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.
