Marc
Ribot
Marc Ribot, who the New York Times describes as “a deceptively articulate artist who uses inarticulateness as an expressive device,” has released 25 albums under his own name over a 40-year career, exploring everything from the pioneering jazz of Albert Ayler to the Cuban son of Arsenio Rodríguez. His solo release, Silent Movies (Pi Recording 2010) has been described as a “down-in-mouth-near master piece” by the Village Voice and has landed on several Best of 2010 lists including the LA Times and critical praise across the board, and 2014 saw the monumental release, Marc Ribot Trio Live at the Village Vanguard (Pi Recordings), documenting Marc’s first headline shows there and the return of Henry Grimes to the historical venue in 2012, landing on Best of 2014 lists such as Downbeat Magazine and NPR’s 50 Favorites.
2018 saw the release of two politically charged albums: YRU Still Here? (Northern Spy), the long awaited third album from Ribot’s post-rock/noise trio Ceramic Dog, and Songs of Resistance 1942-2018 (featuring guest vocalists Tom Waits, Steve Earle, Meshell Ndegeocello and more on Anti-Records) voicing anger and outrage during these turbulent times. Both albums landed on various Best of 2018 lists including NPR’s All Songs Considered.
2021 continued with a flurry of releases including Ceramic Dog’s HOPE, recorded during the pandemic, plus two reissues on vinyl for the first time: 1993’s long out-of-print Marc Ribot Plays Solo Guitar Works of Frantz Casseus & Silent Movies (2010). Additionally, Marc’s first collection of writings, “Unstrung: Rants & Stories of a Noise Guitarist” was published by Akashic Books, and Marc’s original score for limited series documentary, “Queen of Meth”, will premiere on the Discovery Channel.
Rolling Stone points out that “Guitarist Marc Ribot helped Tom Waits refine a new, weird Americana on 1985’s Rain Dogs, and since then he’s become the go-to guitar guy for all kinds of roots-music adventurers: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Elvis Costello, John Mellencamp.” Additional recording credits include Neko Case, Diana Krall, Elton John/Leon Russell’s The Union, Solomon Burke, John Lurie’s Lounge Lizards, Marianne Faithful, Joe Henry, Allen Toussaint, Medeski Martin & Wood, Caetano Veloso, Susana Baca, Allen Ginsberg, Madeline Peyroux, Nora Jones, Céu, Akiko Yano, The Black Keys, and many others. Marc works regularly with Grammy award winning producer T-Bone Burnett and composer John Zorn. He has also composed and performed on numerous film scores such as “Walk The Line”, “The Kids Are All Right,” and “The Departed” (Scorcese).
