The Poison Pie Publishing House presents:

April 1, 2024
In Crete, as in Athens, women were regarded as the property of their fathers until they were married and became the property of their husbands. Thus, it was inconceivable that a woman should travel alone to establish herself independently. Berenike and Kallias recognized this no less than Europe. To secure her passage, they adopted her as Berenike's sister. This familial association lessened the irregularity of her solitude, though some residual awkwardness in the arrangement was felt by all in the trio. Conscious of the strain that she created, Europe pledged to placate the couple by remaining as unobtrusive as possible.

written while listening to:  Macha Gharibian - Trans Extended (Jazz Village, JV 570132, 2016, France, cd, discogs.com)

April 2, 2024
Berenike remained behind with her cousin, while Kallias accompanied Europe to a temporary wooden shack erected on the dock where the quartermaster and deck officer directed the remaining preparations for departure. Having already gone through the process once, Kallias knew exactly what to say to the men. He introduced his sister-in-law as another colonist. Eager to return to other business, they hastily added her name to the ledger. Only in bits and pieces, did Europe come to understand that in exchange for passage, she was, upon reaching Tenedos, under contract for seven years of indentured servitude to the colonial magistrate.

written while listening to:  Tivoli of the Mind - Pavia (Gold Records, GR-012, 2019, Denmark, lp, discogs.com)

April 3, 2024
Europe sank into a gloom, having just traded seven years of her life to escape Crete. A storm raged in her stomach. Among many who had made the same bargain, she had little to complain about save the unexpected manner in which the exchange had been revealed to her. If there had been intentional deception, she remained unsure. Perhaps, Kallias had misjudged her familiarity with the terms of the arrangement. Perhaps, Berenike assumed that she knew the price of freedom. Perhaps, Abydos supposed that she shared his cheap appraisal of a human life, much less a few years of one.

written while listening to:  Webber/Morris Big Band - Both Are True (Greenleaf Music, GRE-CD 1075, 2020, United States, cd, discogs.com)

April 4, 2024
In the shade of a tent, Europe waited beside the woman who had volunteered to become her sister, though they were strangers with no shared blood between them. They bore little physical resemblance, Berenike reaching the shoulders of the taller woman. While both possessed brown hair and eyes, Berenike's complexion was tanned and her face rounder. Despite the obvious contrast, Abydos declared them twins before announcing that he would be on his way. Surprised by his abrupt departure, they nevertheless wished him well. Berenike imagined Europe's sense of abandonment and clasped one of her hands to comfort her.

written while listening to:  Derek Bailey - Carpal Tunnel (Tzadik, TZ 7612, 2005, United States, cd, discogs.com)

April 5, 2024
They passed the time that day in conversation. Berenike originally thought to learn something about her new sister, but discovered Europe was reticent to discuss her past. What few words she extracted bore a clear Athenian accent. "If we are to be kin," she said, "we would do well to speak alike." She then began the first of many lessons in the Doric dialect of Crete. Europe practiced pronouncing words with what she regarded as a rural drawl compared to her cosmopolitan upbringing in Athens. Her over-exaggerations caused Berenike to repeatedly break out in laughter. "You really are from the sticks."

written while listening to:  Keiji Haino - Reveal'd to none as yet..., disc 1 (aRCHIVE/Important Records, archive14+15/imprec074, 2006, United States, cdx2, discogs.com)

April 6, 2024
Berenike was more forthcoming in sharing her own history. She had married Kallias, who grew up in a neighboring village, six months ago. "He's quite handsome," she remarked, loud enough for him to hear, "Don't you think?" Europe nodded in agreement as he turned to observe them, then blushed. The husband was of hardy stock, his arms and legs well-muscled by labor since childhood, with strong jaw and movement full of vigor. Beneath this masculine exterior, lurked the kindness that had prompted him to allow his wife to take her in, or so Europe hoped.

