Assembling a masterful set of New York jazz luminaries including Michael Attias, Ben Goldberg, John Hebert, Thomas Heberer, Sam Ospovat, Chris Speed, Omar Tamez and Kenny Warren, pianist Angelic Sanchez tailors her compositions to these players through nine original compositions, along with Ellington's "Lady of the Lavender Mist" and "Tristeza" by Amarndo Carvajal.
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Angelica Sanchez-piano, compositions
Michael Attias-alto saxophone
Ben Goldberg-contra alto clarinet
John Hebert-bass
Thomas Heberer-quarter tone trumpet
Sam Ospovat-drums
Chris Speed-tenor saxophone, clarinet
Omar Tamez-guitar
Kenny Warren-cornet
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Includes an 8-page color booklet with liner notes, credits and a band photo.
UPC: 020286242697
Label: Pyroclastic Records
Catalog ID: PR 30
Squidco Product Code: 34166
Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2023
Country: USA
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold
Recorded at Oktaven Audio, in Mount Vernon, New York, on August 21st and 22nd, 2021, by Ryan Streber.
"It's a pleasure to write for people that I feel close to, and I wrote this music for Michael Attias, Ben Goldberg, John Hebert, Thomas Heberer, Sam Ospovat, Chris Speed, Omar Tamez and Kenny Warren. The roles they played were much more than reading notes that I put down on paper, and I could not have realized this music without their dedication and artistry. I have deep gratitude and love for all these musicians.
This recording is a culmination of six years of writing, re-writing, rehearsals, concerts, van trips with the band and the love and support of friends and family. All the compositions are original except for "Lady of the Lavender Mist" by Duke Ellington (1899-1974) and "Tristeza" by Chilean composer Armando Carvajal (1893-1972). I have always loved the piece "Lady of the Lavender Mist.' I fell in love with the melody, and it's one of Ellington's compositions that is harmonically a bit different from his other more well-known compositions. I discovered "Tristeza" in a book of piano pieces for children. "Tristeza" has a beautiful haunting melody that inspired me to expand it for this nonet.
The title Nighttime Creatures came out of my fascination of the night in the deep woods, where light seems to get eaten, as if it were in the center of a black hole. Hearing sounds of creatures I don't recognize makes my imagination run wild. The night transforms the deep woods into an astral plane that is only accessed through complete and beautiful darkness. Music transports me to such places -a portal through the darkness to universes full of light."-Angelica Sanchez
"A member of Kris Davis' progressive Pyroclastic Records stable, pianist Angelica Sanchez has gathered together some big hitters on the New York jazz scene, such as Chris Speed (tenor sax, clarinet), Kenny Warren (cornet), Ben Goldberg (contra alto clarinet) and others, to produce this debut release by her Nonet. The Nonet is completed by Michaël Attias (alto sax), John Hébert (bass), Thomas Heberer (quarter-tone trumpet), Sam Ospovat (drums) and Omar Tamez (guitar).
With musical reference points ranging from Carla Bley to Tyshawn Sorey (and a little bit of Duke Ellington along the way), this album is fresh and vibrant, albeit somewhat challenging in its intensity. Sanchez composed much of it whilst secreted away in a cabin in the woods, hence the album title and broader inspiration. With nine Sanchez-penned compositions and two covers (by Ellington and Armando Carvahal), there is a 'darkness' inherent in much of the music.
The opening title track sets the scene, with Goldberg's deep clarinet featuring particularly strongly. Indeed, the low-slung tones of the instrument are a constant source of interest throughout much of the album. Second track "C.B. The Time Traveler" pays homage to Carla Bley and as on much of the album, it is clear the musicians have been given a great deal of freedom, rather than staying within the confines of a strictly composed structure.
The tempo slows to almost funerial pace by the fourth track "Astral Light of Aarid, however following Heberer's trumpet solo, Sanchez herself lets loose with some frenetic lines during a piano trio section, before the remaining ensemble members re-enter the fray.
