Frank Carlberg: State of the Union

Frank Carlberg has made a cottage industry out of creating interesting musical settings for modern poetry. In the pianist’s latest release, vocalist Christine Correa deftly juggles the words of Gertrude Stein, Allen Ginsberg and others, while Carlsberg expands the poets’ verbal rhythms into elaborate musical commentary. He also presents the three-part “Presidential Suite,” which begins with an appropriately wry twist on Bill Clinton’s infamous definition of the word “is” and ends by scrambling the U.S. Constitution’s Bill of Rights into a sinister, chilling mockery.

Originally Published June 1, 2007