Debut album as a leader from drummer and pianist Flin van Hemmen, an evocative album of original compositions and improvisations recorded in a trio with Eyvind Opsvik on double bass and Todd Neufeld on acoustic guitar, with Tony Malaby on alto and soprano sax on one track; a beautifully cinematic and poetic album that allows for space and reflection.
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Sample The Album:
Todd Neufeld-acoustic guitar
Eivind Opsvik-double bass
Flin van Hemmen-piano, drums
Tony Malaby-tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone (track 2)
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UPC: 700261436227
Label: Neither/Nor Records
Catalog ID: n/n 005
Squidco Product Code: 26137
Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2016
Country: USA
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold
Recorded at The Firehouse Space, Brooklyn, New York, New York, on June 22nd, 2014, by Jonathon Goldberger.
"For his debut as a leader Flin van Hemmen presents a hauntingly beautiful album of compositions and improvisations that draw inspiration from a wide array of sources ranging from Romanticism to Minimalism. The use of poetry, post-production and field recordings add vivid visual and spacial dimensions, all contributing to the cinematic quality of the album."-Niether/Nor Records
Artist Biographies
• Show Bio for Todd Neufeld "Todd Neufeld is an electric and acoustic guitarist, born August 5th, 1981 in Huntington, NY. Todd has performed and/or recorded as a member of the Lee Konitz Quartet,Masabumi Kikuchi's TPT Trio, Tyshawn Sorey's Koan, Oblique and other ensembles, Gerald Cleaver's NiMbNl,Dan Weiss Group, Tony Malaby Group, Samuel Blaser Quartet, Michael Adkins Quintet, Aaron Parks Quintet, Richie Barshay's RB3,Alexandra Grimal Quartet, Thomas Morgan Quartet, Rema Hasumi's UTAZATA band, Flin VanHemmen trio, Sergio Krakowski Trio, Vitor Goncavles quartet, Raphael Malfliet Trio and many others. He has performed at various venues, concert halls and festivals across New York, the United States,Canada, Europe and Japan. In 2015 Todd co-founded, with Rema Hasumi, Ruweh Records. For the label Todd has produced four albums to date.On September 25th, 2017 Todd released his debut album as a leader, "Mu'U" on Ruweh Records. The album featuresa unique and special two-drummer band of Tyshawn Sorey, Billy Mintz, with Thomas Morgan on bass and Rema Hasumu on vocals.The band explores a set of Neufeld originals and improvisations in a highly sensitive and dynamic exploration. Todd attended New York University in 1999, where he studied both English Literature and Music.It was at NYU that Todd began his study of classical composition and counterpoint.Throughout this and other periods Todd has benefited greatly from the private teachings ofJohn Quara, Joe Giglio, Chris Jentsch, Vanderlei Pereira, Bruce Arnold, Tony Moreno and Jeff Slatnick. Aside from performing, Todd teaches guitar and music to students in the New York area.Todd currently resides in Brooklyn, NY." ^ Hide Bio for Todd Neufeld • Show Bio for Eivind Opsvik "Born in Oslo, bassist and composer Eivind Opsvik was introduced to music at home. His father loved to play the saxophone and constantly spun records-everything from Ornette Coleman to Billie Holiday and The Beatles. An early memory features Eivind on drums, jamming out "A Hard Day's Night" with his father. Later, a denim-clad rocker cousin lent him a bass guitar and the newfound ability of adding pitch to rhythm was a revelation. Opsvik spent the rest of his teens getting to know this instrument, as well as the double bass, while also experimenting with a 4-track tape recorder and pouring music into his head. At the age of twenty, Opsvik began studies at the Norwegian Academy of Music, focusing on classical bass. By then, he was already an active participant in Oslo's vibrant jazz scene, regularly playing with musicians like Paal Nilssen-Love, Christian Wallumrød, Bjørnar Andresen, and Håkon Kornstad; while also performing at festivals and clubs around Europe. In 1998, Opsvik relocated to New York City, where he has thrived as a working musician, collaborating on projects with among others Anthony Braxton, Paul Motian, John Zorn, Nate Wooley, and Bill Frisell and performing in a wide