Returning to the electronic jazz approach of his album Multifariam, cellist Christopher Hoffman, composing with the core trio of Frank LoCrasto on keyboards and Bill Campbell on drums, is joined by luminaries such as Henry Threadgill, Ryan Scott, Anna Webber, and Alfred Colón on select tracks, releasing a lyrically compelling album that draws on a diverse range of influences.
Out of Stock
Quantity in Basket: None
Log In to use our Wish List
Shipping Weight: 24.00 units
Sample The Album:
Christopher Hoffman-cello, electric cello, drum programming, synth
Frank LoCrasto-keyboards
Bill Campbell-drums
Henry Threadgill-alto saxophone
Ryan Scott-guitar
Anna Webber-flute
Alfredo Colon-EW
Click an artist name above to see in-stock items for that artist.
UPC: 198026449382
Label: Out Of Your Head Records
Catalog ID: OOYH 026
Squidco Product Code: 34877
Format: LP
Condition: New
Released: 2024
Country: USA
Packaging: LP
Recorded by the artists.
"Cellist Christopher Hoffman, demonstrating his exploratory character and broad musical vision, steps boldly into the spotlight with an intriguing recording that leans heavily on synths and drums, exuding a fiercely progressive vibe. His latest endeavor, Vision Is The Identity, comprises a collection of mesmeric frameworks characterized by a curious blend of fluidity, acidity, and obscurity, providing a canvas upon which musicians navigate smoothly or inject sinister undertones within a modern fusion context. Accompanied by keyboardist Frank LoCrasto and drummer Bill Campbell on all tracks, Hoffman also welcomes special guests on select pieces.
The album opens with the electro-rock experimentalism of "Cloudbuster", designed with a hooky motorik-inspired beat, adhesive synth patches, and incisive cello slashes, evocative of groups like Can and Faust. Similarly concise, "What Comes" serves the warped lines of saxophonist Henry Threadgill, who sinuously sweeps across a lushly dramatic 3/4 progression pollinated by the distorted clouds of guest guitarist Ryan Scott.
"Think From" unfolds with installing gravitas and an icy hip-hop backbeat overlaid by occasional rasping cello legato and creating a textural cosmic goo. "It is Done" is shrewdly executed with vocal mellotron and blaring counterpoint before transitioning into a dance-friendly groove punctuated by cello pizzicato.
Apparently, there are no main theme statements and the pieces can end abruptly. "Better & Better" is laid down with shimmering racket, featuring the tongue-in-cheek flute expressionism of Anna Webber over abrasive alternative rock and industrial electronic elements. The mood shifts on the speculative final track, "Farewell Forever", where synth, EWI, and cello solos by LoCrasto, guest Alfredo Cólon, and Hoffman, respectively, crash into the tapestry of jazztronica-inspired synths loaded with futuristic undertones and sweaty rhythms.