written while listening to:  The Art Ensemble of Chicago - Reese and the Smooth Ones (BYG Records, 529.329, 1969, France, lp, discogs.com)

April 7, 2024
As the day drew on, rumor spread that some hiccup in delivering provisions would delay their departure until the morrow. The crowd of colonists groaned at the formal announcement, but had little recourse save to wait. Having signed away their freedom, they had surrendered control over their destiny. Ample rations in the form of bread and a stew of beans and vegetables, coriander and dill, were distributed to tide the passengers over another day. Even when fed, Europe could not dismiss the ominous feeling, which had burdened her since her selection in the lottery, that she too lived at the whim of fate.

written while listening to:  Joëlle Léandre & Pascal Contet - Miniatures (Trost Records, TR244, 2024, Austria, cd, discogs.com)

April 8, 2024
Arranged along the far margin of the wharf, the line of open tents offered protection from the rain but no privacy. It suited Europe since she was able to lay down with Berenike separating her from Kallias. Before any of them fell asleep, they were roused by a patrol of soldiers. Their search for a fugitive quickly became evident. Europe waited with apprehension as the glow of the oil lamp moved from one tent to the next. Even the innocent were filled with terror, for the violence of King Minos' minions was legendary and its dispensation frequently ungoverned by fact or reason.

written while listening to:  William Parker & Matthew Shipp - Re-Union (RogueArt, ROG-0111, 2021, France, cd, discogs.com)

April 9, 2024
"Do you think they are searching for a thief?" Berenike whispered to her husband. When Kallias shrugged, she turned to Europe, who replied uncertainly, "Maybe." The quartet of soldiers eventually arrived at their tent. Europe huddled beneath a blanket beside Berenike and shrank into a ball so that she hoped to appear of similar stature. She clung to her shoulder like a frightened younger sister. Beneath her fingers, she felt Berenike trembling no less than herself. One soldier held the lantern to their faces, so all could examine the two women.

written while listening to:  Chris Pitsiokos - Art of the Alto (Relative Pitch Records, RPRSS012, 2022, United States, cd, discogs.com)

April 10, 2024
A guard gruffly barked, "Who are these women to you?" If it crossed the mind of Kallias that his recently-arrived sister-in-law was the subject of the search, the suspicion may have governed his response, for, in the courts of Knossos, to be found in the company of a criminal was to share in their culpability. Regardless, Kallias' reaction was sure, "My wife of a half year and her sister. We are off to Tenedos to build a new trading outpost for the glory of the empire." A soldier in back grunted, "We didn't ask for your life story." The unit moved on.

written while listening to:  Liberty Ellman - Tactiles (Pi Recordings, PI08, 2003, United States, cd, discogs.com)

April 11, 2024
They could not depart quickly enough on the following morning. Ere the sun rose, they had boarded the ship. All men of age, including Tenedos, were given places on the rowers' benches. The women were ushered down a narrow stairwell into a dark hold. So low was the ceiling that even Berenike had to stoop to make her way to the area, beside the supplies and provisions, reserved for human cargo. In the windowless hull, the women could only imagine the vivid colors of dawn reflecting off the calm waters as the trireme pulled out of port.

written while listening to:  Arnold Dreyblatt - Animal Magnetism (Tzadik, TZ 7004, 1995, United States, cd, discogs.com)

April 12, 2024
For Europe, Berenike and the other women, it was not a pleasant mode of travel. They arranged themselves as comfortably as possible during the long hours spent in the damp, cramped space. Kallias and the men labored at the oars, arranged in three tiers. Those on the top level had the pleasure of sunlight, the sea breeze and the view of the blue horizon. Those on the lower two tiers viewed the calves, ankles and feet of those above them. Fortunately on this journey, the ship hugged the coast to avoid, if at all possible, spending nights at sea.

written while listening to:  The Leaders - Unforeseen Blessings (Black Saint, 120129-1, 1990, Italy, cd, discogs.com)

