Caught in the Carousel

INTERSTELLAR OVERDRIVE: Mofongo's Consummate Top Ten Classical Recordings

By David Porter

Want Mofongo? To prepare this Puerto Rican folk dish, mash plantains with garlic, olive oil, and pork cracklings (the crisp residue left after rendering lard or frying or roasting pork skin). Take the mixture and roll it into individual balls or, using a mortar and pestle, shape it into bowls to hold fish or meat. For a complete recipe, visit http://recipes.epicurean.com/recipe/1078/puerto-rico-mofongo.html

Devising a complete "dish" or EP from a variety of disparate elements might be the raison d'être of Mofongo, the current project of sonic adventurist and classical guitarist José Ayala. Born in Ponce, Ayala played in Jujuya, an experimental salsa band, then moved to Boston to train as a classical guitarist. A deleterious bout of tendonitis forced Ayala to explore music away from the guitar, and the first result of his endeavors is Tumbao, the debut Mofongo EP, on Aagoo (www.aagoo.com).

Alternating between hypnotic and jarring, Tumbao combines jittery, minimalist electronica with a restrained symphony of disparate percussion —there are no vocals, string or wind instruments. Ayala often uses found objects—including paper towel rolls—to create patterns or leitmotifs that, combined with his drum tracks, result in compelling sonic sculptures. Points of reference for the uninitiated might include Pink Floyd's Piper at the Gates of Dawn, Radiohead's Kid A and Amnesiac, and Air.

Ayala was considering other Consummate Top Tens, including "CDs stolen from my family," "CDs that made me cry," "Old School Salsa," "Eye/Ear opening recordings," and "sex music." However, he decided to provide us with his Consummate Top Ten classical recordings, a CITC first.

Tumbao is available now - tracks include "Tumbao," "Loco," "Vermont," and "Paper Towels 2006."

MOFONGO's CONSUMMATE TOP TEN CLASSICAL RECORDINGS

Debussy and Ravel String Quartets
Cleveland String Quartet
I bought this freshman year of college, and it's still my favorite piece by Debussy. I wish he had written more string quartets, instead of the piano pieces.

Varese's Octandre
Look him up on Wikipedia—he sounds and looks like a mad scientist.

Christopher Parkening "In the Spanish Style"
I've had this one since I was 12. Most memorable are the Villalobos pieces, and the Venezuelan Waltz by Antonio Lauro.

Orlande de Lassus' Missa Osculetur Me
Performed by the Tallis Scholars
Love them late-renaissance harmonies.

Anton Webern's Movements (5) for string quartet, Op. 5 I
Kronos Quartet
Schoenberg came up with the 12-tone system, but Webern was more playful with it.

Hans Werner Henze's Symphony No. 1
Berliner Philarmoniker
I don't remember how i found out about Henze, but there's a moment in the first movement that just blows my mind.

Lee Hyla's Mythic Birds of Saugerties
This solo piece for bass clarinet and Eric Dolphy's Time Out made me fall in love with the bass clarinet.

Bach's Goldberg Variations
Some folks prefer Glen Gould's recordings from 1995, but I grew up listening to the 1981 version.

Astor Piazzolla's Solo Guitar pieces
Played by Baltazar Benitez
These, along with Villalobos' and Lauro's, are some of my favorite pieces for the classical guitar.

John Zorn's Naked City I
I don't listen to these that often anymore. I went broke buying the Japanese imports before Zorn reissued them on Tzadik. The supergroup of the New York Downtown scene in the 90's—I'm so bummed I didn't get to see a live performance.