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"I wrote christangelfox for specific musicians playing, at times, particular instruments, in this case small percussion arrays, each with four pieces of scrap metal, four pieces of stone, and four pieces of wood, all floating freely on open-cell foam slabs. Guillermo Gregorio played on the CD that preceded this one, Matt Turner has appeared on more of my ensemble recordings than anyone else, save myself. For christangelfox, I wanted musicians such as these, who make unusually beautiful sounds and who work well with space. These attributes were especially important because I intended christangelfox to be so simple that it would reveal the performer's essential character.

"The entire hour-long composition is based on a single scale. The music is influenced, although not formally, by the musics of several Asia cultures. The percussion, in particular, reflects Javanese gamelan, Chinese opera, and Japanese Buddhist temple music. At times the classical guitar is meant to be koto-like, the clarinet shakuhachi-like, and the cello erhu-like. These references are, however, intentionally faint. Few time signature changes appear, and then just to extend the occasional phrase. The musicians stick to one instrument each, plus the percussion arrays. The detail is in the sound of the instruments..."

-from the liner notes

Musicians: Scott Fields (nylon-string guitar and percussion), Guillermo Gregorio (clarinet and percussion), Matt Turner (cello and percusssion)

"Top Ten 2005" — Nate Dorward, Cadence

"There are some musicians who stand out from the crowd, and guitarist Scott Fields certainly qualifies. Not that his music is overtly provocative or extreme, but there is an unquestionable singularity to his vision." — Marc Chenárd, Coda

"Fields adopts an unplugged approach, playing nylon-string classical guitar; it is fascinating to hear him, stripped of amplification, effects, and feedback, improvising strictly in the pitch-rhythm domain. One part Stockhausen post-modern chamber music and one part ethnomusicological exploration, Christangelfox is a haunting, sonically beguiling work." — Christian Carey, Signal to Noise

"...a testament to Fields’ remarkable facility for blending composition with free improvisation in a seamless fashion." — Kevin Lian-Anderson, One Final Note

More Information...

christangelfox — Cadence

christangelfox — Coda

All About Jazz review

One Final Note review

Scott Fields Ensemble main page at 482music.com