Bing & Ruth

Formed in the mid-aughts among music student friends at New York City’s New School, Bing & Ruth’s lineup has shifted with the scope of each recording. 2014’s Tomorrow Was The Golden Age was executed by an ensemble of two upright bassists, two clarinetists, a cellist and a tape delay tech, all supporting David Moore’s sublime yet resonant piano scores.

Originally pressed in a limited edition five years ago, City Lake was re-realized in a simultaneously refined and expanded form as a RVNG, Intl. release in November 2015. Embodying both the restrained and expressive capabilities of a large ensemble, City Lake impresses a physicality where Tomorrow Was the Golden Age traces ethereal shifts between darkness and light. Joining Moore on this stirring rove are two clarinetists (Jeremy Vinerand and Patrick Breiner), two cellists (Greg Heffernan and Leigh Stuart), two vocalists (Becca Stevens and Jean Rohe), a bassist (Jeff Ratner), a lap-steel player (Myk Freedman), a faithful tape-delay engineer (Mike Effenberger), and a percussionist (Chris Berry), with Moore on piano.

Outside of Bing & Ruth, Moore is also a multi-faceted composer, scoring under his own name and for old-time fiddle groups, which he describes as “drone-based with a lessened concern for perfect intonation.” These ventures illustrate Moore’s unpretentious devotion to various musical traditions, yet Bing & Ruth remains Moore’s principal project, where form ventures even further beyond recognition.