The Squid's Ear Magazine


Ton Trio II (Shelton / Brown / Vittum): On and On (Singlespeed Music)

The Oakland-based Ton Trio II featuring Aram Shelton on alto saxophone, Scott Brown on bass, and Alex Vittum on drums, perform avant sophisticated jazz weaving through melody, rhythm, and texture while allowing for spacious improvisations.
 

Price: $14.95



Quantity:

In Stock

Quantity in Basket: None

Log In to use our Wish List
Shipping Weight: 1.00 units


EU & UK Customers:
Discogs.com can handle your VAT payments
So please order through Discogs

Sample The Album:





product information:

Personnel:



Aram Shelton-alto saxophone

Scott Brown-bass

Alex Vittum-drums


Click an artist name above to see in-stock items for that artist.




Label: Singlespeed Music
Catalog ID: SSM-013
Squidco Product Code: 19459

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2014
Country: USA
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold
Recorded at Tiny Telephone in San Franciso, California, on May 24th, 2013, by Aram Shelton. Mastered by James Fei.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"Oakland, CA, based jazz and improvisation protagonist, alto saxophonist Aram Shelton could hold his own with most anyone in a cutting-contest. But there's more than a whole lot of technical acumen taking place with Ton Trio II. One of the principle selling points so to speak, is how the musicians impeccably integrate the modern jazz vernacular with invocative avant-garde campaigns, heaving with impact and intensifying discourses.

The trio's spry and spunky demeanor is led by Shelton's burly tone and fluent phrasings amid a search and conquer manifesto. On "Orange Poppies," the band whirls throughÑwith the greatest of easeÑa complex bop-drenched time signature as Shelton ignites a firestorm. Here, bassist Scott Brown primarily operates within the upper-registers to incite a sense of urgency, where the band lashes out with sizzling choruses, sparked by Shelton's amazingly fast flurries and gruff accents. He circumnavigates many of the rhythmic components executed by drummer Alex Vittum's crackling pulses and polyrhythmic attack, along with solos that convey poetic qualities.

The band's concentrated focus is keenly disassembled in certain movements as they loosen the vibe with free-form escapades of various hues and cadences. But the quasi, jazz-waltz oeuvre "Let's All Go," is a solid forum for Shelton to deliver John Coltrane-like chromatics via searching notes during an extended bridge as he restates and darts around the main theme, anchored by the rhythm section's blustery grooves. However, Vittum explodes with a rough and tumble solo, gushing with regimented maneuvers; fancy footwork on the bass drum, and dizzying geometrical patterns as the band closes by punching out a snaky unison chorus. Otherwise, Shelton communicates isolation and reflection on the ballad "Findings," ramped up by a mid-tempo jaunt, dyed with a harrowing storyline. Hence, the musicians' self-perpetuating cycles of enthusiastic interplay engulfs the dynamically moving parts. Indeed, a blockbuster production."-Glenn Astarita, All About Jazz


Get additional information at All About Jazz

Artist Biographies

"Aram Shelton is an improviser and composer who performs on saxophone, clarinets, and live electronics. His writing and playing is grounded in avant-jazz and free improvisation and is documented through more than two dozen albums to date. He's been an integral member of the creative music communities in the Bay Area and Chicago, and has recently relocated to Copenhagen.

Shelton creates music with an aesthetic that is guided by the musicians he works with. In Oakland (2005-2016), he developed music for the avant jazz quartet Gold Age; the creative free jazz Ton Trio II; his solo electroacoustic project Tonal Masher; the chamber improv group Broken Trap Ensemble; the electroacoustic Stratic; the collaborative quartet Cylinder; his sextet Marches; and the Oakland Active Orchestra. In Chicago (1999 - 2005) he created music with his Quartet, the cooperative sextet Fast Citizens, Jason Adasiewicz' Rolldown, Dragons 1976; Arrive; the electroacoustic duo Grey Ghost, and others.

Shelton studied electroacoustic music and recording techniques at Mills College in Oakland, California. He continues to improvise and compose electroacoustic music focused on the concepts illustrated in his graduate thesis Sound Extended: Replication of Acoustic Material and Phrase Modification.

In the past Shelton has been fortunate to perform with many exceptional musicians from the Bay Area, Chicago and New York scenes including Larry Ochs, Kjell Nordeson, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Frank Rosaly, Jordan Glenn, Cory Wright, Kristina Dutton, Tim Daisy, Mark Clifford, Safa Shokrai, Britt Ciampa, Theresa Wong, Jason Adasiewicz, Josh Berman, Keefe Jackson, Matt Bauder, Alex Vittum, Michael Coleman, Lisa Mezzacappa, Darren Johnston, Henry Kaiser, Kyle Bruckmann, Jon Raskin, Steve Adams, Bruce Ackley, Jacob Felix-Heule, Jacob Wick, William Winant, Mark Dresser, Weasel Walter, Mary Halvorson, Josh Sinton, Jason Ajemian, Ken Vandermark, Audrey Chen, Tony Buck, Magda Mayas, James Fei, Damon Smith, Tim Perkis, Guillermo Gregorio, and Chris Brown. He has performed in Europe, Canada and the United States including appearances at the Switchboard Music Festival, Soundwave, the Monterey Jazz Festival, Chicago Jazz Festival, the Suoni per il Popolo Festival, and the Krakow Autumn Jazz Festival. He has led workshops at the Evergreen State College, the Luzern Jazz School, through NEXMAP and at UC Santa Cruz. As a curator he founded the Active Music Series and Active Music Festival. His playing and music are available through Delmark, Clean Feed, Cuneiform, 482 Music, and his own Singlespeed Music."

