A tape released by Delta Work’s Boston based David Vincent, Droll Boogie finds the countercultural genius of ‘a man who doesn’t fit in’ – that is, he’s not part of the societal system – wandering around in full leaf regalia, accompanied by a rag cast who helpfully recreate the sounds and textures of various period pieces.

The radiant quality of the music is conveyed through its vocalist, who uses her words to construct sentences that parallel the sounds of the viola. The work is clearly composed for a living, but the listener is presented with this strange hybrid that doesn’t make sense, and isn’t clear what to make of it. Perhaps it’s a vintage piece by Bertoia, with its parallel cello melodies and Pignatiello’s moderated cross modulation, but more importantly for Vincent, it’s a perfect demonstration of the collaborative power of the viola. In a genre that can easily feel beholden to genre boundaries, it’s a real asset when a violinist uses the medium of voice and strings to subvert or even dismantle the rules.