An oasis approximately halfway through the expedition arrives, as a homage of a slightly different kind, when the nonet performs a version of Ellington's 1947-published "Lady of the Lavender Mist". Sanchez, perhaps referencing Claude Bolling's 1960 solo piano rendition in her own playing, brings the classic up to date, with the musicians exhibiting an authentic period big band sound, perfectly capturing the piece's melodic charm.
More avant-garde dissonance and free playing resumes on much of the remaining music on the album, albeit as if to show that this group can cut it alongside any more traditional jazz ensemble, the final track "Run" almost 'swings' after 90 seconds in, before some discordant interactions re-establish the contemporary tone to finish off.
The musicianship here is exemplary, though the album may well test listeners with less than a total commitment (and an opportunity) to concentrate. It is perhaps best experienced in 'bite-sized chunks' rather than the somewhat lengthy 80 minutes in one session, but the challenge is rewarding nevertheless."-John Ferguson, London Jazz News
Includes an 8-page color booklet with liner notes, credits and a band photo.
Get additional information at London Jazz News
Artist Biographies
• Show Bio for Angelica Sanchez "Pianist/Composer/Educator Angelica Sanchez moved to New York from Arizona in 1994. Since moving to the East Coast Sanchez has played with such players as: Wadada Leo Smith, Paul Motian, Richard Davis, Chad Taylor, Chris Lightcap, Rob Mazurek, Vincent Chancey, Susie Ibarra, Tim Berne, Mario Pavone, Mark Dresser, Ben Monder and many more. Sanchez leads many groups including her own quintet featuring Marc Ducret, Tony Malaby, Drew Gress, and Tom Rainey. Her music has been recognized in international publications like, " Jazz Times Magazine", The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, and many more. She was also the 2008 recipient of the French/American Chamber Music America grant and the 2011 Rockefellers Brothers Pocantico artist residency. Her CD "Life Between" was chosen as one of years best recording 2009 in "The New York City Jazz Record (formerly AllAboutJazz-New York)." Her debut solo CD "A Little House" was featured on NPR's Weekend Edition in May 2011. Her latest CD "Wires & Moss" featuring her Quintet was chosen as one of best Releases of 2012 in "The New York City Jazz Record (formerly AllAboutJazz-New York)." Her Duo CD "Twine Forest" with Wadada Leo Smith received Honorable Mention as a best release in 2013 in "The New York City Jazz Record." Angelica has a Master's in Arranging from William Paterson University." ^ Hide Bio for Angelica Sanchez • Show Bio for Michael Attias "Michaël Attias is a quietly fierce force on the international improvising scene. With a brisk and calming tone Attias is a thinker, traveler, questioner. Born in Israel, raised in Paris and the American Midwest, he has lived in NYC since 1994. As a leader, Attias has released five critically-acclaimed albums since 2005: Credo, Renku, Renku in Coimbra, Twines of Colesion and, in 2012, Spun Tree. As a sideman, he has performed and recorded all over the world alongside some of today's most compelling musicians: Anthony Braxton, Paul Motian, Anthony Coleman, Masabumi Kikuchi, Tony Malaby, Ralph Alessi, Oliver Lake, Tom Rainey, John Hébert, Nasheet Waits, Sean Conly, Ken Filiano, Kris Davis, and many others. His current projects include his long-standing trio Renku, with John Hébert and Satoshi Takeishi; Spun Tree, with Ralph Alessi, Matt Mitchell, Sean Conly, Tom Rainey; and the new Michaël Attias Quartet with Aruàn Ortiz, John Hébert and Nasheet Waits. Michaël Attias has also established himself as creator of live musical scores and sound designs for theatre including, since 2008, five collaborations with legendary director Robert Woodruff: Chair, Notes From Underground, Battle of Black and Dogs, Autumn Sonata, and In a year With Thirteen Moons. These were produced at such prominent New York and regional theatres as Yale Repertory Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Baryshnikov Arts