Marty Ehrlich

Cartographies of Flight: Lines Set Afloat Towards Hope

Releases April 24th 2026

Preorder HERE

This new recording presents Ehrlich’s compositions and woodwinds in the context of an illustrious sextet with Sara Schoenbeck, Ron Horton, Erik Friedlander, Matt Pavolka, and Satoshi Takeshi, with settings of poetry by Erica Hunt, read by the poet. One of the most significant voices to emerge from the fertile musical environs of 1970s St. Louis, making a mark in 1980s New York, Ehrlich has steadily amassed one of the great discographies in creative music. Cartographies of Flight introduces a vivid new chapter in this uniquely personal legacy.

Dear Listener,

This recording starts with a sound that has energized me over many years: the 'Dark Woods' of the clarinet, bassoon, cello and bass; the 'Bright Sparks' of the alto and trumpet; the wood and metal of the percussion bringing it all together.

The album also contains many of my multitudes: settings of and improvisations with poetic text (here read by their author, Erica Hunt), the combination and contrasting of compositions with improvisations, and works both open and set; then the corralling of these elements into a large field, the beginning to end of a CD, or of a concert.

Cartographies of Flight is a wonderful instrumentation, but it is the unique and expressive voices of these artists that I most wanted to engage with. Our performances had a galvanizing effect on me: I wanted to get into a recording studio to map, all pun intended, the flight of the music.

The music on this CD moves quickly from one scene to the next. This is one path through, one ‘line set afloat’ to navigate this troubling and challenging time we live in. I hope it serves.

Marty Ehrlich

All Compositions by Marty Ehrlich, Dark Sounds Music (BMI)
All poems by Erica Hunt

Erica Hunt—Poet and Reciter
Marty Ehrlich—Clarinet, Flute, Alto Saxophone
Ron Horton—Trumpet
Sara Schoenbeck—Bassoon
Erik Friedlander—Cello
Matt Pavolka—Bass
Satoshi Takeishi—Percussion and Drums
Produced by Marty Ehrlich
Recorded October 10th, 2024
Samurai Hotel Studios
David Stoller—Engineer
Christopher Hoffman—Mixing, mastering and editing

Cover Painting by Andrea Dezsö. Used by permission.

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