range of venues like Carnegie Hall, Village Vanguard, Le Poisson Rouge and The Stone. At the Manhattan School of Music he studied jazz and met some of his closest musical brothers, including Loren Stillman, Jeff Davis, and Jacob Sacks. Building on the bonds and shared musical understanding that developed while at school, Eivind invited these players to help him fulfill his vision for the solo project, Overseas. Opsvik has stated that "overseas" is a fitting way of describing his life-whether in New York or Norway, he is always an ocean's distance from home. This deep loyalty towards friends and loved ones has, over time, been reflected in Overseas' various lineups. The first record was realized with the help of long-term friendships that went back to Opsvik's earliest days in New York. As he continued his journey through the city via late night gigs, Opsvik connected with other players-visionaries versed in noise improv, electronic, jazz, and classical-who, on subsequent Overseas records, were brought in to augment the lineup. Since 2005, the band has remained consistent, featuring Tony Malaby, Jacob Sacks, and Kenny Wollesen; in 2010, guitarist Brandon Seabrook also became a regular member. Over the years, they have played countless shows around New York City, as well as extensively toured Europe and the American east coast. In addition to four Overseas albums and his extensive session work, Opsvik's discography also includes four experimental chamber-pop records made in collaboration with songwriter Aaron Jennings (under the moniker of Opsvik & Jennings) and a multimedia project with photographer Michelle Arcila, which pairs tens songs with ten photographic prints. This project, titled A Thousand Ancestors, came out of Opsvik's solo double bass performances, which sometimes featured projections of Arcila's photographs. In recording these bass-centric pieces, he would layer bass with subtle overdubs of lap steel guitar, vintage keyboards, and drum machines, with Arcila's prints displayed around the studio. The project proved to be an auspicious collaboration for the couple, who, as The New York Times put it, "share an aesthetic of haunting introspection, and the desire to seek out beauty in austerity." Other critics have described Opsvik's work as "sonorous," "like a waking dream," and able "to transport the listener to another time and place, creating a cinematic experience...[like] the soundtrack to an imaginary film." His Overseas records create "a world of unfolding soundscapes" that defy categorization; they have "a compositional complexity that suggests jazz, [but] also references a diverse and imaginative palette of genres and influences." Opsvik's jazz is "the slow burn, down-turned variety that still has plenty of beauty underneath all of its darker undertones." But it's not just jazz for jazz-heads. By tapping into the energy, groove, and directness of rock, Opsvik reach people who are afraid of jazz and think they have to "understand" it. Ultimately, Opsvik is the epitome of a multi-faceted, multi-instrumentalist working musician. While steadily playing gigs and recording sessions as a bass player, he is also a capable hand on the guitar, the keyboard, or behind the drums. At the Greenwood Underground, his basement studio, Opsvik records, mixes, and produces his own music, as well as various projects for his friends. Since 2007, he has also been running the Loyal Label, releasing a carefully curated catalog of albums, which run the gamut in terms of musical exploration but are all united with careful aesthetic choices and creative graphic design. Maturing as a musician, Eivind never wanted to be up front in the band, but it would be incorrect to say he's been hiding. As a kid, watching bands perform on Norway's only TV channel, his gaze was instinctively drawn to the rhythm section, waiting for the camera to move the tight frame off the singer so that he could catch a glimpse of the bass player's steady hands or the drummer's hypnotic concentration. The rhythm section were the guys with their heads down doing the real work. Adolescent instincts are pure in that they don't know why they want what they want, but the quiet and focused dignity that Eivind honed in on has driven his life for the past 30 years. (Eivind is