this song a try.”
“One day when we were working in the rehearsal studio, Arthur mentioned his idea of a song called ‘Tone Bone Kone’. We talked about it but I never heard any music. I wondered about what role the trombone could take on. Later, I was surprised and pleased to hear his solo version on the World Of Echo album. For a few years, I’ve tried it with colleagues here in New York, looking for a group approach to Arthur’s cello/delay vamp. Just before the pandemic hit in March 2020, I had some concerts in the UK with Peter Broderick, Joe Carvell, Mabe Fratti and Sebastian Rojas. We played ‘Tone Bone Kone’ as our encore. This recording builds on the live energy the group was getting into at the close of those concerts.”
Hear both covers below.
1/1 is out now digitally via Unheard Of Hope.
Words by Sam Wilkinson.
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Fruit and Grooves Collective 