Frith performed in 80 concerts at The Stone between 2006 and 2016 and Intakt called this collection "A decade-long adventure in improvisation".[1] The titles of the songs are derived from The New York Times headlines on the day of each performance.[a] The box set's liner notes are a 24-page booklet written by Frith, which includes an interview with Frith conducted by one of the performers, Theresa Wong.[3] Remarking on this collection, Wong said:
I was struck by the musicality. What I mean by that is: there's this presence of songs and song forms – the music can be harmonic and melodic, there's noise, there's rhythm, a joyfulness, an exploration, a sensuality of sounds, but always underlining that is a musicality that feels to me like songs.[3]
Reception
Reviewing All Is Always Now in NZZ am Sonntag, the weekend edition of the Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Manfred Papst referred to Frith as a "wild guy" (wilder Kerl) who loves to experiment with noise and sound.[2] He called the selection of concerts from The Stone featured on this triple-CD "a sensation", and was surprised at just how many different styles of music Frith and his collaborators play.[2]
Writing in The New York City Jazz Record, Mark Keresman described the sounds in the box set as an assortment of "jubilant [and] whimsical noise", "droning" and "song-like tapestries".[4] The found and homemade instruments Frith and Tewari use on their tracks produce "a roughhewn, amiably dissonant collage of sonic shards (dis)assembled for the sheer joy of it".[4] Keresman said some of the pieces sound like "the soundtrack to a movie thriller yet to be made". On "Evidence" Frith and Anderson produce notes that "build and release tension" like "an Ennio Morricone film score".[4]
Georges Tonla Briquet remarked on the Belgian jazz website, JazzHalo that the only thread linking the collection's diverse tracks is that the music is completely unrehearsed and improvised. He said while there is plenty of noise and unusual sounds, there are many quiet and delicate sections. He found it "claustrophobic" at times, but also "surprisingly transparent".[5] Briquet added that the album is long and even "seasoned fans" may find it a little excessive.[5]
Track listing
All titles performed at The Stone on the dates indicated; all titles composed by the performers.
Fred Frith – piano (track 1.1), home-made instruments (tracks 1.5, 2.1, 2.6, 3.7), acoustic guitar and voice (tracks 2.2, 2.5), electric guitar (all other tracks)
Nava Dunkelman – percussion
Amma Ateria – electronics
Jason Hoopes – electric bass (track 1.2), double bass (track 3.1)
^Frith's wife, Heike Liss suggested that he use a headline from The New York Times on the date of each concert as the title for the performance. They used the newspaper's electronic archives to search for headlines they could use as song titles.[2]
