Snakes and Ladders
Andrew Christopher Smith
Snakes and Ladders; Daniel Figgis (drums), Cormac Figgis (bass), Roger Doyle (piano), Mark Scully (drums), Colum Jordan (bass), Brian Ó hUiginn (uilleann pipes), Conor Brady (guitar), Symphony Space, New York City, 8 January 2010
The two rhythm sections were posed in uncanny symmetry, as if drummer and curator Daniel Figgis had specifically chosen a left-handed drummer to play beside him. Figgis brought his ensemble to New York for Daniel Figgis’ Snakes & Ladders… an Entertainment, a mixture of solo and group performances, with Irish musicians from a wide range of backgrounds. What the subtitle ‘an Entertainment’ meant was never quite clear, and that ambiguity seemed to trickle into the set as a whole.
Batterie 1, a piece by Figgis, began the one-hour set with pounding low toms, pulsing bass guitars, electric guitar swells and uilleann pipe...
