THE NEW YORKER: The Hands Free
THE NEW YORKER: The Hands Free
''Les Mains Libres,' first published in 1937, features text by the French surrealist poet Paul Éluard alongside delicate drawings by Man Ray. Inspired by the book’s mix of spontaneity and refinement, a new chamber group—comprising the guitarist James Moore, the violinist Caroline Shaw, the accordionist Nathan Koci, and the bassist Eleonore Oppenheim—has concocted an arresting set of spindly, lively pieces that sound both improvised and inevitable. The guitarist Mary Halvorson and the multi-instrumentalist Robbie Lee open at the Kitchen."