Drip Audio
According to Nate Dorward’s liner notes in this Drip Audio release The Ultimate Frog is named after a mysterious 1924 Harper’s Magazine tale of an old man’s quest for a choir of four perfectly harmonized frogs. Though the allusion is questionable the number four fits since this release showcases McAuley’s duets with four master musicians. The collaborations are rich introspective explorations with bassist Ken Filiano percussionist Alex Cline guitarist Nels Cline and violinist Leroy Jenkins — an ideal creative climate for McAuley’s inspired guitar work. The Ultimate Frog’s improvisational travels are captured in two CDs of material that cover many genres. This is a richly textured collection ranging from classical to blues folk jazz and uncharted improvisational territory. Like many of Drip Audio’s CDs The Ultimate Frog defies categorization. And that’s the beauty of it — this is brilliant work which knows no boundaries and draws from all.
