FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

“SPEAKING IN TONGUES”

by Rachel Eckroth

and John Hadfield

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album

Listen to Speaking In Tongues

ALBUM CREDITS

Produced by John Hadfield and Rachel Eckroth

Recorded at Sierra Studios 

Recording Engineer - George Kariotis 

Recorded at Sierra Studios - Athens, Greece Oct 11-13, 2023

Mixing Engineer - Jason Kingsland at Frenchtown Sound

Mastering Engineer - Nate Wood at Kerseboom Mastering

Album Design - Tatch Taboada

Photography by Alyssa Smith

Rachel Eckroth -

Vocals, Juno 106, Sequential Prophet 6, Korg Minilogue, Wurlitzer 200a, Steinway Grand Piano,

Korg Monologue, Moog Subsequent 25, Vintage Vibe Electric Piano, Mellotron M4000D

John Hadfield -

Drums, OP1, Ableton Live, Roland TR-808, Drum Programming, Kalimba, Crotales,

Morf Beat Gamelan Strips, Myanmar Bells

About the Artists

The Story of Speaking in Tongues

By Sharonne Cohen

It becomes quite apparent, within the first few moments of listening to Speaking in Tongues, that the recording was inspired by a deep love of improvisation shared by the two artists who co-created it. Rachel Eckroth and John Hadfield have formed what they call a “democratic” unit and filled it with an adventurous spirit, weaving creativity and unpredictability in a way that feels highly compatible and well-synchronized at the same time. Together with several of the duo’s own compositions, this album highlights spontaneous explorations the audience is meant to discover together with the artists creating it, in the moment.

The Seeds for Speaking in Tongues

Eckroth and Hadfield first collaborated while working on Jump!, a project by French saxophonist Céline Bonacina, realizing they “musically link up really well,” as Eckroth recalls. “Pianists comp, and drummers are also usually comping on the snare. When I connect with a drummer musically (for me this is kind of specific to drummers), we catch these same rhythms, because we have a similar language. It just feels good.” Then came a trio with bass player Anna Butterss. “Since it was just the three of us, there was more room for connection,” recounts Hadfield. With Eckroth residing in the U.S. and Hadfield in Paris, the two seized an opportunity when they were both in Europe at the end of 2023 to record their own project at Sierra Studios in Athens, Greece.

Eclectic Instrumentation

The album was initially conceived for drums and piano, without the anchor of a bass. But over the course of the recording, Eckroth and Hadfield overdubbed various keyboards, and so some songs feature a bass part, while others do not. The instrumentation seems simple. But check out the long list of keyboards that ended up being played on the album, and the various percussive instruments and drum machines. Multi-layered and sonically rich, this is anything but simple.

Aside from a Steinway Grand Piano, Rachel plays a Wurlitzer 200a, a vintage Vibe Electric Piano, various synthesizers (Roland Juno-106, Korg Minilogue, Sequential Prophet 6, Korg Monologue), the instantly recognizable Mellotron M4000D (digital audio playback unit) and the Moog Subsequent 25 (a 2-note analog synthesizer). She also contributes vocals. In addition to a drum kit, Hadfield plays Crotales cymbals, kalimba and Myanmar bells; Morfbeats Gamelan Strips; the all-in-one OP–1 (synthesizer, sampler and drum machine), a Roland TR-808 drum machine, a patterning drum machine, and Ableton Live.

Glossolalia?

Speaking in tongues, also known as glossolalia, is the practice of speaking in unintelligible words and sounds, often as part of a religious ritual or experience. “When I started writing for this

project,” recalls Eckroth, “I was inspired by a Jason Moran project entitled Staged.1

1 Staged was a solo sculptural installation by multidisciplinary artist and acclaimed jazz musician Jason Moran, recreating the main stages at two historic New York nightclubs, with accompanying music pressed on limited edition vinyl. I saw his exhibit at a museum, and was inspired by the music, which was very floaty and free. There was a picture of Jesus on the record sticker. And it just spiraled into this idea of different things people have believed in throughout history. Different aspects of religion.”

For Hadfield, who is originally from Missouri, “that's kind of the flavor of religion that you find there, that is the most common in the Bible Belt. Speaking in Tongues started off as this rhythmic puzzle that the bass line was created around. I really like the off-kilter and unpredictable effect that it created,” he muses. “When Rachel and I talked about the concept of the album, this rhythmic feel conjured images of people speaking in tongues; that is why we settled on that name. I also liked the fact that this process of glossolalia created an unknown language that is not even comprehensible to the speaker. This mystery of divinity was more of my musical focus than any sort of specific religious reference.”

Exploring the Intangible

Each of the intriguing songs titles carries a religious, scientific or astrological connotation. The opening “God Particle” refers to the Higgs boson — a subatomic particle that scientists believe gives everything in the universe mass. The tune’s spacious, other-worldly atmosphere, interweaving Eckroth’s wordless vocals, allude to “the thing that everything sparked from,” as she says.

The music turns angular and percussive on “Jeanne D'Arc,” calling upon the Patron Saint of France. “As we were working on the record,” recounts Eckroth, “we’d go into old Catholic churches, just to be there. One of them had a statue of Joan of Arc, a historical figure who represents female strength and bravery. I was thinking about how she supposedly heard the voices of the Saints, and that's why she acted as she did. It took me back to the idea of belief. What do you believe in?”

“Blood Moon,” composed by Hadfield, is a reference to the total eclipse of the Earth’s moon, giving it a red hue. “I was also fascinated with the disturbing fact that Christopher Columbus used his ability to predict the Blood Moon as a way to manipulate the inhabitants of Jamaica, pretending to know the future.”

Eckroth’s oscillating “The Gospel Of” is a reference to her Christian upbringing. “I definitely see religion from an outside perspective. To me all of it winds down to the same thing. Everyone believes — in something or in somebody, in some way. And it's not necessarily about religion. What determines the way you live your life?”

The following hymn-like “Sanctus” is “really just this chordal progression that builds over time,” she explains. “It was actually inspired by Carla Bley, because I'm a huge fan; that's where the

free stuff comes in. It’s this kind of thing that keeps building. Also, I’ve been in many choirs, and there was always a piece called Sanctus, these beautiful chorales. It’s an inspiring kind of meditative feeling for me.”

Hadfield’s expansive “Andromeda” references both the constellation, and the mythological figure it was named after. “As the piece develops,” he reflects, “it is for the listener to really see the constellation and mythological story. This was also on my mind because in Athens, where we recorded, one is literally surrounded by this ancient mythology.” The featured kalimba (thumb piano) lends the tune a celestial sound, “with the individual hits representing stars in this swirling sky, created by the processing of the sounds.”

“Phase and Libration”2

2 Reference to our changing view of the moon, which makes it look like it's wobbling; this wobble is called libration, from libra, the scale. Parts 1 & 2 are both improvised pieces. “It’s more on the astrological theme, the way the moon is perceived by people from Earth,” expounds Hadfield. “Embracing the unknown aspect of glossolalia is how we approached the improvised pieces. There was no predetermined discussion or direction. It’s so hard to verbally explain what you do when you truly improvise, similar to how it’s difficult to truly verbally explain a religious connection.”

The themes of religion, mythology and astronomy unify this album. For Eckroth, they are “different things that guide your decisions in life.” Reflecting on the similarities between music and religion, she notes that “there's this intangible element to both, on some levels.” For Hadfield, what serves as religion in his life is music. “It might sound corny, but that's the spiritual thing I feel.” Reaching for this ethereal quality, Eckroth and Hadfield have created a boundary-pushing, genre-defying sonic space that is soul-stirring, thought-provoking and altogether captivating.