Search - Miss Murgatroid, Petra Haden :: Bella Neurox

Violinist Petra Haden and accordionist Miss Murgatroid (née Alicia Rose) make a startling duo. Rose's accordion sounds church-organ big in some parts and then like the fiercest '60s-era electric keyboard in others, while Haden, formerly of That Dog (and the daughter of jazz bass virtuoso Charlie), wields a beautiful tone, terse but rich. Certainly some of the unrest originates in Rose's unorthodox take on her instrument, which she plays with a touch of Pauline Oliveros's sense of tuning and intonation but a far larger sense of volume and intensity. Her sounds, elongated or clipped, gritty or soaringly clear, are aided by an array of pedals and effects. It's far more than intriguing and much more intense than intimate. This is a wonderful recording. --Andrew Bartlett