Krater's Call by Rhyton

At a certain point in the continuing process of making art, one becomes more greatly oneself and creates work that is truly distinctive. In this vein, Rhyton, a trio consisting of string multi-instrumentalist David Shuford, electric bassist Jimmy SeiTang, and drummer Rob Smith, have carved out a niche in contemporary sound that would best be called Rhyton-music. Drawing from psychedelic rock, Greek and middle eastern string music, exploratory electric jazz, and American roots music, their instrumental, freely-improvised melanges groove mightily but are not tethered to any one mood or concept. The listener’s attention may drift to Smith’s deft cymbal work or the big, sinewy thwack of SeiTang’s bass and the rhythmic linkages that gradually form, or the fleet needles from Shuford’s mandole (an Algerian cousin of the oud) on “Majesty from Mahrez,” or take it all together as one swirling field of eruptive jams. Despite its complexity, the music is cohesive throughout, and at times even breezy. The title track’s cottony and plaintive guitar lines become spindly with the sun as the rhythm section works time with a supple bellows, while opener “The Art of Tripp” might as well be Hot Tuna covering Can. It’s also no surprise that, in the recent past, Rhyton released LPs on labels like Thrill Jockey and Three Lobed, their organic/electric improvisations fitting in with both contemporary psych-string wranglers and the historical fringes of “post-rock” (the Brown/Scharin/Warden outfit Directions in Music comes to mind). That said, there really isn’t any precedent for the invention on offer with these six studio improvisations, other than Rhyton’s continued impulse for cleaving new paths. Listen deeply and listen often.


Clifford Allen
Brooklyn, June 2020

NYC's Rhyton (Dave Shuford, Jimy SeiTang, and Rob Smith) are leading experimentalists and improvisers who draw inspiration from unexpected sources. The trio honed their skills in projects like No-Neck Blues Band (Shuford), Pigeons (Smith), and Stygian Stride (SeiTang), and all three have played a significant role in shaping a nationally impactful and enigmatic improvisation movement from NY.