The pianist and composer Mark Springer releases Circa Rip Rig + Panic, a collection of tracks written when Springer was a member of post-punk/avant-jazz band Rip Rig + Panic. The album includes collaborations with two of his fellow Rip Riggers plus a duet with the Velvet Underground’s Nico...

Mark Springer's Circa Rip Rig + Panic wonderfully straddles the line between Jazz and Classical music. It contains 11 tracks (40 min, 54 sec) with 'A Given Voice A Given Choice' being almost filmic in its construction. While I could have done without the vocals, the track delivers a memorable theme.

It's an interesting and varied album, with each track heading off in a new and random direction. I think the biggest surprise is how different this music is from Rip Rig + Panic's repertoire. It's certainly an album that's worth giving a chance.

8

Nick Smithson