Center, and The Duke on 42nd Street. Michaël Attias was named a 2000 Artists' Fellowship Recipient of the New York Foundation for the Arts and was awarded a MacDowell Arts Colony fellowship in Fall 2008. From 2003 to 2008, he curated the critically acclaimed and highly successful new music series, Night of the Ravished Limbs, at Barbès in Brooklyn, welcoming a wide array of established names such as Barre Philips, Tim Berne, Mark Helias, Jason Moran, as well as an impressive list of rising New York talent including Mary Halvorson, Eivind Opsvik, Gerald Cleaver, and many more. Earlier The product of migrations spanning North Africa, the Middle East, Western Europe and the American Midwest, Attias was born in Haïfa, Israel in 1968 and spent the first part of his childhood in Paris, where he attended the music conservatory and studied violin for a brief period. His family moved to Minneapolis in 1977. An early passion for the music of Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Ornette Coleman led him to start playing the alto saxophone at the age of 15 under the guidance of great Minneapolis saxophonist and composer Pat Moriarty, while attending the Children's Theatre School. Avid for adventure and experience, he graduated from high school as a junior and traveled for a year in Europe before enrolling at New York University as a Film and Music student. Somewhere in between, he had the great privilege of taking a couple of lessons with Lee Konitz. Judging that school was interfering with his education, he dropped out after the spring semester, went back to Paris for a year where he wrote a novel called Twines of Colesion (1000 pages thankfully destroyed), came back to the US for an eight-month cross-country trip that took him from New York City to San Francisco via Mexico, and returned to Paris in 1989 where he became bartender at the IACP, a music school founded by legendary bassist Alan Silva. There he met such heroes of the ex-pat scene as Steve Lacy, Sunny Murray, Frank Wright, Bobby Few and others. He recorded with a pianoless quartet dedicated to the music of Thelonious Monk, Four in One (In Situ 1992), made his first album as leader and composer with a quintet of French musicians (released on Igal Foni's For Elevators/Jazzis, 1993). In January 1993, at the prompting of Anthony Braxton, he moved back to the US, sat in on his classes at Wesleyan University for one semester and finally moved to New York the following winter." ^ Hide Bio for Michael Attias • Show Bio for Ben Goldberg "Ben Goldberg is an American clarinet player and composer. Born August 8, 1959 (age 58) in Denver, Colorado. He grew up in Denver, Colorado. Goldberg grew up playing clarinet, playing in school bands, and has an undergraduate music degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a Master of Arts in composition from Mills College. He was a pupil of clarinetist Rosario Mazzeo, and studied with Steve Lacy and Joe Lovano. Interested in the intersection between jazz (the music) and clarinet (the instrument), Goldberg started exploring the rich clarinet traditions found in klezmer music. After a stint with the Bay Area band The Klezmorim, he branched out and created his own band, the New Klezmer Trio, named after the New Tango Quintet,[citation needed] with Dan Seamans and Kenny Wollesen. This was the first of many ensembles that Goldberg would lead and/or participate in, primarily in and around the Bay Area. The New Klezmer Trio has produced three albums and the free improvisation on "Masks and Faces" was described as having "kicked open the door for radical experiments with Ashkenazi roots music." Goldberg's musicality is inspiring, to audiences and to his fellow musicians; "Sometimes the most influential musicians are the ones who don't call much attention to themselves. Take Berkeley clarinetist Ben Goldberg, who for the past two decades has quietly inspired some of the Bay Area's most creative musicians." In addition to composing for and playing in the Ben Goldberg Quintet, he has performed in the groups Tin Hat, Plays Monk, Myra Melford's Be Bread, Nels Cline's