Standard Stoppages

Grammy Award-winning Third Coast Percussion (TCP), praised by NPR for championing “borderless music” and “blurring musical boundaries,” celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2025 with Standard Stoppages, an album that explores how time can be stretched, manipulated, played with, and reimagined.

Reflecting on two decades—or a “score”—of music-making, the anniversary gives TCP the space to reflect on their many milestones, collaborations, and steps along the journey that have shaped their work over the years, inspiring the group to commission new works for the occasion.

This diverse set of commissions makes for a colorful sonic palette of percussive ensemble works, ranging from Zakir Hussain’s Hindustani classical tradition to Zimbabwean composer and performer Musekiwa Chingodza’s Shona song to Jessie Montgomery’s interweaving of Western classical music with elements of vernacular music, improvisation, and social consciousness.

This project includes new works by both cherished past colleagues, Jlin and Musekiwa Chingodza, and first-time collaborators Zakir Hussain, Jessie Montgomery, and Tigran Hamasyan.

The late Zakir Hussain’s passion for melding his traditional North Indian classical musical upbringing with styles ranging from jazz, rock, and bluegrass, to Western classical music has inspired Third Coast Percussion for years. His unexpected passing between the album’s recording and release moved TCP to dedicate this project to his memory and enduring legacy.

The title of the album is a nod to Marcel Duchamp’s Three Standard Stoppages, an artwork which looks at the creative and chaotic ways a standard measurement can be divided and shaped. TCP’s 7th recording for Cedille Records invites reflection on the varying paths that lead to unique creative expressions, both for themselves and their collaborators.

Standard Stoppages was produced and engineered by Judith Sherman, Colin Campbell, and Bill Maylone. Tracks 1–4 and 7–10 were recorded November 4–8, 2024, and tracks 5–6 October 1–2, 2024, at Narwhal Studios, Chicago, IL; Track 11 was recorded November 15, 2024, at Rax Trax, Chicago, IL.

Cover art by Sonnenzimmer, Chicago.

Standard Stoppages is made possible through the generous support of Lori Julian for the Julian Family Foundation, Nancy Dehmlow, and Bonnie McGrath & Bruce Oltman.

Third Coast Percussion and Cedille Records mourn the loss of Bonnie McGrath, whose enthusiasm and passion we will dearly miss.

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