While Vision Is The Identity may not cater to every jazz aficionado, it undoubtedly marks an entrancing modernistic phase for Hoffman. His imaginative range of sonics establishes him as an unpredictable artist."-Filipe Freitas, JazzTrail
Get additional information at Jazz Trail
Artist Biographies
• 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 Frank LoCrasto "Since he was a landlocked Dallas, Texas kid, beach culture has held a tropical mystique for pianist/composer Frank LoCrasto. Family trips documented by camcorder videos, featuring slinky jazz-fusion soundtracks are etched in the Brooklyn-based artist's memory. In his mind, there will always be a fantasyland replete with wicker furniture, pristine beaches, swaying palm trees, the smell of vanilla-scented suntan lotion, and breathtaking aqua water expanses. These days, LoCrasto uses his imagination, evocative musicality, prodigious chops, and eclectic sonic palette to create dreamy musical locales. His transporting compositions are genre-defying but informed loosely by the feel of jazz, ambient music, Latin, vibey 1960s and 1970s B-movie film scores, and exotica. His tunes are dynamic and dimensional, brimming with thoughtful instrumentation choices, lush orchestrations, and melodies and movements that exhibit narrative instrumental arcs. His recordings are vibey, and favor little atmospheric imperfections that lend them a warmly organic feel. Upcoming, LoCrasto will release his soundtrack to the 2012 comedy-drama, Sandbar, and, in the spring 2021, he will issue his fifth solo album. "Several different things inspire that transporting feeling of my music. These days, it can come from something I read, a movie, or a photo I saw. The cover art on the front of old LP's definitely transports you. It's an artifact made in a different time that's basically a window into the past-time travel into a different time I'll never know. Those types of visual elements I find hugely romantic. That, and the sound of tape," LoCrasto shares. To date, the Texas-born, Brooklyn-based artist has released four solo albums (When You're There 2006, El Dorado 2011, LoCrasto 2015, and Lost Dispatch 2019). He has composed and recorded music for three feature length films (Sandbar 2012, Union Furnace 2015, Stranger in the Dunes 2016), and has had songs placed in the 2014 movie, Obvious Child, and the 2020 HBO series, How to With Jon Wilson. In addition, LoCrasto has recorded and toured with Cass McCombs, Pat Martino, Jeremy Pelt, James Iha, Parquet Courts, Fruit Bats, Nicholas Payton, Greg Osby, Okkervil River, and Wallace Roney. He has also appeared as a sideman on over 70 albums. Prior to the pandemic, LoCrasto was actively touring with his band, Cass McCombs, the Fruit Bats, and Grateful Shred. LoCrasto's father is a bassist and his mother has always been supportive of the arts. At age 5, his parents bought him a Casio keyboard and enrolled him in piano lessons. Yet, it wasn't until he was 8 years old that LoCrasto found his way with piano. Eschewing lessons, he made progress on his own, playing by ear, and, by the age of 10, LoCrasto was playing paid gigs at the mall. For high school, LoCrasto attended Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, a haven of taste and talent which boasts alumni such as Erykah Badu, Norah Jones, and Roy Hargrove. While in that fertile music environment, he thrived and earned the prestigious Presidential Scholar in the Arts award. LoCrasto also earned a scholarship to the world-renowned New School in New York. Relocating to New York, he began associations that landed him gigs with heavyweight jazz artists, including jazz guitar icon Pat Martino. Eventually, LoCrasto migrated to the vibrant NYC singer-songwriter scene, savoring the creative freedom the milieu afforded. As a busy sideman, LoCrasto has had to release solo material in five-year gap increments. The benefit of the quarantine, so far, has been that he can finally release his solo material in a timely fashion. The first album LoCrasto will be issuing in this active downtime is his soundtrack to the 2012 indie comedy-drama, Sandbar. This is LoCrasto's first soundtrack, and he rises to the challenge masterfully, composing and producing the music, and tapping top notch musicians from his inner circle to round out the recordings. This warmly lo-fi collection of dreamy 1960s soundscapes evokes the movie's "everything is gonna be alright" mix of sadness and quirkiness. Select standouts include "Christmas Is You," a collaboration with Jessica Martins; "Spin The Bottle," which was reappropriated by Casey Neistat in his YouTube "Hong Kong McDonald's" video; and "Abandoned Car." "Christmas Is You" has a 1960s Phil Spector girl group feel to it with a languidly luxurious ballad poise enhanced by lush piano and acoustic guitar interlay, and Jessica's sensual vocals. "Spin The Bottle" boasts a tropical tango rhythm and pastel chord changes lending it an elegant "pass the martini" feel. Palm