Roper's Darn! Yarns - William Roper, Asian Improv

Item Details

William Roper - tuba, spoken word, Francis Wong - woodwinds, erhu, vocals, Elliot Humberto Kavee - drums, percussion, cello, Joseph Mitchell - percussion, vocals, with Special Guest Glenn Horiuchi - piano, shamisen, vocals

Includes:
the Flatterzunge Trio doing "Em (M)", "Golden Gate Park/You Don't Know What Love Is"
Judicant Responsura doing "Once Upon A Time"

"Not released until several years after the tracks were recorded, this album has the feel of informal meetings that don't always mesh. William Roper is a tubaist loaded with talent, and the small groups he leads here feature some of the best of the West Coast avant-garde jazzers, including the late Glenn Horiuchi, who performs on and composed the music for the last track, "Once Upon a Time," which is undoubtedly the highlight of the disk. The CD is subtitled "Tales of Love and Woe," as Roper recites impromptu stories and poetry on each piece. "
     -- Steve Loewy, All Music