American guitarist Marc Ribot knows his way around every style without losing his identity. His trademark grainy riffs seem to fit in everywhere, from Cuban to country. He’s widely known from his contributions on albums by Tom Waits, Elvis Costello and The Black Keys. He began his career in the New York underground, playing with Lounge Lizards and John Zorn. As a self-confessed outsider in jazz he nevertheless headlined the New York jazz temple Village Vanguard for a week, joining a select club of band leaders.
Ribot has torn the roof off the Bimhuis several times already with his energetic trio Ceramic Dog. Anything goes, from angular songs to exuberant rock riffs to a whimsical version of jazz classic Take Five. Multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily (who played with Will Oldham and Colin Stetson) can switch from distorted bass guitar to cheerful organ. And drummer Ches Smith can alternate tight backbeats with electronic experiment. This spring they announced a new album: YRU Still Here?
‘Ceramic Dog is formed in Mr. Ribot’s aesthetic: cranky, skilled, broadly capable, abrasive. He’s a great guitarist who usually seems as if he doesn’t want to be understood as such. This could be a great rock band, but it won’t play by your notions of what that is’ (New York Times).
Marc Ribot, Shahzad Ismaily, Ches Smith