Personnel: Jason Noble (guitar, piano, vibraphone); Ann Kim (violin); Christian Frederickson (viola); John Upchurch (cello, clarinet, bass clarinet); Sarah Hong, Eve Miller (cello); Bob Weston (trumpet); Rachel Grimes (piano, vibraphone); Kevin Coultas (drums, timpani); Edward Grimes (drums); John Baker (bells); Jim Maciukenas (musical saw).
Recording information: Chicago Recording Co. & Steve's House of Billiards, Chi (07/23/1995-04/??/1996); Juilliard School, New York, NY (07/23/1995-04/??/1996); University of Louisville North Recital Hall, Louisville (07/23/1995-04/??/1996).
Formed out of the ashes of Rodan, this loose collective thrives on the neo-classical compositional skills of pianist Rachel Grimes, bassist/organist Jason Noble, and violinist Christian Frederickson. Augmented by a rotating cast of cellists, trumpeters, and drummers, the trio concocts an emotive symphony that, though thoroughly modern, seems timeless. The songs on The Sea and the Bells flow together so seamlessly, it almost seems like one brilliant hour-long epic composition. "Rhine & Courtesan" opens the album with a dynamic, wistful melody that evokes the feeling of riding on ocean waves, then crashes to a startling halt, only to re-emerge with a claustrophobic eeriness that foretells impending doom. Other songs continue the nautical theme, from the haunting "Night at Sea" to the hallucinatory "Letters Home." In an alternative scene where instrumental rockers are a dime a dozen, Rachel's stands out like diamonds on the ocean floor. ~ Bret Love
Professional Reviews
Spin (1/97, p.88) - 7 (out of 10) - "...Rachel's have set a course between Orchestra Hall and the Midwest's lo-tech ambient studio kitchen. At their best, they cut the gorgeous with the noisy, the linear with the repetitious, the expected with sharp knocks of silence, shrieks, and subterranean rumblings..."
Q (5/01, p.73) - "...Their most 'accessible' work, with a 12-piece orchestra augmenting the band....Less a series of definable moments, more an organic whole..."
Magnet (p.73) - "At turns classical, experimental, jazzy, ambient and avant garde, this hour-long set is unlike anything you've ever heard."
