Graded on a Curve:
David Greenberger, Chris Corsano, Glenn Jones,
An Idea in Everything

For decades David Greenberger documented the stories, thoughts, and feelings of those residing in Boston’s Duplex Nursing Home, and for nearly as long cartoonists and musicians endeavored to further illuminate those words. Greenberger has been the overseer of those efforts, a role that sometimes evolved into active participant, and the latest example finds him reading assorted texts in collaboration with guitarist Glenn Jones and drummer Chris Corsano; together they produce a refreshing celebration of the human condition. An Idea in Everything is out now on double 10-inch vinyl through Okraïna Records.

The hunger for music is often accompanied with the desire to devour additional artistic forms, most commonly film and literature, with the latter extending into the realms of comics and zines. Although he led the terribly underappreciated ’80s rock outfit Men & Volts, David Greenberger’s pathway into the consciousness of many came through The Duplex Planet, a self-published periodical that featured conversations with the residents of the elder care facility where he worked as activities director.

The Duplex Nursing Home has since closed, but not before Greenberger’s zine amassed almost 200 issues. Along the way, the content branched out into collabs with a long line of top-flight cartoonists (Dan Clowes, Peter Bagge, Doug Allen, Drew Friedman, Dame Darcy, Wayno, Chris Ware, Jessica Abel) and musicians, notably through Lyrics by Ernest Noyes Brookings, a compilation series where numerous participants (four CDs worth) adapted the poems of Duplex resident Brookings into song lyrics.

That Brookings was encouraged to write poems surely harkens back to Greenberger’s educational background (he graduated from art school in Boston in ’79) but more importantly, it sheds light on his lack of condescension. Over the years his refreshing approach to what he describes as the “art of conversation” has endeared his work to underground rockers, enthusiasts of the graphic novel, and dedicated listeners to Public Radio.

After Duplex’s closure, Greenberger expanded beyond organizer-publisher, moved around the country collecting interviews, and began reading well-chosen excerpts in performances with musicians ranging from members of NRBQ to Sun Ra’s Arkestra. The full bloom of those shows left the seedlings that have resulted in An Idea in Everything’s contents, but simultaneously, this set represents Greenberger’s friendships with Glenn Jones and Chris Corsano.

Today, Jones’ resplendent fingerpicking is frequently considered in relation to his Jersey background (the 2013 LP My Garden State deals with it directly), but when he initially emerged on the scene, first as a member of Shut-Up and shortly thereafter in avant-rockers Cul de Sac, he hung his hat in Boston. Jumping forward to 2012, it was during Byron Coley and Lili Dwight’s yearly barbecue in Western Mass that Greenberger, Jones, and Corsano first came together.

Jones and Corsano were already friends, with the drummer contributing to the guitarist’s 2011 album The Wanting. Upon meeting Greenberger and getting turned on to and immediately impressed with The Duplex Planet and related activities, Corsano queried: “Why haven’t you guys ever done anything together?”

Like many a good question, it didn’t have an answer. It did have an aftereffect, which is this recording; spread over four sides by 10-inch label Okraïna, An Idea in Everything is a multifaceted delight. Fans of Jones’ technique will dig hearing him journey outside of post-American Primitive regions, while longtime Duplex Planet devotees are sure to thrill at Greenberger’s exquisite, thoughtful readings, but the most impressive contribution is perhaps Corsano’s.

He’s the youngest of the three, all of five years old when the Planet began, but his skills as a free improvisor are highly respected, and it’s fair to rate him as a veteran on the scene. Furthermore, he’s sharp enough to fruitfully navigate truly solo recording (e.g. 2006’s The Young Cricketer) as his skills at collaboration have taken him outside of improv regions and onto stages with Bjork as part of her Volta tour.

Opener “A Painter of the Sixties” finds Jones’ string flourish quickly morphing into cyclical mode underscoring his involvement in the early days of what came to be known as post-rock (Cul de Sac focused heavily on the avant-garage, Krautrock, and yes, John Fahey). Meanwhile, washes of Corsano’s cymbals accentuate the development.

Jones is reengaging with some of his roots and Corsano is reacting and adapting, but don’t think Greenberger is the straight man in the scenario. He’s obviously the most directly communicative point on this creative triangle (well, maybe not during the swell late left turn “I Want to Hold Your Hand”), but it’s clear he’s comfortable in these surroundings right from the jump (it should be noted that Men & Volts started as an all Beefheart cover band), with “A Painter of the Sixties” relating the Abstract Expressionist background of an interviewee.

A high percentage of the set’s 28 tracks are short; that’s the case with “Doll Beach,” which sees Jones switching to banjo, but the interaction is so consistently rich that disappointment never creeps up. There are necessary shifts, with Corsano leading the charge in “It’s a Wonder,” the change echoing Greenberger’s broadness of personality as he delves into the mindset of a teetotaler. The next track “7 Ribbons 2 Trophies” features social awkwardness over not smoking, and later in “Happy Jack” a man has started a side business selling cigarettes.

Possibly the strongest point in An Idea in Everything’s favor is that it doesn’t undercut its sterling concept with bad decisions. The Ernest Noyes Brookings volumes wisely kept any band from wearing out its welcome (though a few chalked up multiple appearances), but the goal here is reaching a sort of everyday sublimity through the expansion of strengths and smarts.

Corsano improvises but Jones doesn’t, as it’s not his forte; instead, for these spontaneous compositions he dishes gemlike playing and utilizes new banjo tunings across the set. All the while Greenberger excels in his role as communicator, never faltering through reliably natural and varied elocution. Jones gets to shine late, “For Life” whittling down to an especially pretty duo, his glistening picking intersecting with an inspirational text, as closer “Walk to the Post Office” cozies up to some prime Takoma style.

The compositions on An Idea in Everything might be spontaneous, but there’s nothing shoddy about ‘em. Per Jones quoting Greenberger: “This isn’t something that just happened – it’s something that we made.” What they made is downright life-affirming; folks needing a little bit of that in their existence are encouraged to check it out.

GRADED ON A CURVE:
A-

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