1994 · Album
Song Out of My Trees
Recorded 1994 · Black Saint · Produced by Not specified in available sources
Threadgill's Unorthodox Ensemble Sprawl
Threadgill assembles five different lineups to dodge predictability and keep listeners genuinely off-balance.
Henry Threadgill brought together a loose collective of musicians for Song Out of My Trees (1994), working across five separate ensemble configurations rather than a single band. This approach — using Ted Daniel, Brandon Ross, Ed Cherry, James Emery, Myra Melford, Tony Cedras, Amina Claudine Myers, Diedre Murray, Michelle Kinney, Gene Lake, and Reggie Nicholson in rotating combinations — let him avoid settling into any groove too long. The album sounds restless by design, each piece exploring a different texture: accordion paired with cello and harpsichord, then guitars and trumpet in a different room, then drums shifting between Lake and Nicholson depending on what the composition demanded.
Threadgill's alto sax anchors the sessions, but the real subject is instrumentation as composition. He's not writing vehicle solos; he's writing for specific sound combinations that wouldn't normally find each other. A track might hinge on how Cedras's accordion sits against Myers's harpsichord, or how Ross and Emery negotiate space without stepping on each other. This requires players who can listen hard and adjust in real time, not just execute.
Allmusic reviewer Ron Wynn noted the album would have "some people scratching their heads," but recognized it as Threadgill refusing to repeat himself. That's the honest read: this isn't a unified statement or a showcase for virtuosity in the conventional sense. It's a series of small experiments, some landing cleaner than others, all driven by a single idea — that you learn more by changing the furniture than by perfecting the room.
Who's playing
Jerome Harrisacoustic bass guitar
Myra Melfordpiano
Brandon Rossguitar
Ed Cherryguitar
James Emeryguitar
Henry Threadgillalto saxophone
Ted Danieltrumpet
Gene Lakedrums
Reggie Nicholsondrums
Tony Cedrasaccordion
Michelle Kinneycello
Diedre Murraycello
Amina Claudine Myersharpsichord
Where next?
More by Henry Threadgill
All 14 albums →
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
