


An extremely unique sax and drums album, as Rova leader Larry Ochs and New York drummer Gerald Cleaver take their tenor and sopranino saxophones, and drums and percussion, into the absolute darkness and stillness of the Portel Cave in the South of France, using the resonance and inspiration of the cave to record these seven incredible improvisations.
In Stock
Quantity in Basket: None
Log In to use our Wish List
Shipping Weight: 3.00 units
EU & UK Customers:
Discogs.com can handle your VAT payments
So please order through Discogs

Sample The Album:



Gerald Cleaver-drums, percussion
Larry Ochs-tenor saxophone, sopranino saxophone
Click an artist name above to see in-stock items for that artist.
UPC: 3760131270846
Label: RogueArt
Catalog ID: ROG-0084
Squidco Product Code: 26555
Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2018
Country: France
Packaging: Digipack - 3 panel
Recorded in a wild cave in absolute silence and darkness... in the southwest of France, on October 1st 2016, by Vincent Mahey.
"Fall 2016, southwest France. Guided by its owner, Larry Ochs and Gerald Cleaver visit the Portel cave, a Magdalenian painted cave. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, given how few visits are allowed so as not to endanger the parietal works.
The cave paintings' preservation imperatives do not allow for the recording to take place in the cave itself; it took place on the next day, in another cave, similar in its layout, but not painted.
Absolute darkness and silence. Gerald and Larry are still imbued with the eve.
The session was short, incredibly dense. Having given their all, Larry and Gerald were utterly exhausted by the end.
Several years of preparation, intense efforts before, during, and after, two outstanding musicians, Vincent Mahey's sublime work.
The album is unique, the music exceptional."-Michel Dorbon

The Squid's Ear!

Artist Biographies
• Show Bio for Gerald Cleaver "Gerald Cleaver (born May 4, 1963) is an African-American jazz drummer from Detroit, Michigan. Cleaver's father is drummer John Cleaver Jr., originally from Springfield, Ohio, and his mother was from Greenwood, Mississippi. Gerald had six older siblings. Cleaver joined the jazz faculty at the University of Michigan in 1995. He has performed or recorded with Joe Morris, Mat Maneri, Roscoe Mitchell, Miroslav Vitous, Michael Formanek, Tomasz Sta ko, Franck Amsallem and others. Under the name Veil of Names, Cleaver released an album called Adjust on the Fresh Sounds New Talent label in 2001. It featured Maneri, Ben Monder, Andrew Bishop, Craig Taborn and Reid Anderson and was a Best Debut Recording Nominee by the Jazz Journalists Association. Cleaver currently leads the groups Uncle June, Black Host, Violet Hour and NiMbNl as well as working as a sideman with many different artists." ^ Hide Bio for Gerald Cleaver • Show Bio for Larry Ochs "Larry Ochs (b. May 3, 1949, New York City) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Ochs studied trumpet briefly but concentrated on tenor and sopranino saxophones. He worked as a record producer and founded his own label, Metalanguage Records, in 1978, in addition to operating the Twelve Stars studio in California. He co-founded the Rova Saxophone Quartet, and also worked in Glenn Spearman's Double Trio. A frequent recipient of commissions, he composed the music for the play Goya's L.A. by Leslie Scalapino in 1994 and for Letters Not About Love, which was named best documentary film at SXSW in 1998. He has also played in a new music trio called Room and the What We Live ensemble. He has recorded several albums as a leader. He formed the group Kihnoua in 2007 with vocalist Dohee Lee and Scott Amendola on drums and electronics, which released Unauthorized Caprices in 2010. He is married to the poet Lyn Hejinian." ^ Hide Bio for Larry Ochs
9/10/2025
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
9/10/2025
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

Track Listing:
1. First Steps (9:05)
2. Into the Air (5:16)
3. Deeper (9:52 ) Play
4. Down (5:46)
5. Ringing It In (7:07)
6. Rooted in Clay (8:59)
7. Light from the Shadows (14:35)

