os meus shorts

Nico Roig: baritone guitar
Joachim Badenhorst: bass clarinet

http://www.myspace.com/osmeusshorts

discography

random notes

Os Meus Shorts (Rat 10; USA)
Featuring Nico Roig on baritone guitar & compositions and Joachim Badenhorst on bass clarinet. Mr. Badenhorst, who is currently living here, just left us with copies of this fine duo disc with someone named Nico Roig on baritone guitar. I don't know much about either of these players but I did notice that Joachim is on Songlines CD that comes out this September (of 2009) by a guitarist named Ryan Blotnick with Jeff Williams & Simon Jermyn in the band. It turns out that Nico is originally from Barcelona, Spain and Joachim from Brussels, Belgium, where they met. This disc features 28 short pieces, most under two minutes. The baritone guitar has a big, distinctive sound and the combination with the bass clarinet is just right. Nico often writes strong yet simple melodies which don't have time to develop yet still ring true. Some of the pieces are quirky with odd harmonies, the guitar and bass clarinet weaving around one another tightly. Although most of these pieces are short, they do set moods and provide ample combinations of twisted melodies and ideas. I dig how on "Excursio" the post-surf guitar and (Zorn-like) bent bass clarinet notes combine forces to come up with surprising results. There pieces where the bass clarinet is used to turn notes inside out and the bari guitar also bends notes out of shape, yet everything works to create a series of odd melodies or somewhat charming songs. This most impressive young duo will be playing here at DMG on Sunday, October 18th at 6pm. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery. NY. U.S.A