Wind player and composer Anna Weber pays homage to 20th Century composers' works for percussion, using Xenakis, Feldman, Varese, Stockhausen, Babbitt & Cage as influences in compositions leaving room for improvisation from her septet of Jeremy Viner (sax & clarinet), Jacob Garchik (trombone), Christopher Hoffman (cello), Matt Mitchell (piano), Chris Tordini (bass), and Ches Smith (drums).
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Sample The Album:
Anna Webber-tenor saxophone, flute, bass flute, alto flute
Jeremy Viner-tenor saxophone, clarinet
Jacob Garchik-trombone
Christopher Hoffman-cello
Matt Mitchell-piano
Chris Tordini-bas
Ches Smith-drums, vibraphone, timpani
Click an artist name above to see in-stock items for that artist.
UPC: 808713007923
Label: Pi Recordings
Catalog ID: Pi 79
Squidco Product Code: 26971
Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2019
Country: USA
Packaging: Digipack
Recorded at Systems Two, in Brooklyn, New York, on January 21st and 22nd, 2018, by Max Ross.
"Saxophonist/ flutist/ composer Anna Webber, a 2018 Guggenheim Fellow, she has been an active performer and bandleader on the New York scene for the last decade, appearing with Matt Mitchell (A Pouting Grimace), Dan Weiss (Sixteen: Drummers Suite), and Jen Shyu (Song of Silver Geese), all on Pi, in addition to other significant releases including All Can Workfrom drummer John Hollenbeck's Large Ensemble (a 2018 Grammy nominee) and Engage, upcoming from trumpeter Dave Douglas. Described by The New York Times as "unrelentingly inventive," Webber's own projects are clear expressions of her knotty compositional sense. She has released ten prior records as a leader or co-leader, with the most recent featuring her Simple Triow ith Matt Mitchell and John Hollenbeck: Binary (2016) and SIMPLE (2014), which was hailed by The New York Times as "bracing, argumentative and engineered to show the range of the group members: fulminous, intense collective improvisation; rapid, chromatic steeplechases; research into long tones and textures."
Her new release, Clockwise, is an homage to some of her favorite 20th Century composers as seen through the lens of their works for percussion. For the project, Webber spent months researching and analyzing various percussion compositions by Iannis Xenakis, Morton Feldman, Edgard Varése, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Milton Babbitt, and John Cage, isolating particular moments that could be extracted and developed into new works. According to Webber, "The goal was not to re-contextualize the composers' original intents or ideas, rather it was to find hidden sympathetic points of resonance within the primary compositions that I could abstractly develop into new works." The music explores notions of density and indeterminacy, using timbre as an organizing principal, continuing Webber's ongoing exploration of the interstice between creative improvisation and tightly-prescribed compositions. By foregrounding timbre - including the use of extended techniques to create novel sounds - Webber explored questions she had unearthed while researching percussion music: How can timbre be the main driving force of a piece of music? What is left when one subtracts pitch and harmony, or rather, how can a piece be built without those things and what makes such a piece coherent?
"Korē I"and"Korē II," inspired by the Xenakis masterpiece Persephassa, feels like the mechanical movements of an off-kiltered watch, with each gear rotation triggering another unexpected series of sounds. "King of Denmark I, II and III" take their title from Morton Feldman's graphic composition of the same name, and all stem from short, directed improvisations, with II and III assembled by Webber using recordings of improvisations from Ches Smith and Chris Tordini. "Loper" is a distillation of certain formal elements of Edgard Varèse's Ionisation, mixed in with explorations of highly-theoretical trombone split tones and saxophone multiphonics. "Clockwise," informed by Stockhausen's Zyklus, moves episodically through sections of varied density. Like its inspiration, the piece could hypothetically be performed in circular form, using any point in the piece as its starting and/or ending point. Milton Babbitt's solo snare drum piece Homily served as the organizational stimulus behind "Array," while "Hologram Best" takes its cue from Third Construction in Metalby John Cage. "Idiom II" is the one conceptual outlier on this album in that it is the one composition which Webber used codified and notated elements of her own improvisational language, rather than a specific percussion work, as the driving force. Despite the highly composed nature of the music, Webber leaves each musician - herself on tenor sax and flute, Jeremy Viner (tenor sax and clarinet), Jacob Garchik (trombone), Christopher Hoffman (cello), Matt Mitchell (piano), Chris Tordini (bass), and Ches Smith (drums, vibraphone, percussion) - plenty of room for solos as well as secondary opportunities for improvisation.