New Monastery, Afterlife Music Radio, and Go Home. The eleven-piece Ben Goldberg's Brainchild performs his on-the-spot compositions. Goldberg has played with Bill Frisell, Don Byron, Ellery Eskelin, Jenny Scheinman, John Zorn, Mark Dresser, Mark Feldman, Miya Masaoka, Roswell Rudd, Steven Bernstein, Vijay Iyer, Wayne Horvitz, and Zeena Parkins. Goldberg is also the founder of the music label BAG Production. Recently Goldberg has branched out into songwriting. His "Orphic Machine" project, largely commissioned by Chamber Music America, premiered at the Jewish Music Festival in March 2012 and was also performed in Los Angeles, California. The song-cycle is based on the writings of Allen Grossman and, for one critic, "the piece's thoughtful, sprawling compositions course through such a variety of styles and open-ended impulses that it would be tempting to dub this a new kind of world music." Regarding songwriting and composing, in a 2010 profile piece in All About Jazz, Goldberg said, "I don't just want to give people something that they can appreciate or understand, or that makes them think, or something like that. I used to kind of feel that that's what I wanted to do, but that's not what I want anymore. I want to give people something that they can love." " ^ Hide Bio for Ben Goldberg • Show Bio for John Hebert "John Hebert was born in New Orleans, LA. He attended Loyola University from '90 to '92 where he was awarded with a complete scholarship. In 1992, John moved to the New York State area, completing his formal studies at William Paterson University in New Jersey; he graduated with a B.M. in Jazz Performance in 1994. After graduating, John moved to New York City where he quickly became a highly in demand bassist, both for live performances and studio sessions." ^ Hide Bio for John Hebert • Show Bio for Thomas Heberer "Thomas Heberer, born 1965 in Schleswig, Germany, started playing the trumpet at age 11. From 1984 to 1987, he studied under Manfred Schoof at the Cologne University of Music. He has performed on 6 continents; was a lecturer at the the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts (1993-97); and can be heard on approximately 100 recordings. Honors include receiving the prestigious SWR Jazzpreis in 1990, and being awarded theDown Beat Critics TDWR Poll as a member of the ICP Orchestra in 2002. Before moving to New York City in 2008, the trumpeter served as a member of the regularband supporting German talk show host and entertainer Harald Schmidt for 12 years. Wim Wenders' feature-length dance movie Pina, winner of the 2011 European Film Award, includes music Thomas contributed to Ten Chi, a choreography by Pina Bausch. Besides his ongoing work with the ICP Orchestra, Heberer maintains a busy performanceand recording schedule with numerous New York City based ensembles, among themYoni Kretzmer's Five, the Nu Band and the Angelica Sanchez nonet." ^ Hide Bio for Thomas Heberer • Show Bio for Sam Ospovat "Originally from Lincoln, Nebraska, I played piano and sang in boys' choir before picking up my first pair of drumsticks in 5th grade. Late nights spent improvising in friends' parents' basements eventually revealed to me the wisdom of moving to the Bay Area, where I studied percussion with William Winant, Peter Magadini, George Marsh and lately with the Haitian master drummer Daniel Brevil. Recently relocated to Brooklyn, NY, I play drums in Beep, Naytronix, Timosaurus, Passwords (duo with Lorin Benedict), CavityFang, Young Nudist, Enablers and my solo project PIKI. I was lucky to play with Cecil Taylor, Leo Smith, and Maryanne Amacher at Mills College, where I received my MFA in percussion performance. Since then I've worked with Tuneyards, William Winant, The SF Contemporary Music Players, Aram Shelton, Ches Smith, members of Rova Saxophone Quartet, Bill McHenry, Angelica Sanchez, Phillip Greenlief, and Ava Mendoza." ^ Hide Bio for Sam Ospovat • Show Bio for Chris Speed ^ Hide Bio for Chris Speed • Show Bio for Omar Tamez "Mr. Tamez studied composition with Nicandro Tamez. He also studied privately through workshops and seminars