The Smudges are violinist Jeff Gauthier and cellist Maggie Parkins. The origin of their name is shrouded in mystery. Smudges on a window? Herbs that chase away evil spirits? The seamless integration of daring improvisation and varied musical styles that define these L.A. based musicians? The answer is emphatically YES!
The Smudges met after a Nels Cline recording session for his album New Monastery that Jeff produced in 2006. A few years later Maggie and Jeff were married and shortly thereafter The Smudges were born. However, it took a global pandemic and suspension of all live concerts for them to hunker down in their home studio and document their work. Thus, the album Song and Call came into being.
Born into an extraordinary musical family that includes downtown NY composer/harpist Zeena Parkins (Bjork, John Zorn, Butch Morris, Skeleton Crew), and her twin sister violinist Sara Parkins (Angeles Quartet, Eroica Trio), Maggie Parkins has been playing in ensembles with her sisters most of her life. She has since become a fixture on the West Coast scene as an accomplished new music cellist with Eclipse Quartet, Mojave Trio, and Brightwork newmusic. As an improviser she has played and/or recorded with the Jazz Passengers, Anthony Braxton, Guy Klucevsek, Caetano Veloso, Bjork, Zeena Parkins, Billy Childs, Alex Cline, Nels Cline, and many others.
Jeff Gauthier created his own musical family around his West Coast jazz/new music label Cryptogramophone, where he has been in-house producer for such artists as Nels Cline, Alex Cline, Mark Dresser, Bennie Maupin, Ben Goldberg, Jenny Scheinman and many others. As an improvising violinist Jeff has performed and recorded with artists like Nels and Alex Cline, Yusef Lateef, Adam Rudolph, Mark Dresser and Myra Melford, to name a few. He was a member of the seminal L.A. group Quartet Music with Nels and Alex Cline and bassist Eric von Essen for 12 years, and after von Essen’s death started own ensemble The Jeff Gauthier Goatette with both Clines, pianist David Witham and bassist Joel Hamilton which has recorded five CDs for Nine Winds and Cryptogramophone.
Song and Call is a Smudges sandwich of compositions by good friends Guy Klucevsek and Tom Flaherty on the outside, and pieces by Jeff and duo improvs in the center. All of this music can be performed live with the assistance of loops, samples and a vast array of computer hosted electronic effects, all activated by the violinist’s feet.
1. Music of Chants (In Memory of John Cage)
2. Julius Caesar Eyebrows
3. The Gigue Is Up
4. Kasha's Lament
5. Matter Of Time
6. Song And Call
7. Blitva
8. Palindrones (for Bobby)
9. Release
* This is a Pre-ordered product and will ship on or after release date.
