The Poison Pie Publishing House presents:

April 1, 2026
On the following night, Andromache experienced a variation of the first performance. She discovered that the band never played a song precisely the same way twice. Certainly, a readily recognizable structure defined each piece but the musicians felt no obligation to reproduce a work note for note. On the contrary, any incidental stimulus—a dreamy smile on the face of a woman in the crowd or the out-of-time toe tapping of her husband—served as the seed of an improvised shoot that grew into a unique and unforeseen embellishment.

written while listening to:  Ramon Moro Quartet - Blue Horizon (Aut Records, AUT068, 2020, Italy, cd, discogs.com)

April 2, 2026
This second concert provided Andromache with a premonition of life on the road with the band. There was repetition. They played many songs from the night before, though their repertoire was much larger than could be performed in a single outing. Some tunes were rotated in and others out, at the apparent whim of the bandleader. This repetition was not without its allure. Something well beyond the need to make a living drew the musicians to perform. She likened it to the craving of the lotus eaters for their fruit, a pleasurable impulse hard to resist.

written while listening to:  François Lebègue, Guillaume Gargaud, Ernesto Rodrigues & Eduardo Chagas - Sound Bridge (Creative Sources, CS 442 CD, 2017, Portugal, cd, discogs.com)

April 3, 2026
The turn-out for the second performance equaled that for the first. Villagers who had missed the earlier show, were brought to the front of the line to be preferentially admitted. The rest of the tavern was filled by those who wished to experience the musical spectacle anew. Lampo was again well pleased and compensated Papa Krokodeilos and his musicians handsomely. Mama Chloë had quietly made a special request of Lampo's wife. Before the band left, Andromache was presented with a pair of leather boots, far better suited to the season than her sandals.

written while listening to:  Christoph Erb, Magda Mayas & Gerry Hemingway - Phyla Music (Veto Records, EXCHANGE 023, 2025, Switzerland, cd, discogs.com)

April 4, 2026
As Andromache drifted into sleep that night, she wondered what the following morning would bring. She had spent all of three days with the troupe and already her whole life had changed. She could not dismiss a foreboding that her good fortune could disappear as quickly as it had arrived. She curled into a ball and pulled the blanket tightly around her. Not for the last time did she fear that, upon waking, she would find herself lying on hard stone in the damp air of the utter darkness in the labyrinth, her adoption by these musical travelers revealed as a dream.

written while listening to:  Derek Bailey & Paul Motian - Duo in Concert (frozen reeds, fr24v, 2023 (rec. 1990), Finland, lp, discogs.com)

April 5, 2026
Waking in morning light, Andromache breathed in the chill air and exhaled a sigh of relief. Her fantasy would persist another day. She donned her boots and found with gratitude that an unknown woman had done her the favor of breaking them in. She helped with breakfast and with packing up camp. No one explained what would happen that day and she did not ask. She was content to allow events to unfold without her knowledge, expectation or approval. If Andromache's companions found her lack of curiosity unusual, they said nothing of it.

written while listening to:  Doo-Dooettes with Keiji Haino & Rick Potts - Free Rock (PSF Records, PSFD-131, 2002 (rec. 1982), Japan, cd, discogs.com)

April 6, 2026
They traveled with the rising sun warming their backs. This direction would have come as a relief to Andromache, if only she had known of their position relative to Knossos. Her slow passage through the labyrinth had delivered her west of the capital, so their progress now put the city farther behind her. She certainly had no desire to risk her newly won liberty by venturing into the proximity of King Minos. Also unbeknownst to her, scarcely a week earlier the band had left Knossos after several performances, none of which had merited royal notice.

written while listening to:  Joëlle Léandre - Lifetime Rebel, disc 4 (RogueArt, ROG-0137, 2024, France, cdx4, discogs.com)

April 7, 2026
Papa Krokodeilos had led his troupe to Crete last summer, drawn by a shared desire to see the world and to visit the cradle of the Minoan empire. The cost of passage had been arranged by a benefactor. Their reception had been favorable; the months spent upon the island were such that no one regretted coming. Still, their stay had not been intended as anything more than a tour. His thoughts, like those of the others, turned to departure, an act which required a wealthy sponsor, unlikely to be found in rural parts. As such, their path was yet vague and unhurried.

written while listening to:  Sara Schoenbeck - untitled (Pyroclastic Records, PR 16, 2021, United States, cd, discogs.com)

April 8, 2026
Walking without express purpose in this company invited many opportunities for Andromache to learn more about her companions and vice versa. They had accepted her but knew almost nothing of her story. Often one or two played as they hiked and conversation filled the gaps. "And where it is you call home?" asked Hektor. Recalling a seafarers' proverb, Andromache replied, "My home is wherever I should lay my head." Though sympathetic to this sentiment, they regarded her reply as elusive. Their flutist remained a mystery to be unraveled in time.

written while listening to:  Jah Wobble & Evan Parker - Passage to Hades (30 Hertz Records, 30HZCD14, 2001, United Kingdom, cd, discogs.com)

April 9, 2026
Whether from genuine curiosity or to deflect attention from her reticence to speak of herself, Andromache then put the same question to Hektor. His answer proved as much a drama as had Megara's tale of life among frost giants. "Hera delivered me as a gift to Argos, or so I have been told by the temple priestesses who adopted and reared me." She interpreted his words to explain without self-pity the practice of abandoning unwanted newborns, in his case one with a clubfoot and a deaf ear, to the beneficence of the gods.

written while listening to:  Tomeka Reid Quartet - Dance! Skip! Hop! (Out Of Your Head Records, OOYH 041, 2026, United States, cd, discogs.com)

April 10, 2026
It turned out that not a one of them hailed from Crete. Nor did they share a common birth place. Their fellowship had been assembled one member at a time in much the same manner, serendipitous and haphazard, by which Andromache had joined their number. There were vague references during the ensuing conversation to past members of the band. It had not occurred to Andromache, though it seemed quite normal in hindsight, that musicians might come together for a while and make what music they would before parting ways.

written while listening to:  Hans Lüdemann TransEuropeExpress Ensemble featuring Rita Marcotulli & Luciano Biondini - On The Edges 3 (Budapest Music Center Records, BMC CD 320, 2023, Hungary, cd, discogs.com)