Element Choir, The & William Parker

At Christ Church Deer Park

Label: Barnyard Country: Canada

"This Toronto collective, led by Jean Martin and Christine Duncan, presents The Element Choir Project, their most ambitious project to date. More than 60 choir members and musicians join forces for an improvisation project in the stunning setting of the Saint-Viateur church. From the most mysterious solo to an apocalyptic tutti, this unusual orchestra promises to make us experience every possible emotion."-Barnyard Records

"This record documents a concert that embodied a set of extraordinary connections. At the heart of these connections are Christine Duncan and Jean Martin, collaborators through the already deeply intertwined projects of Jean's Barnyard Records and Christine's Element Choir, the inclusive, community-driven improvising vocal ensemble. Together, these two enterprises account for a significant quotient of the energy that drives Toronto's field of creative improvised music, and on the cold March night of this event that energy was made palpably, gloriously kinetic. But the connections don't end there. Notably, this music includes the two other projects that were feted that night separately; Barnyard was launching not only the first Element Choir record, but also a solo disc by New York bass legend, William Parker, and one by the trio of Jim Lewis, Andrew Downing, and Jean Martin. By the end of the evening, all were playing in the chancel of Christ Church Deer Park, where Choir collaborator, Eric Robertson, regularly plays the exquisite Karl Wilhelm organ. The massive sound is dominated by the Choir - fifty-strong on their debut disc - which had swelled to an unprecedented seventy voices that night. Moreover, there was the inaudible-but-inestimable contribution of Jeff Schlanger, the MusicWitness®, who painted William during the majestic solo concert that became At Somewhere There, and who was delighted to return to document these record-launch celebrations in his magical way. More than anything, this record is about the connections between all of these extraordinary artists and people - and the selfless urge, clearly shared by everyone there, to celebrate these connections through this music."-Scott Thomson, 2011

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