Fort Worth, 3.8.2025

Last year was notable for me in that I got to see my favorite guitarist, Oak Cliff denizen Gregg Prickett, more times than in the preceding decade (half a dozen, in various contexts). We're trying to beat that record this year. So I was thrilled to hear he was bringing a trio with his Monks of Saturnalia bandmates Drew Phelps (bass) and Alan Green (drums) to the Grackle Art Gallery under the rubric Habu Habu, which up to now had been reserved for Gregg's solo outings. 

Gregg's an endlessly inventive improviser who combines classically trained dexterity and an edgy imagination with mastery of electronics and extended techniques to create sonic environments that can shift and morph on a dime in the moment. Drew Phelps, a veteran of innumerable jazz, western swing, and country gigs, is his ideal collaborator, and their duo improvisations have been a joy to listen to the last couple of years. 

When I commented to Gregg that I like to watch the action when he tries to surprise Drew with unexpected chords, he said, "I have to be careful what I throw at these guys, because they  both know a lot more than I do!" At one point, Drew took off like a man possessed, first pizzicato, then arco -- a stunning moment.

Alan Green is a brilliant addition to this musical conversation. A master percussionist who's played with Dennis Gonzalez and Marchel Ivery, and learned from Sun Ra and the Art Ensemble of Chicago, he's an adept listener and fast thinker with a light touch and an innovative approach to rhythm and texture. As a unit, the three musicians constantly challenge each other, and are as likely to push against pulse and groove as they are to go with it. 

Their interaction has caused Gregg to reevaluate his approach to writing for the Monks of Saturnalia; he now says that going forward, he wants to make their compositional process more interactive. While Gregg says it remains a challenge to get all five Monks (tonight's trio plus reedmen Steve Brown and Nathan Collins) in the same room, I look forward to hearing the results of their further exploration. And Gregg will be augmenting Trio Glossia when they open for Mike Watt's current band MSSV at The Wild Detectives on March 22.