Unfold Ordinary Mind

"Unfold Ordinary Mind is a fascinating band, perhaps more than the sum of its impressive parts. Tenor saxophonists Eskelin and Rob Sudduth sometimes lock into warm harmonies, sometimes go off on simultaneous, beautifully discordant solos. Drummer Ches Smith has a full arsenal of relaxed grooves, unpredictable accents and atmospheric textures at his disposal, each song tracing a winding but cohesive narrative thanks largely to his steady hand. Goldberg’s sturdy low end is the eye of the storm, and Cline, as always, is the subtlest of guitar gods, blending into the ensemble until he’s ready to stand out with an incredible sequence of tones that magically emanates from his strings and array of effects boxes... Guys like the musicians in Unfold Ordinary Mind are always combining for new groups that only make a couple records or gig sporadically, but this combination felt special enough that hopefully there’ll be lots more to come, perhaps even in Baltimore". -Al Shipley/NOISE "The instruments ... suggested jazz, but the music coaxed from two tenor saxophones, a guitar, drums, and a rarity called the contra alto clarinet straddled the lines between traditional and avant garde, among rock, jazz, and blues.... [Unfold Ordinary Mind] deconstructed familiar genres and reassembled them using alien schematics." -Brian G. Howard/Philly.com "I have been developing my abilities on the Eb contra alto clarinet (a weird member of the family, pitched below the bass clarinet) for some years," says Goldberg, "mostly in my work with the group Tin Hat. Somehow it occurred to me to have a band where I was the bass player, on this instrument. Of course the group would need two of my tenor saxophone heroes (Ellery Eskelin and Rob Sudduth), a guitar genius (and now certifiable rock star) (Nels Cline), and the deeply tumultuous drummer Ches Smith. So after the premier of my latest giant project, Orphic Machine, in March of 2012, I wrote a bunch of songs and assembled this crew at the Bunker studio in Williamsburg one day in May. We learned the tunes, rehearsed, and recorded them all in just a few hours, and the results are extraordinary--raw, dire, and to the point."