arb is an album of original works for clarinet and bassoon performed and collaboratively composed by Zachary Good and Ben Roidl-Ward. Each track features interplay between coinciding clarinet and bassoon multiphonics. While these sounds are often regarded as unstable and harsh, Zach and Ben focus on their delicate nuances and harmonic functionality. Emerging from these multiphonics, independently and especially in combination, are acoustical and phenomenological experiences that create the illusion that more than two people are playing.
arb was recorded on June 7th, 2020 in Zach and Ben’s apartment in Edgewater, Chicago on two large condenser microphones while in isolation together. Zach and Ben’s affinity for multiphonics on their respective instruments, 10 years of friendship and collaboration, and Illinois’ mandatory “stay at home” order prompted this project.
The name of the album references the Oberlin Arboretum (affectionately referred to as “the arb”) and Zach and Ben’s magical time together at the Oberlin Conservatory in Oberlin, Ohio. While students there, they formed a duo called “Arboretum” that focused on commissioning and performing new works.