Simone Baron
& Arco Belo
‘The Space
Between Disguises’
GenreFluid
When I read in the
liner notes for Simone Baron & Arco Belo’s forthcoming album — out November
8 — that Baron’s ensemble was “genre-queer,” I thought this was a bold
appropriation of a gender term. But after listening, I realized that “The Space
Between Disguises” is a musical statement emblematic of an increasingly
non-binary musical world. A superb pianist and accordionist, Baron leads an
ensemble that might be conveniently placed in the category of chamber jazz.
But that label doesn’t
begin to describe the wonderful banjo solo by Mark Schatz on “Who Cares,” or
the popping bass of Michael Pope on “Passive Puppeteer.” There are too many
fine string musicians to mention, whose playing moves seamlessly from pizzicato
to furious bowing. All of this is in the service of Baron’s genre-bending
arrangements, which are as intriguing as her compositions.
This article appears in Oct 30 – Nov 5, 2019.