April 13, 2024
The timing of the oarsmen was kept by a flautist and a singer. Both men stood upon the deck and performed a steady chant in which each measure mimicked the rhythm of the full cycle of a rower's stroke. While the singer had begun the morning with a sea shanty, most of the day he vocalized without words beside the rise and fall of the flute. To those sheltered in the hull, the sound was muted, a dull pulse, marking time in a manner that gradually seemed to elongate with each repetition. Some moved their hands to cover their ears in the darkness.

written while listening to:  Jack DeJohnette - Selected Recordings (ECM Records, :rarum XII, 2004 (orig. 1971-1997), Germany, cd, discogs.com)

April 14, 2024
In truth, Europe found the dark confines reminiscent of her incarceration in the labyrinth. While the myth of the minotaur did not dog her steps, she preferred solitude to the constant babble of women's voices, raised alternately in complaint or prayer. She felt relief at having left Knossos, though the ship would pull ashore farther east on the Cretan coast before leaving the island entirely. Yet more strongly did she experience the suffocating sensation of having surrendered entirely any semblance of control over her destiny. She was like a fig, tossed in the sea, battered by passing waves, to be washed upon some far shore.

written while listening to:  Catherine Sikora, Colin Fisher & Brad Rose - Recherché (Ramble Records, RAM 166, 2024, Australia, digital files, discogs.com)

April 15, 2024
It appeared in Berenike's nature to raise the spirits of the other women. She consoled them as a group, saying, "We've left our old lives behind for a fresh start in a home that we'll have a hand in making. Did you think that our birth into new lives would be painless?" At these words, many heads nodded and the muttering subsided somewhat. Berenike wrapped her arm around Europe and leaned her head against her shoulder. "That's goes for you too," she whispered in Europe's ear. "I know not from whom you've fled, but he is behind you now."

written while listening to:  Chet Baker & Crew - untitled (Pacific Jazz, PJ-1224, 1956, United States, lp, discogs.com)

April 16, 2024
At the end of the first day, the vessel came ashore near the easternmost tip of Crete. Rowers climbed down the hull then hauled the ship with two ropes until it was partially beached. A ladder allowed the women to disembark without soaking their chitons and peplos in the sea. After a day of sitting, the women stretched their arms and legs fully. Even Europe was moved to straighten up to her full height, reaching her arms toward the sky. No one noticed; the men were exhausted from laboring at the oars and the women soon intent on making dinner for all.

written while listening to:  Sonny Rollins - The Bridge (RCA, LSP-2527, 1962, United States, lp, discogs.com)

April 17, 2024
After eating a dinner of traveling provisions—standard fare of lentil stew, bread and olive oil but provided in unstinting proportions—they settled down on blankets on the beach. Again, our trio lay with Berenike situated between her sister and husband. Europe prepared to wander off should the couple seek time to themselves. As it turned out, with a full belly a weary Kallias fell immediately into a deep sleep. The two women lay on their backs beside his softly snoring form. Berenike took hold of Europe's hand as she gazed at the constellations, wheeling across the firmament.

written while listening to:  Miles Davis Quartet - The Musings of Miles (Prestige, PRLP-7007, 1955, United States, lp, discogs.com)

April 18, 2024
On the second day of travel, unbeknownst to the women, the vessel left the coast behind, venturing out into the Great Sea while bearing just north of east. By late afternoon, they drew within sight of Karpathos, an island under Cretan influence and a common port for trade ships of many nations. The navigator skirted signs of habitation, making for an isolated stretch of beach, where they could again pull ashore and pass the night undisturbed. After dinner, Kallias once more collapsed into a deep sleep on the blanket, which Berenike had laid out for him.

written while listening to:  John Zorn - The Classic Guide To Strategy, Volume 2 (Lumina Records Ltd., L010, 1986, United States, lp, discogs.com)