With its idiosyncratic and specific focus on timbre, Clockwiseis a highly disciplined work that still breathes with powerhouse improvisation, losing none of its emotion intensity and groove in its unpredictable twists and turns. Matt Mitchell sums it up best: "With her music, Anna manages to exhibit many distinctive recurring traits with an unmistakable consistency of purpose while still allowing for a wide variety of characteristics and moods. Obsessive repetition, inexorable unfolding, comprehensive timbral considerations, rhythmic vitality, a sense of the uncanny and the previously unheard. They present the chance for musicians to stretch themselves and to feel free within new environments. Sonic treasures abound." "-Pi Recordings
Artist Biographies
• Show Bio for Anna Webber "Reedist Anna Webber, a Brooklynite by way of British Columbia, is one of the most exciting new arrivals on the New York avant-garde jazz scene in the past couple years. Her second album, SIMPLE, demonstrates the inextricable link between her improvising and her compositions; her detail-rich writing recalls the work of elders as disparate as Tim Berne and Henry Threadgill, and her busy motion evokes a fizzy sort of exhilaration.-Peter Margasak, Chicago Reader Anna Webber is an integral part of a new wave of the Brooklyn avant-garde jazz scene. A saxophonist and flutist who strives for the unexpected, she has furthermore consistently proven herself to be a unique and forward-thinking composer with releases such as 2014's SIMPLE (Skirl Records) and 2013's Percussive Mechanics. Binary, the follow-up to SIMPLE which features bandmates John Hollenbeck and Matt Mitchell, further establishes Webber as a compelling improvisor and composer." ^ Hide Bio for Anna Webber • Show Bio for Jeremy Viner "Jeremy Viner is a multi-instrumentalist, improviser, composer, and educator involved in a wide range of musical idioms, maintaining an active role in the New York and Berlin experimental music scenes. As a saxophonist and clarinetist, Viner has performed internationally with ensembles led by John Hollenbeck, Steve Lehman, Tyshawn Sorey, Anna Webber, Kate Gentile, Rafiq Bhatia, and many others. Viner is a member of the genre-bending tenor saxophone quartet Battle Trance and the chamber minimalist ensemble Bing & Ruth, two of his longest-running musical collaborations." ^ Hide Bio for Jeremy Viner • Show Bio for Jacob Garchik "Jacob Garchik, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and arranger, was born in San Francisco and has lived in New York since 1994. At home in a wide variety of styles and musical roles, he has become a vital part of NYC's downtown and Brooklyn scene, playing trombone with the Lee Konitz Nonet, Ohad Talmor/Steve Swallow Sextet, The Four Bags, Slavic Soul Party, and the John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble. In 2012 he released the acclaimed solo CD "The Heavens: the Atheist Gospel Trombone Album". Since 2006 Jacob has contributed dozens of arrangements and transcriptions for the Kronos Quartet of music from all over the world. His arrangements were featured on "Floodplain" (2009) and "Rainbow" (2010). He composed the score for Kronos for the documentary film "The Campaign" (2013) about the fight for marriage equality in California, which aired on PBS and at the frameline37 film festival in San Francisco.Complete list of arrangements for Kronos As a trombonist Jacob has worked with many of the luminaries of the avant-garde, including Henry Threadgill, Laurie Anderson, Anthony Braxton, Anthony Coleman, Joe Maneri, Frank London, James Tenney, Josh Roseman, Don Byron, Terry Reilly, George Lewis, and Billy Martin. He has also played in ensembles led by rising artists such as Mary Halvorson, Dan Weiss, Miguel Zenon, and Steve Lehman. In 2013 he was named a "Rising Star" in the Downbeat Magazine Jazz Critic's Poll. Jacob also plays accordion, bass trombone, tuba, computer, and piano." ^ Hide Bio for Jacob Garchik • Show Bio for Christopher Hoffman "Christopher is a cellist, composer, producer, engineer and filmmaker. He currently performs in Henry Threadgill's Pulitzer Prize winning ensemble Zooid, Anat Cohen Tentet, Kenny Warren Trio, Tony Malaby, Michael Blake, Darius Jones and his own projects. He has worked with Martin Scorsese, Yoko Ono, Bleachers, Iron & Wine, Ryan Adams, Marianne Faithfull, Michael Pitt & Pagoda, Marc Ribot, Butch Morris, Lee Konitz, Rudy Royston, Anna Webber, Ryan Scott, Anthony Coleman, Jeremiah Cymerman & many others." ^ Hide Bio for Christopher Hoffman • Show Bio for Matt Mitchell "Matt Mitchell is a pianist and composer interested in the intersections of various strains of acoustic, electric, composed, and improvised new music. He currently composes for and leads