Dan Ruccia & Jeb Bishop - Scratch Slice Jag (2017)

The viola and the trombone. These are both instruments that are usually relegated to a place in the margins, the shadows, away from the center of attention. And they are both the butt(s) of some of the finest musician jokes (shout out to the banjo and the accordion also; maybe a quartet record will be next).

When I relocated to the NC Triangle area in 2012, it didn't take long before I ran into the region's committed improviser heads. That rhizomatic network is well spread out now, an underground resistant presence that we will always need. I was more than happy to get entangled, and felt an immediate affinity with Dan, who graciously allowed me to invade the excellent WXDU radio station for a bit, and has a taste for grappa. We had some good times playing with Chadbourne, and at the beautiful home of the sadly departed Dan Lilley in Raleigh, and took it on the road to Columbia, SC, with the equally stalwart David Menestres.

Here's some audio evidence. The viola and the trombone, in all their unready splendor. Please enjoy, possibly with a fine grappa. Try to get beyond Nonino.