with André Richard, Daniel Catán, Mario Lavista, Manuel de Elías, Helmut Lachmann, Pierre Boulez and Karl - Heinz Stockhausen. Mr. Tamez received a Masters degree in composition and philosophy from Universidad Regiomontana, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. In addition Mr. Tamez attended the NIMES (New Interfaces for Musical Expression) and Résonances Music Technology Convention at the IRCAM - Centre Pompidou, Paris, France. He teaches privately since twenty years ago in Monterrey; as well as workshops in different cities in México, Argentina, Brazil, USA & Germany. He was a visiting artist at CalArts febraury 2013. He´s a visiting artist/educator in the last CMS (Creative Music Studio) Workshops during 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 & 2017 lead by Karl Berger. He is the founder and leader of Non-Jazz, his group of twenty-four years. He is also the founder, producer and artistic director of the "International Musicians Meeting". He is currently preparing for the twelve edition that will occur 2018. Mr. Tamez has performed in more than 192 countries including Mexico, United States, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Turkey, Canada, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Japan and extensively trough Middle East, Asia & Africa. Omar has played / and or recorded with Ramón López, Agustí Fernández, Gebhard Ullmann, Karl Berger, Ingrid Sertso, Conny Bauer, Felix Petry, Gabriele Hasler, Carl Ludwig Hübsch, Almut Kuhne, Frank Köllges, Olaf Rupp, Andreas Willers, Reggie Workman, Wadada Leo Smith, John Lindberg, Pheeroan AkLaff, Rashied Alí, Sonny Fortune, Andrew Cyrille, Sam Rivers, Bruce Arnold, Jonathan Golove, Michael Vlatkovich, John Bacon, Geroge Schuller, Ratzo B. Harris, Steve Baczkowski, Ronnie Burrage, Gerald Cleaver, Alex Coke, Joe Fonda, Harvey Sorgen, Herb Robertson, Steve Rust, Steve Swell, Lou Grassi, Michael Jefry Stevens, Tina Marsh, Jay Rosen, Angelica Sanchez, Vincent Chancey, Chris Speed, Hamid Drake, Adam Rudolph, John Cale, Abdullah Ibrahim, Chico Buarque, Badal Roy, Steve Gorn, Kenny Wessel, Ken Filliano, John Hollenbeck, Tyshawn Sorey, Marylin Crispell, Peter Mack, Kirk Knuffke, Warren Smith, Karl Berger´s Imrpovisors Orchestra, Ben Gerstein, André Jaume, Beñat Achiary, Sophia Domancich, Bruno Angelini, Rémi Charmasson, Marc Ducret, Laurent de Wilde, Laure Donnat, Teppo Ahuta - ahoo, Harri Sjöstrom, Kalle Kalima, Mikko-Ville Luolajan-Mikkola, Marco Colonna, Neil Swainson, Emilio Tamez, Marcos Miranda, Rémi Álvarez, FAS Trío, Hernán Ríos, Gustavo Lorenzatti, Tatsuya Nakatani, Satoshi Takeishi and Arjen Gorter among many others. Mr. Tamez is involved in many projects like Wadada´s Leo Smith Golden Quartet/Double Quartet in Buffalo, NY with Wadada Leo Smith, Angélica Sánchez, John Lindberg and Pheeroan AkLaff plus Ubudis Quartet among others. He released several cd´s with musicians in the USA including, (Herb Robertson, Karl Berger, Steve Swell, Joe Fonda, Steve Rust, Ratzo B. Harris, Harvey Sorgen, Ben Gerstein, Jay Rosen, Steve Baczkowki, Jonathan Golove and John Bacon) and Europe (Ramon Lopez, Conny Bauer, Harri Sjöström and Olaf Rupp). And both groups Tierra Mestiza and Mexicanos (see selected discography)." ^ Hide Bio for Omar Tamez • Show Bio for Kenny Warren "Denver born trumpeter Kenny Warren has been active in New York's improvised music scene since 2006. His playing is rooted in jazz and draws heavily from American and international folk music traditions. He has released two LPs with his songwriting outfit Laila and Smitty which Bird is the Worm calls "massively genuine and unabashedly heart-on-the-sleeve open and honest". He also leads The Kenny Warren Quartet which was featured in the Festival of New Trumpet Music (2016) and whose debut album "Thank You for Coming to Life" was released in 2017 on Whirlwind Recordings. Kenny has toured internationally and studied in the Balkans with legendary brass band Slavic Soul Party, whom he joined in 2008. In 2016, SSP released a re-imagining of Duke Ellington's Far East Suite and has held a weekly residency at Barbes