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Marc Ribot

Marc Ribot (pronounced REE-bow) was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1954. As a teen, he played guitar in various garage bands while studying with his mentor, Haitian classical guitarist and composer Frantz Casseus. In 1978, Ribot crossed the river to New York City, where he served as sideman for such musicians as jazz organist Jack McDuff and legendary soul shouter Wilson Pickett. Ribot began his five-year stint as a member of the Lounge Lizards (John Lurie's innovative and influential Downtown jazz ensemble) in 1984. At the time Marc's playing, which blended elements of classic Blues guitar with the ironic No Wave/Knitting Factory aesthetic, caught the ear of a number of artists who were also interested in amalgamating and disrupting disparate musical traditions. Ribot performed on some of these singer/songwriter's finest records, including Elvis Costello's SPIKE, MIGHTY LIKE A ROSE, and KOJAK VARIETY; Marianne Faithful's BLAZING AWAY; and Tom Waits' RAIN DOGS, BIG TIME, FRANK'S WILD YEARS, MULE VARIATIONS, and REAL GONE.

All the while, the increasingly in-demand guitarist continues to explore the ever-changing terrain of New York's New Music scene, working with musicians such as Arto Lindsay, Don Byron, Anthony Coleman, T-Bone Burnett, the Jazz Passengers, Evan Lurie, the Sun Ra Arkestra, Chocolate Genius, Bill Frisell, Medeski Martin & Wood, and John Zorn in any number of incarnations.

Ribot also composed and recorded his own brand of Downtown soul music with his bands, Rootless Cosmopolitans and Shrek. In 1996 he recorded DON'T BLAME ME, which found a solo Ribot reinventing a number of American standards, which was hailed by The Village Voice as "a record filled with savory and unlikely amusements." In 1998 Atlantic Records released the critically acclaimed Marc Ribot Y Los Cubanos Postizos, featuring Ribot's beautifully slanted interpretations of material by the great Cuban songwriter Arsenio Rodriguez.

Recent musical scores by Marc Ribot include Yoshiko Chuma's ALTOGETHER DIFFERENT dance piece, a documentary film by Greg Feldman titled JOE SCHMOE, a feature film by director Joe Brewster titled THE KILLING ZONE, and IN AS MUCH AS LIFE IS BORROWED, a dance piece by famed Belgian choreographer, Wim Vanderkeybus.

Composer Stewart Wallace recently completed an electric guitar concerto with orchestra written for Marc. The piece was premiered by the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington DC in July of 2004.

Marc continues to write and perform and collaborate. He's currently working on a new, sonically dense, rock band called the Marc Ribot Mystery Trio. He's also producing a record of material by the great Haitian composer/guitar player, Frantz Casseus, and recording with a new project called Spiritual Unity based on the works of Albert Ayler, as well as recording with artists Elvis Costello, and T-Bone Burnett.

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In Pictures

Sons d'Hiver 2024

Read "Sons d'Hiver 2024" reviewed by Luciano Rossetti


A collection of photos from a part of the Sons d'Hiver 2024 in Paris from January 23 to 27, 2024 featuring Marc Ribot, James Brandon Lewis, Newen Tahiel, Jorge Pardo, Joelle Leandre, Marilyn Mazur, Yuko Oshima, and Otomo Yoshihide. ...

Live Review

Guitar Heroes alla Casa del Jazz

Read "Guitar Heroes alla Casa del Jazz" reviewed by Mario Calvitti


Guitar Heroes Casa del Jazz Roma 10-13.7.2023 Sotto il nome collettivo di “Guitar Heroes" si sono tenuti alla Casa del Jazz di Roma tre concerti consecutivi aventi come protagonisti altrettanti grandi chitarristi per i quali l'appellativo scelto non risulta esagerato, trattandosi di Bill Frisell, Marc Ribot e Julian Lage. Se i primi due, quasi coetanei, possono considerarsi dei veterani della scena jazzistica e hanno contribuito con il proprio apporto personale (soprattutto il primo) alla ridefinizione ...

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Album Review

Avram Fefer Quartet: Juba Lee

Read "Juba Lee" reviewed by Mark Corroto


Avram Fefer comes out swinging on Juba Lee, the second release from his quartet,. It must have certainly been fated, as the opener “Showtime" hits hard with its muscular sound. Fefer's tenor saxophone blows out any existing cobwebs before handing off to guitarist Marc Ribot. The music continues the rich sound heard on the quartet's critically acclaimed previous release Testament (Clean Feed, 2019). Fefer built this sound first in trio with bassist Eric Revis, and drummer Chad Taylor heard the ...

