Marc Ribot is probably my favourite guitarist. A big follower of avant-gardists like Albert Ayler and John Zorn, Ribot pushes the instrument in directions most don’t head. You might know his work from albums by Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, T-Bone Burnett, Sun Ra, Medeski Martin & Wood and a few others.
He’s recorded with his own band, Marc Ribot y los Cubanos Postizos (the Prosthetic Cubans) and his avant garde ensemble Spiritual Unity — but of all I’ve heard so far, his solo guitar album Saints is my favourite.
He does get fairly out there — unexpected twangs and microtonal melodic deviations are the norm, rather than the exception. It sounds as if he’s completely masterful, and getting his fingers tangled in the strings all at the same time. The New York Times put it this way: “Mr. Ribot is a deceptively articulate artist who uses inarticulateness as an expressive device.”
Gary Giddens put it in his top albums of 2001 in The Village Voice.
However, on the Beatles’ Happiness is a Warm Gun, Ribot is comparatively restrained. Recorded as something of a tribute to George Harrison, the melody more or less remains intact. It’s beautifully recorded, somewhat hushed and reverent, and is probably my favourite Beatles cover.
Gorgeous album. You should buy it. Or, at least, read more about Marc Ribot at Wikipedia or maybe have a listen to the Free Association Radio webcast about him, which is actually pretty cool.
