Country : United States Label : New West Genres and styles : Alt-Pop / Bossa Nova / Chamber Pop Year : 2025

Marc Ribot – The Map of a Blue City

· by Michel Labrecque

According to a chart compiled by Discogs.com, American guitarist Marc Ribot has performed on 576 different records over the course of his nearly fifty-year career. 576! That’s a bit crazy! At the venerable age of 71, Ribot delivers his very first album of songs, The Map of a Blue City, a project that dates back to the late ’90s, but materializes in 2025. A surprisingly acoustic album, airy, ethereal and impressively rich, with multiple layers of guitars and strings. Marc Ribot has dabbled in virtually every genre of music, from punk and jazz to Americana and countless world sounds. He has played with Elton John, Tom Waits, The Lounge Lizards, John Zorn, Natalia Lafourcade and Caetano Veloso, among others. The Map of a Blue City opens with “Elizabeth”, a deep ballad seasoned with accordion and strings. Ribot’s voice is low, paused, almost whispering.

“For Celia” is all reverb, with chiselled guitars that recall both Americana and Latin inspiration. “Say my Name” brings a bit of electricity, discreet and electronic. “Daddy’s Trip to Brazil” plunges us into a Bossa Nova atmosphere, but with distressing effects that contradict the happiness that usually transpires from this music—ending with a very Stan Getzian sax solo. It’s just magnificent.

Map of a Blue City is a little closer to dissonant Marc Ribot, but with a gentle counterpoint. This title doesn’t refer to an American Democratic city, but to a map his daughter drew as a child. I tell you this because Marc Ribot produced an album called Songs of Résistance in 2018 and recently called Donald Trump a “fascist.” This piece ends with a heartbreaking guitar solo.

The album also features a musically sophisticated cover of “When the World is on Fire” by country band The Carter Family, and “Sometime Jailhouse Blues” by Californian poet Allan Ginsberg. “Death of a Narcissist” makes a nice place for bottleneck guitar, while “Optimism of the Spirit” is the only piece where the guitar gives way to electronic keyboards, harmonium and other celestial sounds, solidly surrounded by percussion that almost makes you want to dance.

There’s no repetition on this album: it’s both erudite and accessible. Marc Ribot will be at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal on June 26, with his electro-jazz trio Ceramic Dog. Marc Ribot is very eclectic.

Latest 360 Content

Suoni: The Spiritual Quest, The End in Transcendence

Suoni: The Spiritual Quest, The End in Transcendence

FIJM | Thundercat, A Feline on The Loose

FIJM | Thundercat, A Feline on The Loose

FIJM | Bill Frisell, Thomas Morgan and Rudy Royston Exposed

FIJM | Bill Frisell, Thomas Morgan and Rudy Royston Exposed

FIJM | Branford Marsalis Among Four MF’s Playin’ Tunes… Live!

FIJM | Branford Marsalis Among Four MF’s Playin’ Tunes… Live!

FIJM | About Derrick Hodge’s Idea of the Color of Noize

FIJM | About Derrick Hodge’s Idea of the Color of Noize

FIJM | Queen of Afrobeats, Ayra confirms her status as a Global… Starr

FIJM | Queen of Afrobeats, Ayra confirms her status as a Global… Starr

FIJM | Black Jazz by Marquis Hill

FIJM | Black Jazz by Marquis Hill

Festival de Lanaudière | Leonardo Garcia Alarcon/Monteverdi’s Coronation of Poppea: being marketwise

Festival de Lanaudière | Leonardo Garcia Alarcon/Monteverdi’s Coronation of Poppea: being marketwise

FIJM | Nate Smith and his Supremely Talented Quartet

FIJM | Nate Smith and his Supremely Talented Quartet

Nuits d’Afrique 2025 | Tyrane Mondeny Presents Her Mandingo Soul

Nuits d’Afrique 2025 | Tyrane Mondeny Presents Her Mandingo Soul

FIJM | Nai Palm? Creature of Exception! Hawa B? Future Star!

FIJM | Nai Palm? Creature of Exception! Hawa B? Future Star!

FIJM 2025 | Funky funky, Trombone Shorty

FIJM 2025 | Funky funky, Trombone Shorty

FIJM | Nubya Garcia Becomes a Star in MTL

FIJM | Nubya Garcia Becomes a Star in MTL

FIJM 2025 | Symphonic Avishai Cohen: Bewitching magic

FIJM 2025 | Symphonic Avishai Cohen: Bewitching magic

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Phantom Island

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Phantom Island

Common Holly – Anything glass

Common Holly – Anything glass

FIJM I Hanorah Sets the TD Stage Ablaze with Soulful R&B

FIJM I Hanorah Sets the TD Stage Ablaze with Soulful R&B

FIJM | Jeff Goldblum: Storyteller, Comedian and Pianist

FIJM | Jeff Goldblum: Storyteller, Comedian and Pianist

FIJM I Still Taking Us There, Mavis Staples Electrifies Montreal JazzFest

FIJM I Still Taking Us There, Mavis Staples Electrifies Montreal JazzFest

FIJM | Gabriella Olivo, Musical Journey in Three Languages

FIJM | Gabriella Olivo, Musical Journey in Three Languages

FIJM | Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp – Ventre Unique

FIJM | Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp – Ventre Unique

Fantastic Negrito – Son of A Broken Man

Fantastic Negrito – Son of A Broken Man

Cumbia, Chaos, and Resistance: Empanadas Illegales Bring the Heat to Montreal Jazz Fest

Cumbia, Chaos, and Resistance: Empanadas Illegales Bring the Heat to Montreal Jazz Fest

Turnstile – Never Enough

Turnstile – Never Enough

Subscribe to our newsletter