Steve Dalachinsky

Match a dynamic poet in duo and trio situations with a variety of improvisers, from Vernon Reid and Thurston Moore on guitars, to Mat Maneri (violin), Matthew Shipp (piano) and William Parker (bass), and you have an adventurous project that animates the Beat ideal of combining spoken word performance art with improvised music. Thirty-three miniatures combine inventive wit and passion, reaching a dramatic high point in Dalachinsky’s duo with drummer Susie Ibarra in “Focus.” The poet dedicates “Focus” to Ibarra and her mentor, the late drummer Denis Charles.