Caged Funk

(new music)

John Cage looped, hi-jacked, detourned, and scratch mixed

In rehearsing for a performance of John Cage's 'Sonata for Two Voices' (1933) at Issue Project Room one winter, guitarist Marco Cappelli and Marc Ribot made a strange discovery. The two guitarists overcame the gap between the rhythmic complexity of the piece and Mr. Ribot's somewhat limited sight reading skills by 'looping' measures: constantly repeating each difficult passage until it became easier. It was in this way they became aware of a strange fact about John Cage's music that would have probably surprised (and possibly dismayed) the composer himself: John Cage was one funky dude. The resulting project, "Caged Funk", is a further exploration of this little known aspect the late composer's work. 

This program was produced by and premiered at the Ludwigsburg Festival 2010 and includes all compositions originally by John Cage: Variations I & II, One 4, Credo in Us, Totem, Solo with Obligato Accompaniment, Some of the Harmony of Maine, Imaginary Landscape #1, Second Construction, Rozart Mix 

Artists: feat. Marc Ribot - guitar, Marco Cappelli - guitar, Brad Jones - bass, JT Lewis - drums, DJ Logic - turntables

Post script: We mourn the loss of Bernie Worrell, a wonderful soul, baddass keys player, and an intregal part of this project. So honored to have collaborated with him, he will be missed.

Caged Funk live excerpts at Montreal Jazz Festival 2011

Press:

"...best of all, a fascinating project called Caged Funk. Here, spinning off of pieces and concepts by the late, great American avant-gardist John Cage, Ribot brings a sextet of players…and makes voodoo-style Miles' jazz-funk fever and silence-savoring abstractions. Gets my vote as best of show, of the handfuls I caught here [at Montreal Jazz Festival 2011]."
- Josef Woodard, Santa Barbara Independent  

"What happened on stage in Lugwigsburg went well beyond what is usually described as "crossover"...variatons of Cage's 'Sonata for Two Voices' were soon freed from its own cage of arithmatic scales...JT Lewis' violently pulsating drum beats laid the foundation for an exciting jungle of voices from the various instrumentalists layered above...'Solo with Obligatio' with its incredible rhythmic and melodic complexities was perhaps the most impressive piece...'Second Construction', yet another stunning piece, brought the band wildly boiling over with an expressive range of Balinese gamelan infused funk."
- Dietholf Zerweck, Ludwigsburger Kreiszeitung 

Performance History:

12/16/2012: Cite de la Musique - Paris, France
12/4/2011: Alessandro Scarlatti - Naples, Italy
7/27/2010: Montreal Jazz Festival Invitational Series (3 night residency of Marc Ribot projects)
7/8/2010: Ludwigsburg Festival - Germany (Premiere)