-Aram Shelton Website (http://www.aramshelton.com/about.html)
10/30/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.


Track Listing:



1. This Reminds Me 5:35

2. Orange Poppies 5:32

3. We Were Told 7:40

4. On And On 5:38

5. Let's All Go 7:37

6. Layover 2:12

7. Freshly Pressed 8:14

8. Findings 6:03

9. Turncoats 5:33

Related Categories of Interest:


Improvised Music
Free Improvisation
Jazz
Melodic and Lyrical Jazz
Trio Recordings
West Coast/Pacific US Jazz
Trio Recordings
Instant Rewards

Search for other titles on the label:
Singlespeed Music.


Recommended & Related Releases:
Ackley, Bruce / Fred Frith / Henry Kaiser / Aram Shelton
Unexpected Twins
(Relative Pitch)
Born out of Eugene Chadbourne's Twins band concepts from the 70s, which included over time saxophonist Bruce Ackley, and guitarists Henry Kaiser, and Fred Frith; fast forward to 2018 as Ackley & Frith return to the concept with Henry Kaiser and saxophonist Aram Shelton to revisit the original approach through pieces by those artists plus Steve Lacy, Eugene Chadbourne, and John Zorn.
Other Recommended Releases:
Ochs, Larry / Aram Shelton Quartet (w/ Nordeson / Dresser / Walton)
Continental Drift
(Clean Feed)
Key artists in the San Francisco Bay Area, composers and bandleaders Larry Ochs on tenor and sopranino saxophones and Aram Shelton on alto saxophone join together with Swedish drummer Kjell Nordeson, joined by either double bassist Mark Dresser or Scott Walton, in an album drawn from two sessions featuring exhiliarating pieces of unique approach from both composers.
Day & Taxi (Gallio / Jeger / Meier)
Artists [2 CDs]
(Percaso)
Balancing jazz and contemporary music, the Swiss trio of Christoph Gallio (saxes), Silvan Jeger (double bass) and David Meier (drums), continues the history of this touring band that started in 1989, here in their 8th release of excellent modern jazz.
Cortex
Live!
(Clean Feed)
Four Norwegian jazz musicians--Thomas Johansson (cornet), Kristoffer Alberts (reeds), Ola Hoyer (double bass) and Gard Nilssen (drums)--representatives of a new generation of Scandinavian jazzmen playing creative music with the tools and forms of the older generation.
Baloni
Belleke
(Clean Feed)
A New York-born trio of European free improvisers, bassist Pascal Niggenkemper, clarinetist Joachim Badenhorst, and viola player Frank Loriot present a unique orchestration that blends contemporary compositional forms with free improvisation in sublime ways.
Arrive: Shelton / Adasiewicz / Roebke / Daisy
There Was
(Clean Feed)
Arrive, formed in 2001, is Aram Shelton's Chicago band with vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz, bassist Jason Roebke and drummer Tim Daisy, a remarkable album of structured free playing.



Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought:
Rempis, Dave
Lattice
(Aerophonic)
Chicago saxophonist Dave Rempis approached the idea of his first solo album under the shadow of the greats before him, in 2017 choosing to journey across the country on a solo tour, performing 31 concerts of which these 6 recordings represent the best reflection of his unique solo vocabulary on the instrument and his enthusiasm for a wealth of musical styles.
Barriere, Lali / Miguel A. Garcia
Espejuelo
(Nueni)
The duo of Miguel A. Garcia on electronics and Lali Barriere on objects and no-input mixer for an album of investigative, detailed improvisation that's well paced and calmly complex.
PYN (Yoshida / Pittard / Nasuno)
Songs for children who don't want to sleep
(Magaibutsu)
P (Yann Pittard on oud and guitar & vocals), Y (Tatsuya Yoshida on drums & vocals) and N (Mitsuru Nasuno on bass & vocals) performing Arabian Progressive Pop Improvisation, an unusual melding and orchestration of arabic progressions and melodic prog rock.
Korekyojinn
Fall Line
(Magaibutsu)
The 5th studio album from the trio of Tatsuya Yoshida (Ruins alone / Koenji Hyakkei), Kido Natsuki (Bondage Fruit / Salle Gavoux), Nasunomitsuru (Altered states / Umbeltipo), avant-progressive instrumental rock, melodic and complex rock performed at breakneck speed.
Janas, Gene / Vinnie Paternostro / Jay Reeve / Other Matter
United Slaves #2~3
(Improvising Beings)
Recorded in Brooklyn and Paris, this quintet crosses the threshold between jazz, rock and electronic sound with a somewhat dark intent, using guitar & sitar, organs, syths, pianos, drums, bass and sounds to evoke thick and extended psychedelic environments.
Wilson, Tony 6tet
A Day's Life
(Drip Audio)
The first recording of Tony Wilson's music inspired by the plight and lives of the homeless and drug addictied in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, in a band with P Carter on trumpet, Jesse Zubot on violin, Peggy Lee on cello, Russell Sholberg on bass and Skye Brooks on drums.
Joyfultalk
Muuixx
(Drip Audio)
Vancouver-based Jay Crocker, half of Bent Spoon with Chris Dadge, in an album of electronics using homebuilt instruments and treatments, rhythmically based music with effective melodies and a quirky, sometimes lo-fi, but always engaging approach.
Levin, Daniel Quartet
Friction
(Clean Feed)
Cellist Daniel Levin Quartet leads his quartet with Nate Wooley on trumpet, Matt Moran on vibes, and Torbjorn Zetterberg on bass, in open-minded modern compositions that blend jazz, chamber, and experimental improvisation of reserved and riveting character.
Roebke, Jason
Every Sunday
(Clean Feed)
The music of bassist Jason Roebke and his trio of guitarist Matthew Schneider and drummer Marcus Evan is rooted in the leader's solid bass work and the tasteful and informed lyrical freedom of his sidemen, as heard in this live performace Chicago's Hungry Brain.
Loriot, Frantz / Manuel Perovic Notebook Large Ensemble
Urban Furrow
(Clean Feed)
French-Japanese violist Frantz Loriot's large ensemble drawn from 5 nations in an excellent set of compositions that employ a diverse set of approaches, slyly drawing the listener into unique and encompassing sound worlds of remarkable elements and superb improvisation.
Fraser, Nick (feat. Tony Malaby and Kris Davis)
Too Many Continents
(Clean Feed)
Toronto drummer and composer Nick Fraser in a superb trio with saxophonist Tony Malaby and pianist Kris Davis, performing Fraser originals that merge free improvisation, jazz and avant compositional approaches with astonishing solos from all three.
Parker, Evan / Joe Morris / Nate Wooley
Ninth Square
(Clean Feed)
The extraordinary trio of three masterful players from different generations who have broken with convention while playing within free forms--Evan Parker on sax; Joe Morris on guitar; and Nate Wooley on trumpet--performing live at Firehouse 12 in Connecticut, 2014.
Nabatov, Simon / Mark Dresser
Projections
(Clean Feed)
The 1st meeting between Simon Nabatov on piano (inside and out) and double bassist Mark Dresser, recorded live at the Loft in Cologne in 2014, for a remarkable dialog of empathetic communication, outrageous technique and dynamic exchange from two authoritative players.
Prehn, Tom Quartet
Axiom
(Corbett vs. Dempsey)
Pianist Tom Prehn's quartet with Frits Krogh on tenor sax, Poul Ehlers on bass, and Finn Slumstrup on bass, superb European free jazz recorded in 1963 in Copenhagen but never formally released, here remastered and issued with an unreleased track from 1966.
Lacy, Steve / Steve Potts
Tips
(Corbett vs. Dempsey)
Recorded in Paris in 1979, Steve Lacy (soprano sax) and Steve Potts (alto sax) perform music for the aphorisms of Georges Braque, as sung by Irene Aebi; originally issued on Hat Hut records, this reiusse remasters the original release and includes images from the score.
Brotzmann / van Hove / Bennink
1971
(Corbett vs. Dempsey)
Unreleased material from legendary European players Peter Brotzmann (sax), Fred Van Hove (piano) and Han Bennink (drums), captured live in 1971 for intensely heavy playing at the 2nd Internationales New Jazz Meeting Auf Burg Altena, and in detailed studio work at Radio Bremen.
Rollerball
Catholic Paws/Catholic Pause
(Silber)
Odd beats, strange solos, a reggae feel here, an avant-garde jazz angularity there, from Rollerball, a goth-tinged pop band with vocalist Mae Starr leading the quintet through catchy melodies with unexpected twists and turns.
Small Life Form
One
(Silber)
Label leader Brian John Mitchell in his first Small Life Form release, seven instrumental drone pieces ranging from contemplative to noisy and disturbed, designed so they may all be listened to simultaneously while looped.
Thollem / Wimberly / Cline
Radical Empathy
(Relative Pitch)
A trio of collective-improvisers recording in NYC's East Village in 2015 for exceptionally sympathetic dialog, instigated by electric keyboard improvisor Thollem McDonas, with Nels Cline on guitar and Charles Gayle cohort Michael Wimberly on drums; Fred Frith liner notes!
Rempis Percussion Quartet, The (w/ Haker-Flaten / Rosaly / Daisy)
Cash And Carry
(Aerophonic)
After 10 years together, the Rempis Percussion Quartet led by saxophonist Dave Rempist, Frank Rosaly, Tim Daisy on drums and percussion, and Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten on bass, recorded this concert at Chicago's Hungry Brain for a superlative album of rhythmically simmering free improv.



The Squid's Ear Magazine

The Squid's Ear Magazine

© 2002-, Squidco LLC