several ensembles featuring many of the current foremost musicians and improvisers, including Tim Berne, Kim Cass, Caroline Davis, Kate Gentile, Ben Gerstein, Sylvaine Hélary, Jon Irabagon, Travis Laplante, Ava Mendoza, Miles Okazaki, Ches Smith, Chris Speed, Tyshawn Sorey, Chris Tordini, Anna Webber, Dan Weiss, and Katie Young. He is an anchor member of several significant creative music ensembles which integrate composed and improvised music, including Tim Berne's Snakeoil, the Dave Douglas Quintet, John Hollenbeck's Large Ensemble, Rudresh Mahanthappa's Bird Calls, Jonathan Finlayson's Sicilian Defense, Dan Weiss's Large Ensemble, Steve Coleman's Natal Eclipse, the Darius Jones Quartet, Kate Gentile's Mannequins, Mario Pavone's Blue Dialect Trio, Anna Webber's Simple Trio, Ches Smith's We All Break, Michael Attias' Spun Tree, Ohad Talmor's Grand Ensemble, and Quinsin Nachoff's Flux. He is also among the core performers of John Zorn's Bagatelles. Musicians with whom he performs and has performed include Jon Irabagon, Chris Lightcap's Bigmouth, John Hollenbeck's Claudia Quintet + 1, JD Allen, Rudresh Mahanthappa and Bunky Green's Apex, Rez Abbasi's Invocation, Lee Konitz, Kenny Wheeler, Ralph Alessi's Baida Quartet, Dave King's Indelicate duo, Amir ElSaffar, Marc Ducret, David Torn, Vernon Reid, Clarence Penn and Penn Station, Linda Oh, Rudy Royston, Allison Miller, Donny McCaslin, Brad Shepik, and Darcy James Argue's Secret Society. He has taught extensively with the Brooklyn-based School for Improvisational Music, as well as at the New School, NYU, and the Siena Jazz Workshop. He is also a 2015 receipient of a Doris Duke Impact Award and a 2012 recipient of a Pew Fellowship from the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage." ^ Hide Bio for Matt Mitchell • Show Bio for Chris Tordini "Christopher Tordini is an in-demand bassist on the New York City music scene, where he performs with established jazz icons as well as a diverse range of emerging musicians. He has toured and recorded with Andy Milne's Dapp Theory for over 5 years, and has also played in bands led by other renowned artists such as Greg Osby and Jeremy Pelt. Tordini plays often with drummer Ari Hoenig, with the Becca Stevens Band, and is a key collaborator in projects led by drummer/composer Tyshawn Sorey and trombonist/composer Michael Dessen. A graduate of the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, Tordini forged strong professional relationships with several faculty members there, including Rory Stuart and George Garzone, with whom he continues to collaborate. Recently, Tordini has performed and recorded with prominent bandleaders such as Steve Lehman, Okkyung Lee, Tigran Hamasyan, Jo-Yu Chen, Mike Pinto, Andrew D'Angelo, Jim Black, and Yaron Herman. He has played at New York City's most prestigious jazz venues, including the Blue Note, the Village Vanguard, the Iridium, the Jazz Standard, Smalls, the Jazz Gallery and the Stone, among many others." ^ Hide Bio for Chris Tordini • Show Bio for Ches Smith "Born in San Diego, CA and raised in Sacramento, Ches Smith came up in a scene of punks and metal musicians who were listening to and experimenting with jazz and free improvisation. He studied philosophy at the University of Oregon before relocating to the San Francisco Bay area in 1995. After a few years of playing with obscure bands and intensive study with drummer / educator Peter Magadini, he enrolled in the graduate program at Mills College in Oakland at the suggestion of percussionist William Winant. There he studied percussion, improvisation, and composition with Winant, Fred Frith, Pauline Oliveros and Alvin Curran. One of Winant's first "assignments" for Ches was to sub in his touring gig at the time, Mr. Bungle (here he met bassist / composer Trevor Dunn who would later hire him for the second incarnation of his Trio-Convulsant). During his time at Mills, Ches co-founded two bands: Theory of Ruin (with Fudgetunnel / Nailbomb frontman Alex Newport), and Good for Cows (w/ Nels Cline Singers' Devin Hoff). He currently performs and records with Xiu Xiu, and Secret Chiefs 3. He has also performed with Ben Goldberg, Annie Gosfield, Wadada Leo Smith, John Tchicai, Fred Frith, and Trevor Dunn. In addition to Ceramic Dog, he also leads his two of his own projects, Congs for Brums and These Arches. He currently spends his time between Los Angeles, San Francisco and Brooklyn." ^ Hide Bio for Ches Smith
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Track Listing:
1. Kore II- 3:51
2. Idiom II 8:38
3. King Of Denmark I / Loper 10:15
4. King Of Denmark II 1:55
5. Clockwise 6:57
6. Array 10:03
7. Hologram Best 1:39
8. King Of Denmark III 1:08
9. Kore I 6:24
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