currently a member of these bands/projects: Tony Malaby's Paloma Recio, Die Trommel Fatale, Nate Wooley Quintet, Skuli Sverrison's Seria, Two Miles A Day (Sacks, Maneri, Motian), Anthony Braxton's Tristano Project, Vinnie Sperrazza's Apocryphal, David Binney, Okkyung Lee, Jeff Davis Trio with Russ Lossing, Mary Halvorson's Reverse Blue, Plainville, Kris Davis' Capricorn Climber, Håkon Kornstad, Rocket Engine, Tone Collector, Jesse Harris' Cosmo, The Interaction of Non-Interaction (w Ben Gerstein), Poor Pluto ...and more)" ^ Hide Bio for Eivind Opsvik • Show Bio for Flin van Hemmen "Flin van Hemmen is widely regarded as a versatile drummer and composer with a keen ear and a commanding presence. Flin has reached beyond the modern jazz audience, inspiring listeners of all backgrounds by exploring the drums as a melodic instrument as much as a dynamic force. Since moving to NY in 2009 he has become an important presence in the 'downtown' jazz and improv scene, playing with such people as Tony malaby and Kris Davis, as well as being a part of the 'Promnight Records' scene. Flin has recently toured with Tony Malaby's Paloma Recio (w/ Drew Gress and Ben Monder) in Europe, Eivind Opsvik's Overseas (w/ Jacob Sacks, Brandon Seabrook, Tony Malaby), Harmen Fraanje's trio in Vietnam, Robin Verheyen's quartet in Switzerland, and Bram deLooze's 'Septych'. Born in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, Flin played guitar before switching to drums and then moved to Amsterdam at age 18. There he forged many strong musical and personal relationships most notably with fellow young musicians Harmen Fraanje, Robin Verheyen, and Clemens van der Feen with whom he formed Narcissus. This band has released two records for 'de WERF' and continues to be an active presence in Europe. Today Flin remains active on both sides of the Atlantic, honing his skills as an improvisor and taking a serious interest into composing. Currently he is launching his debut CD 'Drums of Days' consisting of Eivind Opsvik and Todd Neufeld, in which he plays piano as well as drums. Here his body of compositions comes to life. Other projects co-lead projects include: LathanFlinAli (w/ Lathan Hardy and Sean Ali), Costa/vanHemmen duo, Narcissus, While We Still Have Bodies, Gestures (w/Eliot Cardinaux), and plays solo concerts. Flin has performed/recorded with: Todd Neufeld, Frantz Loriot, Mat Maneri, Thomas Morgan, Ben Gerstein, Michael Moore, Joe Moffett, Sean Ali, Harmen Fraanje, Kris Davis, Tony Malaby, Pascal Niggenkemper, JP Schlegelmilch, Eivind Opsvik, Lathan Hardy, Kenny Warren, Ralph Alessi, Robin Verheyen, Daniel Levin, Brandon Seabrook, Franz von Chossy, Carlo Costa, Yoni Kretzmer, Jesse Stacken, Patrick Breiner, Eliot Cardinaux, Roberto Pianca, Jacob Sacks and many others. ^ Hide Bio for Flin van Hemmen • Show Bio for Tony Malaby "Tony Malaby (born January 12, 1964 in Tucson, Arizona) is a jazz tenor saxophonist. Malaby moved to New York City in 1995 and has played with several notable jazz groups, including Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra, Paul Motian's Electric Bebop Band, Mark Helias's Open Loose, Fred Hersch's Trio + 2 and Walt Whitman project, and bands led by Mario Pavone, Chris Lightcap, Bobby Previte, Tom Varner, Marty Ehrlich, Angelica Sanchez, Mark Dresser, and Kenny Wheeler. Other collaborators have included Tom Rainey, Christian Lillinger, Ben Monder, Eivind Opsvik, Nasheet Waits, and Michael Formanek. His first album as a co-leader was Cosas with Joey Sellers." ^ Hide Bio for Tony Malaby
11/5/2024
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11/5/2024
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
11/5/2024
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
11/5/2024
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
Track Listing:
1. Drums Of Days I 8:41
2. Morsel! 1:29
3. Dream Tree 2:14
4. Aching Arches 16:38
5. Sensitive Chaos I 2:18
6. Sensitive Chaos II 1:56
7. Sensitive Chaos III 1:28
8. Field, Sound 6:33
9. Vorpmi Tsal 3:30
10. Drums Of Days II 9:24
11. Ives 7:44
Improvised Music
Jazz
Free Improvisation
NY Downtown & Metropolitan Jazz/Improv
Trio Recordings
Quartet Recordings
Piano Trio (Piano Bass Drums)
Jazz & Improvisation Based on Compositions
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