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ROBERT STILLMAN'S HORSES :
Horses is a collection of songs by
instrumentalist/composer Robert Stillman. Stillman
uses an eclectic sonic palette consisting of
saxophones, clarinets, old pianos, pump organs, and
drums to create short musical narratives that exist on
their own, but also work together to create a vivid,
self-contained world echoing the composer?s interest
in all things mysterious.
Though Horses is Stillman?s debut recording as a
leader, he is no newcomer to the music world. His
woodwind-arrangements and piano playing can be heard
on friend and labelmate Luke Temple?s recent release,
Hold A Match for a Gasoline World. Robert also lends
his drumming skills to the New York rock foursome The
End of The World and continues to make his presence
felt as a saxophonist on the improvised music scene
throughout the U.S. and Europe. In December of 2004, Stillman and a group of his
closest friends from Maine and New York holed up in
Seattle?s Avast Recording Company with engineer Troy
Tietjen (The Decemberists, Death Cab for Cutie) to
record the Horses repertoire for Mill Pond Records,
emerging a little over a week later with the seven
beautifully haunted-sounding tracks that comprise
Horses. From one listen it is clear Stillman took
full advantage of the recording studio?s resources to
shape a production that is at once delicate and
urgent; the sounds on Horses seem to live and breathe
as distinct characters in a wordless musical
narrative. One would be hard pressed to pin the music
down in terms of genre; though the shrewd listener may
be able to pick out hints of Stillman?s variant
musical influences, (among whom he counts Kurt Weill,
The Band, Milton Nascimento, Miles Davis, and Maurice
Ravel). It?s clear the music on Horses exists on its
own terms, a detailed musical territory unto itself. Since the January release of Horses, Stillman has been
presenting the repertoire in two different formats:
one is his original, experimental take on the one-
man-band tradition (a home-made set up of drums,
piano, melodica, tape loops, and other various
instruments, often played simultaneously), the other
is with a band of fellow multi-instrumentalist
Mainers. Recent notable Horses shows include Vassar
College, the Knitting Factory (NYC), American
University, The Cake Shop (NYC), and Zeitgeist Gallery
(Boston, MA). This summer, the band will travel west
to perform at the Bleeding Edge Festival in Santa
Cruz, California on a bill that also includes Yo La
Tengo, Black Dice, and Matmos. "...'Horses' whirls like a dancer in a slit skirt,
each slow turn and quick step showing you a glimpse of
something you desperately want to see again, and each
track another chance to capture it."
The Washington Examiner "In an age of so many genres and subgenres, it's
refreshing to come across a disc that defies
categorization. So it goes with 'Horses'... It's
elegant, graceful music that's in no rush to get
anywhere in a hurry..." Billboard "Stillman is a master of small gestures, and it's his
ability to let sound escape in measured doses--like an
author slowly revealing each wrinkle in a
potboiler--that makes Horses consistently engaging."
Magnet "Stillman exhibits an enviable aptitude for quiet
experimentation in his compositions, testing
boundaries and taking subtle chances without
alienating his audience." Dusted
ROBERT STILLMAN'S HORSES :
News:
Robert Stillman?s ?Horses? release date 1/10/06.
MP3s:
Songs featured from Robert's CD Horses.
Booking Info:
Robert Stillman Promo materials: coversheet, bio, hi-rez artwork and photos available from the Mill Pond promo page.
Licensing Info:
Mill Pond Records
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