So our good friend/master publicist April Thibeaul happened to get me into a rare NYC performance of Cordis when they played the . I’m not sure I can adequately describe the often times slightly discordant but always interesting controlled cacophony that is Cordis, but suffice it to say if you have never seen a concert cimbalom you owe it to yourself to at least check out what Cordis’ main composer and cimbalom player Richard Grimes does with his odd mallets. Not to downplay the talents of the other three members; pianist/organist Brian O’Neill, cellist Jeremy Harman and the truly unique stylings of percussionist Andrew Beall, as much hitting bells, stands and slapping a Udu as he was blistering across a drum kit. At Le Poisson Rouge lounge, they recreated the powerful “Fifteen Minutes In Four Parts” from their equally powerful CD Here and Out. The quartet also truly rocked on a “Prelude To God.” I like the interplay between the cimbalom and piano, the low slices of Harman’s cello, but for me-old prog rock fan that I am-when Cordis rocks, when Beall truly gets to show off his amazing chops I believe this band is at their Kansas-like best.

Cordis is worth seeing for their instrumentality, compositions and quite a refreshing humbleness, as they invited the audience to partake of some free mp3’s when you sign-up at their website here:  http://www.cordismusic.com.