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Album Review

Gordon Grdina: Night's Quietest Hour

Read "Night's Quietest Hour" reviewed by Mark Corroto


Gordon Grdina might be proof of the saying “you can't keep a good man down." With Night's Quietest Hour he turns his attention once again to traditional Iraqi and Arabic folk music. This release by his small big band Haram follows Her Eyes illuminate (Songlines, 2012) and includes a guest appearance by Marc Ribot. Much like Ribot's forays into Cuban music with his Los Cubanos Postizos and Frantz Casseus' Haitian compositions, Grdina aspires for musical authenticity without being patronizing. And, ...

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Radio & Podcasts

Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog Live At BIMHUIS Amsterdam

Read "Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog Live At BIMHUIS Amsterdam" reviewed by BIMHUIS


Marc 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 like “Take Five." Multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily can switch from distorted bass guitar to cheerful organ, and drummer Ches Smith can alternate between tight backbeats and electronic experiments. Marc Ribot: guitar, vocals; Shahzad Ismaily: bass, percussion, vocals; Ches Smith: drums, percussions, electronics, vocals.

Live Review

Torino Jazz Festival 2018

Read "Torino Jazz Festival 2018" reviewed by Libero Farnè


Torino Jazz Festival Varie sedi 23-30.04.2018 La sesta edizione del Torino Jazz Festival ha rappresentato una nuova tappa di una manifestazione importante alla ricerca di una propria identità. Chiusa l'epoca della direzione artistica di Stefano Zenni, quest'anno le redini sono passate nelle mani dei musicisti torinesi Giorgio Li Calzi e Diego Borotti, che si sono mossi su linee molto chiare. Innanzi tutto la volontà di dare uno spazio consistente ai numerosi jazzisti locali, non solo ...

Live Review

Marc Ribot al Parco della Musica di Roma

Read "Marc Ribot al Parco della Musica di Roma" reviewed by Mario Calvitti


Marc Ribot Parco della Musica Roma 18.01.2018 Marc Ribot è sicuramente uno dei chitarristi più difficili da inquadrare in qualche categoria predefinita, talmente varie e numerose sono le esperienze musicali accumulate nei suoi quaranta anni di attività, dal punk alla contemporanea, dal latin rock al free jazz. Probabilmente la frequentazione ricorrente di un personaggio come John Zorn definisce in qualche modo la sua appartenenza alla scena dell'avanguardia newyorkese, ma Ribot è molto di più, ...

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Festival

11th Annual Red Hook Jazz Festival To Be Held Sunday, September 16 From 2-6 PM — Marc Ribot And The Jazzbeens To Headline

11th Annual Red Hook Jazz Festival To Be Held Sunday, September 16 From 2-6 PM — Marc Ribot And The Jazzbeens To Headline

Source: James Keepnews

“The Red Hook Jazz Festival exists contentedly on the margins, like its namesake neighborhood and much of the music on its bill…The mood in the audience was neighborly, with a higher ratio of small children to youngish adults than I’ve seen at any musical event not expressly pitched as a kids’ show.” —Nate Chinen, New York Times “The lineup seems to get better every year at the Red Hook Jazz Festival, held on two successive Sundays at the Urban Meadow. ...

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Music Industry

Red Ink Beneath Streaming’s “New Dawn” [Marc Ribot]

Red Ink Beneath Streaming’s “New Dawn” [Marc Ribot]

Source: HypeBot

Legendary guitarist Marc Ribot explores the impact of ECM Records move to Spotify as part of broader shift for the label, the effect it will have on artists, and what the next best course of action is. By Marc Ribot from The Trichordist Guest Post from the legendary guitarist Marc Ribot. One point that Mr. Ribot makes we would like to further emphasize at the outset: without DMCA reform there is no “market” for Copyright Royalty Judges to set rates ...

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Opinion

Ghostship Fire: Mourn The Dead, Fight Like Hell For The Living

Ghostship Fire: Mourn The Dead, Fight Like Hell For The Living

Source: HypeBot

In this recent article, Marc Ribot explores how the tragedy at jny: Oakland's GhostShip lofts is indicative of a broader issue concerning the marginalization of working artists. Guest post by Marc Ribot on The Trichordist Marc Ribot is an American Musician and a member of NYC artists rights group MusiciansACTION musiciansaction.org. The initial horror evoked by Oakland’s GhostShip fire is now turning into self questioning and anger at those who placed the victims in harms way. Yes, there will be individuals—landlords, inspectors, ...

