Musician, filmmaker, performer, and cultural conjurer Tav Falco moves with ease between Memphis juke joints and Weimar cabarets while blending tango, vocal jazz, rockabilly, and noir Americana into a personal mythology with a wink and a streak of cultivated danger. He has been fronting Panther Burns – a loose vehicle for outcasts, hipsters, and other beautiful misfits – since 1979, and has written books, directed films, and embraced African American and Argentinian traditions with equal curiosity. Falco’s songwriting is celebrated on his 14th studio album, Desire on Ice, which was created with his longtime producer and musical partner, Mario Monterosso. Undoubtedly the most ambitious project in the artist’s 40-plus-year career, Desire on Ice started with basic tracks recorded at Sam Phillips Recording Services in Memphis and features an astonishing lineup of all-star talent who are sympatico with his singular flair and vision. “I began my collaboration with Tav in 2014,” says Monterosso. “After many tours and recording five records with him, I feel like we’ve built something special over this decade. Desire on Ice represents my vision of Tav Falco, and the evolution we’ve made together.”
The lineup of featured players on Desire on Ice is impressive. The sessions were anchored by the members of Falco’s current touring band, Panther Burns: guitarist Mario Monterosso, bassist Giuseppe Sangirardi, and drummer Walter Brunetti. The guests include Ann Magnuson, Nicole Atkins, Jolie Holland, Bobby Gillespie, Pete Molinari, Kid Congo Powers, Jon Spencer, Rev. Horton Heat, Jimmy Rip, Chris Spedding, Boz Boorer, Richard Barone, Eddie Angel, Bubba Feathers, Chris Maxwell, Charlie Musselwhite, Mirko Dettori, Kai Eric, Rene Coman, Bertrand Burgalat, Alex Greene, Michael Perry Allen, Jim Sclavunos, and Ross Johnson, among others. Memphis writer and longtime Panther Burns confidante Robert Gordon has contributed new liner notes for the release.
“Tav Falco, who has been making records against all the odds for nearly half a century, presides, triumphant. A sleight of hand master, he defies the eye, bends the ear, melts your mind. This is your brain on Panther Burn ash. Play this record. Dance to this music. Free these people. Free this nation. Free this world.” – Robert Gordon
“A dozen tracks which fizz and sparkle in a way that only a Tav Falco album can… This isn’t just a bunch of tracks hastily thrown together, rather the songs fit like an interlocking puzzle, with each connected to the other.” – the Midlands Rocks
“One of his finest albums to date. ★★★★★” – MOJO
FCC Warning: Track 6, “Doomsday Baby,” Track 5, “Vampire From Havana”
Label: ORG Music
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