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Simon Hanes — Gargantua
(Bandcamp Pyroclastic no#, 2026, CD / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2026-04-05

Gargantua Cover art

Simon Hanes is a fixture on the New York avant-garde scene, frequently working with John Zorn, J.G.Thirlwell, and others. Gargantua is a new work composed by Hanes featuring what I refer to as an E.U.I. — Ensemble of Unusual Instrumentation. Arranging music for an E.U.I. is one way of ensuring that it will sound different from other music out in the world, though it’s certainly no guarantee of quality. In this instance, we certainly get both difference and quality. The ensemble in question features three soprano vocalists (Priya Carlberg, Isa Crespo Pardo, Jolee Gordon), three French horns (Kevin Newton, Noah Fotis, Blair Hamrick), three trombones (Jen Baker, Jacob Garchik, Colin Babcock), three electric basses (Anna Abondolo, Jesse Heasly, Trevor Dunn), and three drum sets (Jon Starks, Matt Bent, Kevin Murray). As Hanes mentions, “Three drummers is just too many drummers. And everybody knows three bass players is way too many bass players.” This spirit of excess is embraced in the music, which takes as its inspiration the writings of François Rabelais (which also inspired the band Gentle Giant back in the 70s) and the story of the giants Gargantua and Pantagruel, whose lives of excess served as satire in the 15th Century. With a kind of too-much-is-never-enough attitude, Hanes refuses to adhere to any stylistic norms from any time period, be it the 15th, the 21st, or any century in between. The suite starts off with a brief blast of chaos before proceeding in a moody fashion with “A Series of Waves Tremble in a Sea of Blood.” Throbbing toms and long tones from the trombones and basses back legato lines from the voices and horns, only to suddenly jump into a kind of disjointed Renaissance brass piece after six minutes. “Gigantes” cranks up the rock factor with pounding drums and fuzz on at least one of the basses while the brass and voices contribute interjections. Throughout all ten tracks, the harmonies are dense and complex, full of dissonant chords contrasted with quiet atmospheres and Classical interludes. In scope and impact, I’m reminded of Bobby Previte’s Mass, though there’s even more diversity in sound here. Obviously listeners who prefer any kind of stylistic purity are going to be put off by Gargantua, but it’s a stunning achievement that is designed to open ears to the possibilities of musical history all jammed together. When it finishes, a reaction like “What did I just hear?” is quite appropriate, and even repeated listens fail to resolve its contradictions. Gargantua is Gargantua, and it’s unlikely there will ever be anything else like it.

Filed under: New releases, 2026 releases

Related artist(s): Trevor Dunn, Simon Hanes

More info
http://simonhanes.bandcamp.com/album/gargantua

 

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