First conceived during the 2016 Forward Festival when noise guitarist Gene Moore and NYC experimental bassist Gene Janas invited noted avant-garde drummer Federico Ughi for the second part of their set, the results being so impressive that they asked saxophonist Paul Flaherty to join them to record this album and to perform at the Forward Festival 2017.
"The idea for this recording was first conceived during the 2016 Forward Festival when Gene Moore, a pioneer of noise guitar playing and bassist Gene Janas, a mainstay of the NYC experimental music scene, invited noted avant-garde drummer Federico Ughi for the second part of their set. This spontaneous collaboration inspired the three musicians to plan a recording, and they decided to involve the legendary sax player Paul Flaherty for the occasion.
The resulting recording is Morfina, and while Flaherty, Moore, and Janas have collaborated extensively in the past, it's the very first time Flaherty and Ughi have ever played together. Janas played with Ughi on a previous 577 Records' album release (People's Resonance, also featuring Daniel Carter, 2008).
The album title Morfina, meaning 'morphine' in Italian, was suggested by Ughi, as the recording session happened only hours after he left the emergency room, where he was treated for a back injury with a strong dose of the substance. Needless to say, while the music may have been influenced by this, it certainly didn't suffer."-577 Records