Vocalist Patti Littlefield and tubaist/didgeridooist Mark Weaver enjoy walking out on a musical limb. Now, with the release of their group’s eponymous CD, Resonance , you can waltz on out there with them whenever you like.It turns out you can make a ton of music with just a voice, a tuba and a couple of simple percussion instruments. Figuring out what that music is supposed to sound like, however, can present a challenge.“There’s no point of reference, really. There’s nothing it’s supposed to sound like,” says Weaver. “So we’re trying to figure out if it’s supposed to sound like something, or if it doesn’t have to relate to anything, or how it relates to all the other stuff you hear.”“We’re tiptoeing out on a limb, and we bounce up and down,” says Littlefield.The limb holds, and it carries the archness of cabaret, the edginess of the avant and the grit of the roadhouse. There’s the noir swing of “Small Day Tomorrow”; the seductive tango of “You’re My Thrill” (complete with racy interlude); the sound collage of the Weaver original “A Grain of Mustard Seed”; Wayne Shorter’s “Footprints” with spacey lyrics by Mike Ferro; Littlefield’s depiction of her near-disappearance in “Perfect Blues”; “Caravan” with Littlefield as horn; and an airy, smile-inducing “Jitterbug Waltz.” Among the nine cuts are two hair-raising live tracks—“House of the Rising Sun” and “Ode to Billie Joe”—recorded at the Outpost this past summer as the quartet Woof! with Lewis Winn (guitar) and Cal Haines (drums).Resonance will perform at The Filling Station release party, featuring tunes from the CD and other material from Thelonious Monk to Christmas favorites.
Resonance’s CD release party takes place on Sunday, Dec. 14, at 5 p.m. at The Filling Station (1024 Fourth Street SW, at Pacific). $15 gains you entrance, a CD and refreshments. $20 for couples (includes one CD). Additional CDs will be available inside for $10. Call 890-6593 for more information.
