QUTTAH

Rob Reddy is an accomplished saxophonist and insatiable composer. For the past decade Reddy has been at the helm of numerous of his own "New American Music Ensembles". In 1998, Reddy introduced a string-laden sextet which he called Quttah (coo-tah). A quick look at the instumentation of Quttah might make one assume a few different possibilities of what this ensemble might sound like. Quttah consists of Reddy, playing soprano and alto saxophones. Jef Lee Johnson,(a co-member with Reddy and bassist Dom Richards in Ronald Shannon Jackson's Decoding Society), is heard playing electric and acoustic guitars. Quttah's string section consists of Charlie Burnham, doubling on violin and mandolin, five string electric cellist Rufus Cappadocia (who blew away everyone at Paradox Trio’s performance in early September), and acoustic bassist Dom Richards. The drum chair is covered by Hearn Gadbois, playing dumbek, zarb, and percussion. Quttah trolls the American gutter. Sounds from gospel, glues, folk, country and early to avant-jazz appear throughout the compositions. Yet what makes this music so coherent and listenable is Reddy's consistent approach of building a composition from the melody outward. Quttah has evolved to become one of the most original and unique attempts to try and take on what all of the American landscape has to offer at the turn of the century.

QUTTAH features: Rob Reddy (composer, saxophones), Charles Burnham (violin, mandolin), Rufus Cappadocia (electric cello), Dom Richards (contrabass), Jef Lee Johnson (guitars) Hearn Gadbois (dumbek, percussion)

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November, 2000. - 2000