“Elliott is the Jaco Pastorius of the bassoon, sweeping between glowing bass parts and sweet, yearning melodies in the highest register.” -The Guardian. Rachael Elliott’s debut solo bassoon album includes world premiere recordings of compositions by Padma Newsome, David Lang, and Tawnie Olson, with a cameo appearance by Clogs. In it, Elliott exploits the melodic and virtuosic reach of the bassoon, blending jazz harmonies, hypnotic minimalism, and indelibly wistful melodic lines with pure, transcendent chamber music. The music will appeal to lovers of new and experimental music and those with slightly twisted pop sensibilities. Notes À mon seul désir, by Canadian Tawnie Olson, is a lyrical conversation—verging on dispute—on matters of love, for piano and bassoon. / Australian composer Padma Newsome wrote Polka the Elk for bassoonists Rachael Elliott and Janet Polk, with support from the Vermont Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Dueling bassoons engage in a witty dialogue with the vibraphone. / The heart of the album is Newsome’s dramatic suite, With Eyes Cast Down, for bassoon, piano, harpsichord, strings and voices. Its seven short movements range from delicate to tempestuous, and are suffused in a melancholic atmosphere. The text, written and performed here by Newsome, is a supplication for humility in the face of conflict. / Elliott’s recording of Press Release is the world premiere of the solo bassoon version of David Lang’s virtuosic romp, originally for bass clarinet. / Fans of Clogs will enjoy Bed and Rest, a new song-without-words recorded in Brooklyn during the making of their most recent album, The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton, and available here for the first time.