Marlon Cherry
Fang on 11/25/06
(read 3264 times)
Ancient Sound, Modern Dance is Marion Cherry’s third full-length release for Fang Records. As the title suggests, this music is based on his work in the arena of modem dance. However, it is not a dance-class CD. Ancient Sound, Modern Dance covers a wide spectrum of moods and styles ranging from experimental and progressive rock to traditional West African and Afro-Cuban grooves, as well as jazz, woven together by his signature playing on instruments including percussion, guitars, kalimba, recorder, didjeridoo, and vocals. The lone guest here is master percussionist Deep Singh (original Broadway cast of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Bombay Dreams, Devo) who lends his superb artistry on tabla to three tracks.
All the songs are original compositions with the exception of the traditional Hebrew chant “Aveenu Malcainu.”
Marion’s musical history includes work with a wide array of artists in many genres. In the mid-80s he spent time as bassist for southern punk legends Anti-Seen before releasing a solo EP Lfe After Theatre. Then he moved to New York City where he became a member of the tribal rock group Mecca Bodega, releasing six CDs with them, including the soundtrack to the original 11130 film Subway Stories. He has also done extensive work with Chris Rael’s indo-pop outfit Church of Betty, performance artist Penny Arcade, Australian didjeridoo player Simon Seven’s Didjworks, singer-songwriter Rachel Loshak, transgender punk icon Jayne County, and folk/pop favorites The Roches (Maggie, Terre, and Suzzy) in their various trio/duo forms. Music from his 2001 release Elsewhere was used in the 9/11 documentary Ride on Brother and by the Amy Marshall dance company in “Metamorphosis,” a solo work choreographed and performed by Ms. Marshall. He also performed with dancer/choreographer Wendy Perron in her original piece “Downtown Underground” at the 1997 Lincoln Center Summer Festival.
Traces of all this work pop up on this recording in keeping with Marion’s love for music as a form of expression no matter the genre. This music is a tribute to modem dance as an art form and to the people that he’s been privileged to work with. It is accessible to dancers, choreographers, and people who love music for music’s sake.
Fang Records, P.O. Box 652, Stuyvesant Station, New York, NY 10009-0652 www. fangrecords. corn
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