trees and pristine beaches come to life on "Abandoned Car." This track, with its slinky percussion, airy backup vocals, and breezy acoustic guitar and jeweled piano melodies, poetically captures a "tropical dreaming" movie moment. These days, LoCrasto is making the most of pandemic life through writing, recording, and releasing new music. "I miss being on the road and being inspired by different places, but this freedom right now is joyful and comforting," LoCrasto says. He will follow up the Sandbar score with an official solo album in the spring of 2021. This album will be polished, featuring luxurious strings, woodwind, and brass orchestration, and compositions that wind through a multitude of thoroughly composed sections. The record will offer a variety of transporting vibes, including Iranian musicality, Brazilian samba moments, and songs that sound like they were pulled from 1960s French New Wave films. LoCrasto wrote and tracked the album during quarantine, piecing together remote individual performances to make full string, woodwind and brass sections." ^ Hide Bio for Frank LoCrasto • Show Bio for Bill Campbell "Bill Campbell is the drummer, singer, songwriter and leader of the international cult sensation known as BREASTFIST, which released it's much heralded debut record "tickly shimmers" in May 2012 and follow up "Amuse Deuce" in 2017 on groundUp records. Bill is also a member of Kurt Rosenwinkel's "Caipi" band. As a sideman, Bill's beats are in large demand on stage and in the studio. His unique sound and feel have made him a favorite of producers, songwriters, rock and jazz musicians alike. Artists he has worked with include Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Cass McCombs, Andrew Bird, Brazilian Girls, Chris Thile, Lauren Hill, Norah Jones, Meshell Ndegeocello, Madison Cunningham, Robin McKelle, James Iha (Smashing Pumpkins), Ryan Scott, Chris Cheek and Joel Frahm. Bill is busy recording, performing, writing music, teaching, traveling, playing table tennis and making animated cartoons." ^ Hide Bio for Bill Campbell • Show Bio for Henry Threadgill "Henry Threadgill (born February 15, 1944) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer, saxophonist and flautist, who came to prominence in the 1970s leading ensembles with unusual instrumentation and often incorporating a range of non-jazz genres. Threadgill studied at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago, majoring in piano, flute, and composition. He studied piano with Gail Quillman and composition with Stella Roberts. He has been a bandleader and composer for over forty years. He was awarded the 2016 Pulitzer Prize in Music for his composition In for a Penny, In for a Pound, which premiered at Roulette Intermedium on December 4, 2014 Threadgill has performed and recorded with several ensembles: Air, Aggregation Orb, Make a Move, the seven-piece Henry Threadgill Sextett, the twenty-piece Society Situation Dance Band, Very Very Circus, X-75, and Zooid." ^ Hide Bio for Henry Threadgill • 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 Alfredo Colon "Alfredo Colon is a New York City native. The saxophonist was born to immigrant parents from the Dominican Republic and grew up in Washington Heights. He studied under musicians such as Lee Konitz, Jason Rigby, Steve Wilson and Jacob Sacks Colon has performed alongside musicians such as Henry Threadgill, Moses Sumney, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Nduduzo Makhathini, Amirtha Kidambi, Harish Raghavan and many others. He has performed at esteemed spaces such as Jazz at Lincoln Center, Roulette Intermedium, BAM, The Jazz Gallery, The Stone, National Sawdust and a myriad of others. Colon was awarded the Jazz Coalition Commission Fund Grant in early 2020. His piece 'A Witch Gets Married' premiered online on October 2020. The performance can be viewed here. He is also one of the recipients of Roulette's Van Lier Fellowship for 2022. Alfredo plays P Mauriat instruments and D'Addario reeds." ^ Hide Bio for Alfredo Colon
11/29/2024
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
11/29/2024
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
11/29/2024
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
11/29/2024
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
11/29/2024
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
11/29/2024
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
Track Listing:
SIDE A
1. Cloudbuster 03:43
2. What Comes 04:13
3. Think From 04:00
SIDE B
1. It Is Done 02:58
2. Better & Better 02:51
3. Narc Drop 02:31
4. Farewell Forever 04:04
Vinyl Recordings
Improvised Music
Jazz
Jazz & Improvisation Based on Compositions
Electro-Acoustic
NY Downtown & Metropolitan Jazz/Improv
Melodic and Lyrical Jazz
Quartet Recordings
Trio Recordings
Quartet Recordings
Quintet Recordings
New in Improvised Music
Recent Releases and Best Sellers
Search for other titles on the label:
Out Of Your Head Records.