Guitarist Terrence McManus Profiled

From Austinist:

The improvised music world at large hasn’t really caught on to Terrence McManus, a New York-based guitarist who builds and modifies his instruments to help create a muted field of sounds and non-gestural phrases, both roiling and understated. Though the guitar is often thought of in a principally soloistic role, McManus’ philosophy tends toward emphasizing ensemble and collective orchestration – his master classes spotlight concepts of interactive, free/open, and ensembles within ensemble playing.

McManus has worked with a core group of Downtown NYC heavies – drummer Gerry Hemingway, bassist Mark Helias, saxophonists Tim Berne and Ellery Eskelin, and trumpeters Herb Robertson and Dave Ballou. That being said, he did not record much until the last year or so; following discs with the Twin Cities rhythm team of bassist Adam Linz and drummer J.T. Bates, 2010 saw McManus stepping out in duo with Hemingway, in a power trio with Hemingway and Helias, and a solo EP, all of which are worth investigating.

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