It began with admiration.
Guatemalan cellist and vocalist Mabe Fratti had this to say about Bill Orcutt as part of her Baker’s Dozen feature for The Quietus where Artists discuss the 13 records that shaped their lives:
His style of playing is aggressive but he has tone, he makes melodies, he likes notes. But he also brings a bit of scratching to it. He has a bit of the USA vibe in him – he goes for the pentatonic thing, and I’ve heard his guitar chamber music too. He’s also a little bluesy, especially on his songs that are covers. He has an energy to him like he’s floating.
These words reached Orcutt so he reached out and eventually sent Fratti some improvised guitar solos and she, with help from collaborator and bandmate in Titanic I. La Católica, went to work adding cello and vocals to the mix. The result—Almost Waking released on the TAR / MM / UOH independent label group back in May.
Regular readers of this column (and Stephen’s #NewMusicFriday and reviews) may recall seeing both of these distinctive artists here before—Bill Orcutt & Chris Corsano’s Made Out Of Sound from 2021 was an Album of the Week pic while Fratti is represented by 2024’s Sentir que no sabes, 2022’s Se Ve Desde Aquí, 2021’s Estática with Concepción Huerta and La Vida De Alguien Más by Diles que no me maten, as well as 2023’s Vidrio as part of Titanic. Yea, I’m a fan.
With Orcutt in San Francisco and Fratti in Mexico city, this was a long distance collaboration in miles but not in sound and the results are simply breathtaking. Fratti’s cello and voice hones Orcutt’s rougher edges making for many moments of stunning interplay.