''At the Old Office'' is an album by American jazz guitarist Joe Morris which was recorded live in 1999 and released on the

Knitting Factory The Knitting Factory is a nightclub in New York City that features eclectic music and entertainment. After opening in 1987, various other locations were opened in the United States. The Knitting Factory gave its audience poetry readings, perform ...

label. The record features his quartet with violinist

Mat Maneri Mat Maneri (born October 4, 1969) is an American composer, violin, and viola player. He is the son of the saxophonist Joe Maneri and Sonja Maneri. Career Maneri has recorded with Cecil Taylor, Guerino Mazzola, Matthew Shipp, Joe Morris, Ger ...

, bassist Chris Lightcap and drummer Gerald Cleaver, the same lineup as the previous studio album '' Underthru''.Joe Morris discography by Rick Lopez

Reception

In his review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, David R. Adler states "Though short of Sonny Sharrock energy-wise and Derek Bailey in terms of innovation, Morris nonetheless holds high qualities of inventiveness, singular purpose, and individual vision." '' The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' observes that "Maneri's viola has a wonderfully rich quality that sits well with the guitar, probably more comfortably than the electric violin he characteristically uses, and on 'Matter of Fact' the exchange of lead lines is virtuosic and completely convincing." The All About Jazz review by Glenn Astarita says about the musicians that "collectively represent one of the finest, cutting edge bands in modern jazz, as the music presented on this new release extends some of their now familiar micro-tonal/improvisational style developments and concepts."Astarita, Glenn
''At the Old Office'' review
at All About Jazz In his review for '' JazzTimes'' Peter Margasak states "What most distinguishes this group from Morris' other projects is the rhythm section: Cleaver manages to swing while breaking down time and Lightcap limns the proceedings with clarity, although neither one of them is afraid of ratcheting up the energy level when things get a little static."Margasak, Peter
''At the Old Office'' review
at '' JazzTimes''

Track listing

:''All compositions by Joe Morris except as indicated'' # "Matter of Fact" (Morris, Maneri, Lightcap, Cleaver) – 20:26 # "Don't Say Too Much" – 24:00 # "Coil" – 19:58 # "Closeout" (Morris, Maneri, Lightcap, Cleaver) – 10:37

Personnel

* Joe Morris -

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

–

viola The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...

* Chris Lightcap –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

* Gerald Cleaver –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

References

{{Joe Morris, state=autocollapse 2000 live albums Joe Morris (guitarist) live albums Knitting Factory Records live albums Albums recorded at the Knitting Factory