Maybe Monday: Saturn’s Finger

A trio with saxophonist Larry Ochs, guitarist Fred Frith and koto virtuoso Miya Masaoka, Maybe Monday became a force in musique actuelle practically overnight on the basis of a few 1998 gigs that led to this Chicago concert recording. Saturn’s Finger makes it clear that the buzz was not inflated. Between the ever resourceful Frith and Masaoka, who also employ samplers, there is a formidable arsenal of otherworldly sounds that keep the music moving briskly from one bracing soundscape to the next. It is primarily Ochs who triggers a fluid, vocal element in the mix that prevents industrial toxicity, particularly on the half hour-plus title track. When the trio opts for delicacy, as it does on “Helix,” it creates a jarring juxtaposition, like a collage of chrysanthemums in a moon crater. This is a strong debut that will quickly create a clamor for more.

Originally Published July 1, 2000