Sisters
Lucia,
Angella, and
Maria Ahn continue to support their favorite composers on their fifth album, Lullaby for My Favorite Insomniac. Kenji Bunch wrote the title piece along with several others, and familiar names such as
Michael Nyman, Ronn Yedidia, and
Astor Piazzolla also contribute. The Ahns also make another pass at the
David Bowie hit "This Is Not America," which appeared previously on Ahn-Plugged. But the most interesting selections are the unfamiliar ones. Bunch gives them an arrangement of Rodgers & Hart's "My Funny Valentine" that is practically unrecognizable until the violin takes up the melody; it sounds like what might happen if
Piazzolla met
Richard Rodgers. And the sisters collaborate with singer/songwriter
Susie Suh on "All I Want," her throaty, disembodied alto voice emphasizing the melancholy tone. As this suggests, the
Ahn Trio is anything but traditional, and the performances have bits of electronic processing here and there, while still keeping them in the classical crossover realm. When the initial 12 tracks are finished and the four concluding remixes kick in, however, all bets are off. Tao of Sound,
DJ Spooky, Superdrive, and Ra.D add percussion, edit, and rap over earlier tracks, taking the
Ahn Trio from the concert hall to the dancehall. Traditionalists might be aghast, but this is a typical move for the young, eclectic performers ~ William Ruhlmann