Dirt... And More Dirt

Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Henry Threadgill leads a “Kestra”—an unconventional big band with two drummers, two pianists, and lots more—through two multipart suites here, the first called “Dirt,” the second “And More Dirt.” Both are inspired by the New York Earth Room, Walter de Maria’s earth sculpture in Manhattan consisting of dirt... and more dirt. With colleagues both old and new, Threadgill generates acidic, space-alien harmony and counterpoint in an infectiously rhythmic flow, leading the charge on alto sax and flutes.