Way Out Northwest

The White Spot - w/John Butcher, Tortsen Mueller and Dylan van der Shyff

Label: Relative Pitch Country: USA

"Performing as a trio when schedules, travel and economics allowed since 2007, the band has earlier roots. Butcher and van der Schyff started playing as a duo in the 2000 Vancouver Jazz Festival, documenting that in a recording the next day (Points, Snags and Windings on Meniscus), and had additional gigs in London at the Vortex and back in Vancouver in 2001.

Since moving back to Canada (2001) and making his base Vancouver, Müller has had many encounters with van der Schyff. You'll find them both in the adventurous company of Paul Rutherford and Ken Vandermark on Müller's own date Hoxha (Spool, 2005), or performing live together in van der Schyff's group, Bande X.Way Out Northwest played together as a trio for the first time in the 2007 Vancouver Jazz Festival, documented in their first recording (Way Out Northwest on Drip Audio, recorded live at the Western Front, Vancouver, BC).

This new release, The White Spot, afforded the trio the luxury of a Seattle studio recording in 2008 following several performances on the road 'way out northwest.'

The Musicians

• John Butcher - Since moving to London in the late '70s, has carved out a unique identity as an improviser and composer. Important collaborators include John Stevens, Derek Bailey, Chris Burn, John Russell, Phil Durant, Gino Robair, Axel Dörner, Xavier Charles, Georg Gräwe, Rhodri Davies, Gerry Hemingway, John Edwards, Peter Evans, Paul Lovens, Eddie Prevost and many others. Holds a Ph.D in theoretical physics, a unique qualification for his work in extreme acoustics.

• Torsten Müller - German born, Canada raised, worked extensively in duo with trombonist/cellist Günter Christman starting in the late '70s in Europe and North America. Has performed with Evan Parker, John Russell, Jon Rose, Joelle Léandre, John Zorn, Arto Lindsay, Lol Coxhill, Alex Schlippenbach, Paul Lovens, Phil Minton, Charles Gayle, Paul Rutherford, Ken Vandermark and Peter van Bergen.

• Dylan van der Schyff - A leading figure on the Vancouver new music/improv scene, van der Schyff has shared the stage and studio with a who's who of creative music, including George Lewis, Louis Sclavis, Evan Parker, Vinny Golia, Myra Melford, Michael Moore, Barry Guy, Butch Morris and many others."-Relative Pitch

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