April 19, 2024
Having spent the day in the hold, Berenike and Europe sought exercise. As the sun sank into the western horizon, they walked in the sand, the surf reaching again and again for their sandaled feet. They leapt back with girlish squeals at unexpected surges. Berenike supposed that her happy-go-lucky cousin, Abydos, had dumped his unwanted baggage on her, once he had decided there was no profit or pleasure to be found in her. She intended to make the best of it; Europe's arrival might just turn out to be an unlikely stroke of good fortune.

written while listening to:  Oren Ambarchi, Jim O'Rourke & Keiji Haino - Each Side has a Depth of 5 Seconds... (Black Truffle/Medama Records, BT074/mr10, 2021, Australia/Japan, lp, discogs.com)

April 20, 2024
Berenike probed Europe again, asking innocently, "How did you come to meet my cousin?" Europe grew silent at the query. She had no intention of revealing the shame of her surrender to Crete. At the same time, she earnestly wished to reciprocate Berenike's warmth. Berenike, for her part, read this conflict on her sister's face. "Never mind," she said, "We are masters of our destiny now." At these words, Europe frowned. She lost control of her tongue and muttered darkly, "No, I don't believe in free will. I am not here by choice." Both women instantly regretted that these words had been uttered.

written while listening to:  Ingrid Laubrock - Monochromes (Intakt Records, Intakt CD 411, 2023, Switzerland, cd, discogs.com)

April 21, 2024
Each day the ship hopped from one island to the next. From Karpathos, they traveled to the western coast of Rhodes. From Rhodes they moved generally north among the Dodecanese Islands, to Kos then Pathos. They often passed vessels following the shore southward, giving each a wide berth. From the symbols painted on the prow or on placards hung from the gunwale could their origin be identified; Athens and Sparta were common. The Punic merchant ships of Tyre also brought their goods to trade in these seas. The occasional presence of a military galley signaled the uneasy truce between the colonial powers.

written while listening to:  Anthony Braxton - Composition No. 173 (Black Saint, 120166-2, 1996, Italy, cd, discogs.com)

April 22, 2024
On the sixth day out from Knossos, a favorable wind arose and they made landfall on Samos early in the afternoon. It was the shortest leg of the trip but none of the oarsmen complained. Kallias was not so exhausted that he instantly fell asleep. He sat with the women on the beach and shared with them news that he had heard from their navigator, "We are over half way to Tenedos." There was an optimism in his voice. He did not speak once of the lie he had made to the Minoan guard in claiming Europe as his wife's kin.

written while listening to:  Fennesz, Daniell & Buck - Knoxville (Thrill Jockey, thrill 246, 2010, United States, lp, discogs.com)

April 23, 2024
Berenike and Europe helped to prepare the dinner, made with the same ingredients as on every other night of their journey. When they brought the meal to Kallias, the trio sat on the beach, beneath the shrill call of the whirling gulls. With an ironic smile, Kallias complimented them on their cooking. He knew well of his wife's other skills, particularly with the loom. To Europe, he asked, "What talents do you bring to Tenedos?" The question stumped Europe, for she did not think it wise to reveal that she was the daughter of a noble family, who had known the privilege of a private tutor.

written while listening to:  Kazuhisa Uchihashi & Akira Sotoyama - Uchisoto (Innocent Records, ICR-015, 2007, Japan, cd, discogs.com)

April 24, 2024
Europe could read well. She possessed a keen mind and had committed many poems to memory. She had often been complimented by her tutor and friends for her recitation of odes and fragments of epics with precision and a flair for theatrical intonation. In response to Kallias, she simply said, "I am good at speaking clearly." After a moment of silence, Kallias rolled his eyes. "Oh great, I thought having one woman tell me what to do was bad enough!" A laughing Berenike feigned indignation. Europe squirmed at having her uselessness so readily called out, even if only in jest.

written while listening to:  John Coltrane - Standard Coltrane (Prestige, PRST 7243, 1962 (rec. 1958), United States, lp, discogs.com)

