Program Note Commissioned and premiered in January 2010 by the NY Guitar Festival at Merkin Hall, Marc Ribot’s delicate and at times haunting solo guitar score contemporizes this ���������������� classic Chaplin film to a story relevant to the economic and social conditions of today. ������ ������������������������ ������������������������������������� “I did not use Charlie Chaplin’s score as a reference. I admire his score greatly, and his ���������������������������� ��������������������������������������� writing greatly, but I did not want to use that as a reference because my interest in ����������������� ������������������������� this, as with everything else, comes from doing a particular reading. And my particu- lar reading of this film is as a contemporary film. This is kind of striking to me. When I first saw the film as a kid—like 45 years ago—it seemed really old. It seemed ancient. It was kind of walled off in this ghetto of the past. So much so that the content of the film seemed funny even when the characters weren’t being intentionally funny. It seemed inherently funny for something to be that old. Whereas, when I watch it now,

������������� I don’t see old. I see a contemporary story about a single father in economically really hard conditions.” �������������� ������������������������������������������������ ������������������������ ���������������������������������������� Selections can be heard on Marc’s most recent solo guitar album Silent Movies �������� ���������������������������������������� available on Pi Recordings. ��������������������������� ������������������������������������� �������������������� ������������������������������������������� Marc Ribot �������������������������� ��������������������������������������������������� �������������������������������������������������������� Marc Ribot, who the New York Times describes as “a deceptively articulate artist who ������������������������������� ���������������������������������������� uses inarticulateness as an expressive device,” has released over 20 albums under ������������������������������� ������������������������������������������ his own name over a 30-year career, exploring everything from the pioneering jazz ������������������ of Albert Ayler to the Cuban son of Arsenio Rodríguez. His latest solo release, Silent Movies (Pi Recording 2010) has been described as a “down-in-mouth-near master ������������������������������� ���������������� piece” by the Village Voice and has landed on several Best of 2010 lists including the LA Times and critical praise across the board. 2013 saw the release of Your Turn (Northern Spy), the sophomore effort from Ribot’s no wave/noise trio Ceramic Dog, and 2014 sees another momentous release: Marc Ribot Trio Live at the Village Vanguard (Pi Recordings).

Rolling Stone points out that “guitarist Marc Ribot helped Tom Waits refine a new, weird Americana on 1985’s Rain Dogs, and since then he’s become the go-to guitar guy for all kinds of roots-music adventurers: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Elvis Costello, John Mellencamp.” Additional recording credits include Neko Case, Diana Krall, Elton John/Leon Russell’s latest The Union, Solomon Burke, John Lurie’s Lounge Lizards, Marianne Faithful, Joe Henry, Allen Toussaint, Medeski Martin & Wood, Caetono Veloso, Susana Baca, Allen Ginsburg, Madeline Peyroux, Nora Jones, Jolie Holland, Akiko Yano, the Black Keys, and many others. Marc works regularly with Grammy® award winning producer T Bone Burnett and NY composer John Zorn. He has also performed on numerous film scores such as Walk the Line (Mangold), The Kids Are All Right, and The Departed (Scorcese).

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