by Brian Weidy
Bringing together three people widely regarded as some of the most talented and innovative on their respective instruments, Alone Together's Billy Martin (Medeski, Martin, and Wood), Sarah Neufeld (Arcade Fire), and Gregory Rogove (Devendra Benhart) united at (Le) Poisson Rouge on Tuesday evening to play a variety of solo compositions.
The night began with Billy Martin, who started by playing xylophone and assorted other "instruments" before quickly moving on to his kit. Martin's various styles were woven throughout his set, channelling his inner Cyro Baptista and easily shifting into John Bonham mode. After fifteen minutes of just Martin, Rogove strode onto the stage as a very surrealist video began to play, beginning his set with "Carolyn" while the wrong video played. "Jackal" came next—a much more upbeat song—followed by "Castle Garden." All of his set's pieces followed the same principles, showcasing the fairly minimalist themes from Rogove's latest album, Piana.
"Khadi" came next, with the help of Sarah Neufeld on piano. As their four well-choreographed hands worked across the keys in harmony, they created quite a dream-like sequence. Quickly, Neufeld picked up her violin and found herself in her solo spot of the evening, playing a very spirited ten-minute performance that got her foot stomping and elicited the loudest applause of the night from the otherwise stoic crowd.
After Neufeld's work, Martin once again found himself alone on the stage with a soundtrack of noises and bird calls. He sat down and first put on a clinic of keeping time with your feet before moving on to playing a full-blown solo once again. As he shifted back and forth—both on and off the kit—he proved himself virtuosic on everything he touched, whether it was a tambourine or just the hi-hat. Rogove then stepped up to the plate again, this time with a more uplifting piece that would have felt right at home in a Keaton film before Martin joined in, adding some dissonant percussion that developed into a use of his full kit on "Sunken Ships."
After "White Room," Neufeld then played for about fifteen minutes on her own before Martin and Rogove joined in, creating a wall of sound that alternated between a sonic masterpiece and a caucaphony of sound, combining brilliance and extreme risk taking—which paid off more than it didn't.