April 25, 2024
Berenike and Kallias wondered aloud what sort of locale they would find in Tenedos. The husband examined the tree line behind them, the expanse of water before and the cascade of gray rock sealing this sandy stretch in an isolated cove. In the presence of his wife, the scene struck him as peaceful. "I suppose," he ventured, "that it might not be so different from here." Berenike agreed, saying, "That would be nice." Europe wanted to contribute to the conversation but the yearning to speak her dark truth to all had taken hold of her. Wary of losing her welcome, she held her tongue.

written while listening to:  Company 91 - Volume 2 (Incus Records, CD 17, 1994 (rec. 1991), United Kingdom, cd, discogs.com)

April 26, 2024
It perplexed Europe that the truth, which strained to burst forth, was not the stroke of ill fortune at having been chosen for the labyrinth but rather the ever-growing certainty of the lack of control over her life. In fact, what she most wanted to declare to kind Kallias and Berenike was that their lives too were subject to the whim of fate. She observed them as they exchanged fond glances on the beach. It should be told, Gentle Reader, of Europe's despair in acknowledging that her presence among them had the potential to act as a poison, sapping the happiness from their marriage.

written while listening to:  Thelonious Monk Trio - untitled (Prestige, PRLP 7027, 1956 (rec. 1952 & 1954), United States, lp, discogs.com)

April 27, 2024
After the short leg to Samos, they resumed long days of rowing, first to the southern coast of Chios, famed for its mastic trees that weep teardrops of resin, used in perfumes, body oils and incense. In one day, they rowed around the kidney-shaped island, through the hospitable waters of the strait separating it from the Anatolia mainland. There Greeks had claimed the coast from the Hittites, who had long held it. By the end of the day they had reached the northmost point of the Chios. The rowers waited to be fed, then quickly succumbed to sleep.

written while listening to:  Jimmy Giuffre - Free Fall (Columbia, CK 65446, 1998 (orig. 1963), United States, cd, discogs.com)

April 28, 2024
On the following day, they rowed north across the open sea from Chios to Lesbos. This forested island had been colonized by many peoples, including both Greeks from Aeolia across the Aegean Sea and Hittites from the east. The Minoan vessel again skirted any settlements, seeking refuge for a single night on a narrow strip of beach between blue waters and thick, green woods of laurel, wild olive and pine ascending the steep hills. The camp was abuzz with excitement for it was said that, barring bad weather, they would reach Tenedos on the morrow.

written while listening to:  Henry Grimes, Dave Burrell, Roberto Pettinato & Tyshawn Sorey - Same Egg, disc 1 (Sony Music, 3782002, 2013, Argentina, cdx2, discogs.com)

April 29, 2024
Indeed it came to pass that the gods were amicable, gracing the travelers with mild winds and placid waters. The Cretan colonists reached the coast of the small island, which they were to call their new home. Approaching Tenedos from the south, only the officers on deck and the top row of oarsmen observed the land from afar. All others had to wait until they rounded the western coast and arrived at the previously designated site. Come evening, the ship was hauled onto the beach. The women, ascending from the hold, were the last to set eyes on the rocky shoreline.

written while listening to:  Joe Morris, Ken Vandermark & Hans Poppel - Like Rays (Knitting Factory Records, KFR-224, 1998, United States, cd, discogs.com)

April 30, 2024
It had rained on Tenedos earlier in the day and gray skies remained. Within sight of shore, some modest progress had been accomplished clearing the earth of trees and brush. Several crude shacks of wood and packed clay had been erected to house a small contingent of men, left to ward off would-be thieves or, worse yet, squatters. From these buildings, two soldiers trudged across the muddy field to greet the new arrivals. There could be no mistaking the weary expressions on their faces at being consigned to this god-forsaken outpost on the remote edges of the empire.

written while listening to:  Various Artists - Meuf Vol. 2 (Barefoot Records, BFREC083CD, 2024, Denmark, cd, discogs.com)