in Brooklyn for over a decade. Kenny has recorded with the Middle Eastern Maqam-Jazz band Nashaz, played and recorded with indie rock icons like The Walkmen and Spoon, toured with The Budos Band, and was featured on the soundtrack of the highly acclaimed film Beasts of the Southern Wild. He is a teaching artist with Carnegie Hall's Musical Connections, and co-curator of the weekly experimental music series A.E. Randolph Presents. Kenny has recorded a handful of records of his own music as a collaborator with ZhirtZ n ZkinZ and NOOK, and is in demand as a sideman in a number of New York music circles. Recent projects include: Ben Stapp's Zozimos, Brad Shepik's Balkan Peppers, The Angela Morris & Anna Webber Big Band, The Sway Machinery, The Sandra Weiss Quintet, The Myk Freedmans, Big Butter and The Eggmen, Andy Biskin's 16 tons, The Rob Brown Quartet, Antlers and Capillaries, and duos with Jeremiah Lockwood, Bobby Avey and Tony Malaby." ^ Hide Bio for Kenny Warren
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Track Listing:
1. Nighttime Creatures 6:15
2. C.B. The Time Traveler 7:11
3. Cloud House 8:59
4. Astral Light Of Alarid 9:08
5. Lady Of The Lavender Mist 9:48
6. Land Here 5:35
7. Ringleader 8:40
8. Big Weirdo 6:37
9. Wrong Door For Rocket Fuel 4:53
10. Tristeza 6:40
11. Run 5:48
Improvised Music
Jazz
Free Improvisation
NY Downtown & Metropolitan Jazz/Improv
Large Ensembles
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| Two extraordinary players from two coasts--clarinetist Ben Goldberg from the West and cornetist Kirk Knuffke from the East--in an exuberant duo of lyrical and virtuosic free jazz that astonishes the listener with the ease of their interactions in both parallel and contrasting lines, supporting the other as they express themselves uniquely; an impressive achievement! | |
 | Delbecq, Benoit 4 (w / Turner / Hebert / Cleaver) Spots On Stripes (Clean Feed) |
| French pianist Benoit Delbecq brings together frequent collaborators from New York--Mark Turner on tenor saxophone and drummer Gerald Cleaver--and from Paris--Delbecq himself and double bassist John Hebert--for an album of refined and inventive contemporary jazz, the work of masterful players with years of experience and collaborations dating back to 2003. | |
 | Godet, Jean-Brice Quartet (Godet / Attias / Niggenkemper / Costa) Mujo (Fou Records) |
| The debut album of French clarinetist Jean-Brice Godet, recording with a New York quartet of Michael Attias on alto sax, Pascal Niggenkemper on doublebass, and Carlo Costa on drums for seven tracks of adventerous original compositions, using weaving lines in melodic heads that propel his sidemen to lyrically rich solos and asides. | |
 | Paul, Leah We Will Do The Worrying (Skirl) |
| LA flutist Leah Paul began these works as through-composed chamber pieces, with lyrical content evolving as each song took shape, performed in a hybrid band of improvisers and chamber players with Afton Hefley singing about meditation of dreams and childhood memories. | |
 | Fujiwara, Tomas / Ben Goldberg / Mary Halvorson The Out Louds (Relative Pitch) |
| The first release from the NY/West Coast trio of Tomas Fujiwara on drums, Ben Goldberg on clarinet, and Mary Halvorson on guitar, a collaborative improv of lyrical and nuanced improv, using great skill and sophistication in dialog that takes unexpected twists and turns. | |
 | Renku (Attias / Hebert / Takeishi) Live in Greenwich Village (Clean Feed) |
| A live recording at Greenwich House Music School in New York City in 2014, and the 3rd album from the Renku trio of Michael Attias on alto sax, John Hebert on double bass, and Satoshi Takeishi on drums, lyrical and intimate trio work from three masterful players. | |
 | Hertenstein, Joe HNH (Hertenstein / Niggenkemper / Heberer) [2nd release] (Clean Feed) |
| Drummer Joe Herteinstein's followup to his 1st Clean Feed HNH album from his New York trio with Pascal Niggenkemper on bass and Thomas Heberer on cornet, adding a New York attitude to European modern jazz, with oustanding playing using a mix of traditional and inventive approaches. | |
