75 Dollar Bill

75 Dollar Bill
OriginNew York City
Years active2012–present
LabelsOther Music, Thin Wrist
MembersChe Chen
Rick Brown
Website75dollarbill.bandcamp.com

75 Dollar Bill is a musical duo formed in New York City in 2012. Its members are Che Chen (guitar), formerly of True Primes, and Rick Brown (drums), formerly of V-Effect and Curlew.[1] Sasha Frere-Jones described their music as displaying "a certain kind of formal fullness and technical freedom," which he said has helped introduce jazz to a new generation.[1] Other critics have noted that their music shows signs of Mauritanian influences, because Chen studied Moorish music in Mauritania with Jheich Ould Chighaly in 2013.[2] Their first full-length album, Wooden Bag, was released in 2015 by Other Music Recording Company.[3] Their second album, Wood/Metal/Plastic/Pattern/Rhythm/Rock, was released in 2016 on the Los Angeles-based label Thin Wrist.[4]

For their 2019 album, I Was Real, they expanded to a larger ensemble of players, which the Guardian described as "adding yet more depth to their placeless, gripping grooves".[5] The Wire named I Was Real the number one album on their year end list for 2019.[6] Since then they have self-released a series of live recordings through Bandcamp, including Power Failures and the Social Music at Troost series.[7]

  1. ^ a b Frere-Jones, Sasha (22 September 2016). "The Irresistible Chaos of 75 Dollar Bill". Village Voice. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  2. ^ Ratliff, Ben (11 February 2014). "Blending Moorish Tradition With a Do-It-Yourself Credo". New York Times. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  3. ^ "Wooden Bag". Other Music Recording Company. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  4. ^ Scott, Tim (5 August 2016). "75 Dollar Bill Are the Masters of 15-Minute Jams Featuring A Plywood Box Getting Battered With a Mallet". Noisey. Vice. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  5. ^ Empire, Kitty (7 July 2019). "75 Dollar Bill: I Was Real review". The Observer. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  6. ^ "The Wire 's Top 50 Releases 2019 - The Wire". The Wire Magazine - Adventures In Modern Music. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  7. ^ Lamb, Johnny. "Social Music at Troost Review". The Quietus. Retrieved 31 October 2022.