In 2020, guitarist Marisa Anderson and drummer Jim White released their first album collaboration, The Quickening. Both well known for their intuitive musical approaches and a number of collaborations under their belts to prove it, from Jim’s ongoing work as one half of Xylouris White or Marisa’s diverse and shifting set of songs with William Tyler on Lost Futures, their match seemed a natural one. When it comes to improvisation and far-flung sonic explorations, they are in their comfort zone, something they demonstrated well when working together on their previous album.
Their new album, Swallowtail, finds the duo once more completely immersed in the moment, each attuned to the other. Swallowtail is due for release on May 10th via Thrill Jockey. Alongside the album announcement White and Anderson have shared their first single “Bitterroot Valley Suite I: Water.” The first of three flowing movements.
For the first minute, Anderson’s lines tumble and flow, at times sounding like multiple guitars are being played, while White’s drumming clatters and crests. Despite what sounds like quite complex movements, there is a cohesiveness that sounds strangely natural. As we pass the one-minute mark, Anderson allows a peek of a melody to surface and submerge, her guitar plunging depths while White’s tumbling percussion glides through, carried by Anderson’s river of sound; it’s both an alluring and organic-sounding piece.
The notes to the album include a quote from Anderson talking about playing live with Jim:
“When we play live we don’t stop, there are no breaks in between ‘songs’,” notes Anderson, “we segue naturally between movements and ideas. Sometimes we are together, and sometimes we are apart, sometimes the segues become the pieces.” The natural development of the duo’s own singular meter, this early in their collaboration, is nothing short of revelatory.
Stream Bitterroot Valley Suite I: Thrill Jockey | YouTube | Tidal | Spotify | Apple Music
Jim White and Marisa Anderson will be touring North America this spring around the release of Swallowtail, including a string of co-headline dates with fellow folk innovator Myriam Gendron. Full list of dates below.
Jim White and Marisa Anderson duo tour dates
May 3 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue #
May 4 – Fargo, ND – The Hall at Fargo Brewing #
May 9 – Philadelphia, PA – Solar Myth
May 11 – Yellow Springs, OH – The Foundry Theater
May 12 – Detroit, MI – Trinosophes
May 13 – Chicago, IL – Constellation
May 16 – New York, NY – Le Poisson Rouge ^
May 17 – Keene, NH – Thing in the Spring ^
May 18 – Montreal, QC – Lion D’or ^
May 20 – Portland, OR – Holocene ^
May 22 – Seattle, WA – Rabbit Box ^
May 23 – Vancouver, BC – Coastal Jazz @ St James Hall ^
May 24 – San Diego, CA – The Loft ^
May 25 – Los Angeles, CA – Zebulon ^
May 26 – Mill Valley, CA – Sweetwater Music Hall ^
Jun. 4 – Kingston NY – Tubby’s *
Jun. 5 – Washington, DC – Rhizome*
Jun. 6 – Richmond, VA – Richmond Music Hall *
Jun. 9 – Durham, NC – The Pinhook *
Jun. 11 – Athens, GA – Flicker Theater *
Jun. 15 – Nashville, TN – The Blue Room *
Jun. 23 -Paonia CO – Bross Hotel *
- Marisa Anderson solo
# Marisa Anderson solo w/ Charlie Parr
^ co-headline w/ Myriam Gendron