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Festival

Live From New York: The State of Jazz in 2015

Live From New York: The State of Jazz in 2015

Source: Michael Ricci

Dispatches from the 11th annual Winter Jazzfest, where more than 100 groups performed over three days Hindin: The rightful home of the country’s premier jazz festival is New York City—more than tony Newport or even New Orleans, whose “Jazz & Heritage Festival” is nursing an identity crisis (this year’s headliner: Elton John)—and Winter Jazzfest is it. It’s hard to plug a jazz festival without blushing a little. In his manifesto, “On Why Jazz Isn’t Cool Anymore,” Nicholas Payton declared, “People ...

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Recording

The Lucien Dubuis Trio and Marc Ribot - Ultime Cosmos (2009)

The Lucien Dubuis Trio and Marc Ribot - Ultime Cosmos (2009)

Source: Something Else!

Ultime Cosmos was not serious. At least, not serious in that We're Wearing Nice Suits, We're Going To Play Jazz kind of way. Heck, this wasn't even jazz, not in spirit anyway. A quick read of the instrumental lineup would definitely make a person think 'jazz'—contrabass clarinet, guitar, bass, drums—but the record had more of a rock/funk spirit. I can imagine Stanley Crouch turning up his nose. That's a good thing. Though Dubuis did switch over to alto here and ...

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Recording

The Lucien Dubuis Trio with Marc Ribot - Ultime Cosmos (2010)

The Lucien Dubuis Trio with Marc Ribot - Ultime Cosmos (2010)

Source: Something Else!

By Mark Saleski Sometimes, the music chooses me ... or at least falls into my lap at just the right time. Things are crazy. But in the middle of it all, I discover the Lucien Dubuis Trio and Marc Ribot. Yeah sure, you know that I will follow Marc Ribot anywhere. The man is fearless on the guitar, has huge ears, and is willing to hurl himself in just about any direction to complete an artistic statement. Geez, that sounds ...

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Interview

Marc Ribot Taps Into Lyricism for His Solo Guitar Soundtrack to Nonexistent Movies

Marc Ribot Taps Into Lyricism for His Solo Guitar Soundtrack to Nonexistent Movies

Source: All About Jazz @ Spinner

There are few musicians that have worked in a wider and more creative catalog of material than Marc Ribot. As a sideman, the guitarist has backed singers including Tom Waits, Alison Krauss and Robert Plant, Richard Hell, Elvis Costello and Norah Jones, not to mention John Zorn and vast array of avant-garde jazz musicians. His own material tends to be wildly eclectic: He's probably the only person who will ever record an Albert Ayler tribute for solo guitar for Atlantic ...

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Recording

Marc Ribot - Silent Movies (Pi Recordings, 2010)

Marc Ribot - Silent Movies (Pi Recordings, 2010)

Source: Music and More by Tim Niland

Guitarist and composer Marc Ribot is an eclectic soul equally at home playing punk rock, free jazz or more melodic fare. This intriguing album presents Ribot in a solo context with some subtle overdubbing or sound manipulation added to give the music an atmospheric feel. He writes in the liner notes that this project was inspired by films, both real and imagined, and he hoped to explore the nether regions between language, images and sound. What results is a dreamy ...

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Video / DVD

Marc Ribot Interview - Indie Music as Labor

Marc Ribot Interview - Indie Music as Labor

Source: All About Jazz

Brecht Forum “Indie Music as Labor". Monday, November 2009, 7:30 pm Stanley Aronowitz, David Harvey, Sheebani Patel, Marc Ribot, Matana Roberts & Others TBA. This interview is part of the book/dvd project “under your skin" which includes Interviews with David Murray, Ornette Coleman, Chuck D - Public Enemy, Taj Mahal, Yusef Lateef, Stanley Clarke, Melvin Gibbs, Liu Fang, Malika Zarra, Zap Mama, Les ...

Dave Devine
guitar
Matt Clark
guitar
Marco Oppedisano
guitar, electric
Terry Edwards
saxophone
Fletcher McKenzie
guitar, electric
Matteo Mosolo
bass, acoustic
Luciana
author
Hébert
guitar, electric

Photos

Concerts

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Night's Quietest Hour

Attaboygirl Records
2022

buy

Juba Lee

Clean Feed Records
2022

buy

Organ Monk Blue

Self Produced
2017

buy

Live InTokyo

Enja Records
2016

buy

Live In Tokyo

Enja Records
2016

buy

Live At The Village...

Pi Recordings
2014

buy

Longa Nahawad

From: Night's Quietest Hour
By Marc Ribot

Videos

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