In for a Penny, In for a Pound explained

In for a Penny, In for a Pound
Type:studio
Artist:Henry Threadgill
Cover:In_for_a_penny_Threadgill_cover.jpeg
Released:2015
Recorded:December 8–9, 2014
Studio:Systems Two, Brooklyn
Genre:Jazz
Label:Pi
Producer:Liberty Ellman
Chronology:Henry Threadgill
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In for a Penny, In for a Pound is an album composed by Henry Threadgill for his jazz quintet Zooid, featuring Jose Davila, Liberty Ellman, Christopher Hoffman, and Elliot Humberto Kavee. It was released by Pi Recordings and was awarded the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Music.

Recording and music

In for a Penny, In for a Pound was composed by Henry Threadgill and recorded by his band, Zooid.[1] The album, which is a two-disc suite,[2] is composed of six tracks. Threadgill composed a concerto-like piece for each of his band members. However, the album includes improvisation.[3] Patrick Jarenwattananon of National Public Radio describes the style of performance as "contrapuntal improvisation within a specific intervallic framework".[4] Threadgill describes the album using the term "epic".[4]

Jose Davila plays trombone and tuba and is joined on the album by guitarist Liberty Ellman, cellist Christopher Hoffman and drummer Elliot Humberto Kavee. Davila is featured on "Tresepic", Kavee is featured on "Ceroepic", Hoffman is featured on "Dosepic", and Ellman is featured on "Unoepic".[4] Threadgill performs alto saxophone, flute and bass flute within each piece.[4]

Release and reception

The album was released by Pi Recordings on May 26, 2015. The Wall Street Journal critic Larry Blumenfeld describes the opening piece as "an old song joined in progress".[5] Nate Chinen of The New York Times described the album as brilliant.[2] John Fordham of The Guardian described the work as "welcomingly warm and melodious" despite the "sinewy slipperiness" of the rhythms and tunes.[6] In his review for Down Beat Peter Margasak states, "there are so many fast-moving details and epiphanies at work here that it takes some rigor to hear how it all fits together, even if isolated phrases and sallies are rich in delight."[7]

Awards

The album is regarded as the third by a jazz composer to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music (following Wynton Marsalis's Blood on the Fields in 1997 and Ornette Coleman's Sound Grammar in 2007).[8]

Track listing

All compositions by Henry Threadgill.

  1. "In for a Penny, In for a Pound (opening)" – 4:35
  2. "Ceroepic (for drums and percussion)" – 19:35
  3. "Dosepic (for cello)" – 16:00
  4. "Off the Prompt Box (exordium)" – 3:35
  5. "Tresepic (for trombone and tuba)" – 17:25
  6. "Unoepic (for guitar)" – 17:56

Personnel

Adapted from AllMusic.[9]

Musicians

Production

Notes and References

  1. Web site: In for a Penny, In for a Pound, by Henry Threadgill (Pi Recordings). April 20, 2016. Pulitzer.org.
  2. Web site: Henry Threadgill and Jenny Hval Release New Albums. April 20, 2016. June 5, 2015. The New York Times. Chinen, Nate.
  3. Web site: Track of the Day: 'In for a Penny, in for a Pound'. April 20, 2016. April 18, 2016. The Atlantic. Graham, David A..
  4. Web site: Henry Threadgill Wins Music Pulitzer For 'In for A Penny, In for A Pound'. April 20, 2016. April 18, 2016. National Public Radio. Jarenwattananon, Patrick.
  5. Web site: 'In for a Penny, in for a Pound' and 'Synovial Joints' Reviews. April 20, 2016. June 10, 2015. The Wall Street Journal. Blumenfeld, Larry.
  6. Web site: Henry Threadgill's Zooid: In for a Penny, In for a Pound review – warm, welcoming improv. April 20, 2016. June 25, 2015. The Guardian. Fordham, John.
  7. Margasak, Peter (September 2015) "Henry Threadgill Zooid – In for a Penny, In for a Pound". Down Beat. p. 56.
  8. Web site: At Last, a Box Henry Threadgill Fits Nicely Into: Pulitzer Winner. April 20, 2016. April 18, 2016. The New York Times. Chinen, Nate.
  9. Web site: In for a Penny in for a Pound. December 27, 2016. AllMusic.com.