Improvised Music
Jazz
Free Improvisation
West Coast/Pacific US Jazz
Duo Recordings
Recordings by or featuring Reed & Wind Players
Percussion & Drums
Staff Picks & Recommended Items
Saxophone & Drummer / Percussionist Duos
Search for other titles on the label:
RogueArt.
All The Way
(ESP)
![]() | Eva Novoa Novoa / Kamaguchi / Cleaver Trio - Vol. 2 [VINYL] (577 Records) |
![]() | Novoa, Eva Novoa / Kamaguchi / Cleaver Trio - Vol. 2 (577 Records) |
![]() | Lopez, Brandon Septet nada sagrada (Relative Pitch) |
![]() | Mazurek, Rob & Exploding Star Orchestra Live at Adler Planetarium [VINYL] (International Anthem) |
![]() | Mazurek, Rob & Exploding Star Orchestra Live at Adler Planetarium (International Anthem) |
![]() | Jones, Darius Legend of e'Boi (The Hypervigilant Eye) [VINYL + DOWNLOAD] (Aum Fidelity) |
![]() | Stein, Jason (Stein / Abrams / Cleaver / Boon) Anchors [VINYL] (Tao Forms) |
![]() | Stein, Jason (Stein / Abrams / Cleaver / Boon) Anchors (Tao Forms) |
![]() | Cleaver, Gerald The Process (Positive Elevation / 577 Records) |
![]() | Richards, Steph (w/ White / Takeishi / Cleaver / Jaffee) Power Vibe (Northern Spy) |
![]() | Mazurek, Rob & Exploding Star Orchestra Lightning Dreamers [VINYL] (International Anthem) |
![]() | Cleaver, Gerald 22 / 23 [VINYL VIOLET OPAQUE] (Positive Elevation / 577 Records) |
![]() | Cleaver, Gerald 22 / 23 (Positive Elevation / 577 Records) |
![]() | Lopez Trio (Brandon Lopez / Steve Baczkowski / Gerald Cleaver) Matanzas (Relative Pitch) |
![]() | Trujillo, Juanma / Kenneth Jimenez / Gerald Cleaver Contour (Clean Feed) |
![]() | Novoa, Eva Novoa / Kamaguchi / Cleaver Trio - Vol. 1 [VINYL CLEAR] (577 Records) |
![]() | Cleaver, Gerald / Brandon Lopez / Hprizm In The Wilderness [VINYL] (Positive Elevation / 577 Records) |
![]() | Cleaver, Gerald / Brandon Lopez / Hprizm In The Wilderness (Positive Elevation / 577 Records) |
![]() | Moten, Fred / Brandon Lopez / Gerald Cleaver S/T (Relative Pitch) |
![]() | William Parker Universal Tonality [2 CDs] (Centering Records) |
![]() | Blaser, Samuel 7th Heaven (Between The Lines) |
![]() | Jones Jones (feat. Larry Ochs / Vladimir Tarasov / Mark Dresser) Just Justice (ESP) |
![]() | Carter, Daniel / Matthew Ship / William Parker / Gerald Cleaver Welcome Adventure! Vol. 2 [CASSETTE + DOWNLOAD] (577 Records) |
![]() | Parker, Christopher / The Band of Guardian Angels Soul Food (Mahakala Music) |
![]() | Fujiwara's, Tomas Triple Double March (Firehouse 12 Records) |
![]() | Carter, Daniel / Matthew Shipp / William Parker / Gerald Cleaver Welcome Adventure! Vol. 2 [VINYL] (577 Records) |
![]() | Carter, Daniel / Matthew Shipp / William Parker / Gerald Cleaver Welcome Adventure! Vol. 2 (577 Records) |
![]() | Rova Saxophone Quartet The Circumference of Reason (ESP Disk) |
![]() | Lopez, Brandon Trio Live at Roulette (Relative Pitch) |
![]() | Lopez, Cecilia Red (DB) (Relative Pitch) |
![]() | Judson Trio (Leandre / Maneri / Cleaver) Light And Dance [2 CDs] (RogueArt) |
![]() | Cleaver, Gerald Griots [VINYL] (577 Records) |
![]() | Cleaver, Gerald Griots (577 Records) |
![]() | Hprizm Signs Remixed [BLACK VINYL] (Positive Elevations) |
![]() | Hprizm Signs Remixed (577 Records) |
![]() | Dunmall, Paul / Matthew Shipp / Joe Morris / Gerald Cleaver The Bright Awakening (RogueArt) |
![]() | Abrams', Joshua Cloud Script Cloud Script (RogueArt) |
![]() | Carter, Daniel / Matthew Shipp / William Parker / Gerald Cleaver Welcome Adventure! Vol. 1 [VINYL] (577 Records) |
![]() | Cleaver, Gerald Signs (577 Records) |
![]() | Carter, Daniel / Matthew Shipp / William Parker / Gerald Cleaver Welcome Adventure! Vol. 1 (577 Records) |
![]() | ROVA (Raskin / Ochs / Voigt / Ackley) Saxophone Diplomacy (Hatology) |
![]() | Cleaver, Gerald Signs [VINYL + DOWNLOAD] (577 Records) |
![]() | Swell, Steve Quintet Soul Travelers w/ special guest Leena Conquest Astonishments (RogueArt) |
![]() | Fujiwara, Tomas Triple Double [VINYL 2 LPs] (Firehouse 12 Records) |
![]() | Rova Saxophone Quartet In Transverse Time (Les Disques Victo) |
![]() | Spectral (Dave Rempis / Darren Johnston / Larry Ochs) Empty Castles (Aerophonic) |
![]() | Fujiwara, Tomas Triple Double (Firehouse 12 Records) |
![]() | Ochs, Larry / Sax and Drumming Core Wild Red Yellow (RogueArt) |
![]() | Goldberg, Ben (w/ Ellis / Dunn / Sarin / Schott / Ochs) Eight Phrases For Jefferson Rubin (Les Disques Victo) |
![]() | Rova Ptow!! (Les Disques Victo) |
![]() | Ellis, Lisle / Cauley / Robinson / Ruthier / Ochs / McPhee / Spearman Elevations (Les Disques Victo) |
![]() | Rova Channeling Coltrane Electric Ascension - Live At The 2012 Guelph Festival + "Cleaning The Mirror - A Documentary by John Rogers" [Blu Ray + DVD + CD] (RogueArt) |
![]() | Shipp, Matthew Quartet Declared Enemy Our Lady Of The Flowers (RogueArt) |
![]() | Blaser, Samuel Spring Rain (Whirlwind) |
![]() | Rempis, Dave / Darren Johnston / Larry Ochs Spectral (Aerophonic) |
![]() | