ABOUT THE ALBUM:
"For this album, we created the raw material by recording thousands of our own clarinet and piano sounds. We then wove together extended techniques and our completely untreated samples to create a large scale quasi-orchestral tapestry. No other instruments or samples are used, and many of the pieces are made up of 40 or more layers of prepared “piano orchestra” and clarinet. Fundamentally, Breath & Hammer is about connections between people and a celebration of identity through music."
-David Krakauer & Kathleen Tagg

Personnel:
​David Krakauer: clarinet; Kathleen Tagg, piano & piano-orchestra

REVIEWS For DAVID KRAKAUER & KATHLEEN TAGG'S BREATH & HAMMER (2020):
"...You almost have to take their word for it when they tell you it is nothing but clarinet and piano... Krakauer is a clarinetist who is capable of a mind-boggling array of sounds…" -John Schaefer, host of WNYC New Sounds

"‘Breath and Hammer’ is a masterful and joyous journey that rewards and delights the listener every moment of the way. I was beaming through the entire album, reinvigorated by the energy and imagination of each track and so happy to know that David Krakauer and Kathleen Tagg have made a musical adventure that pulls us out of the static isolated silence of our fraught time. They have found a way to give music a huge refreshing burst of energy only true explorers are able to give. They bound to ecstatic heights of fantasy and show us a new bright path forward." -David Harrington, violinist & founder of the Kronos Quartet

"The most compelling thing about this project from clarinetist David Krakauer and pianist Kathleen Tagg is the way three different sources culminate in one convergence. The influences of klezmer, modern jazz, and classical find any number of meeting points."
- Dave Sumner, Bandcamp Daily (The Best Jazz on Bandcamp: May 2020)

FEATURED ON:
New Sounds on WNYC with John Schaefer
NPR Music: Best New Songs You've Missed During Quarantine
​The Best Jazz on Bandcamp: May 2020
Mundofunías: Mundofonías’ favorite albums for July and August 2020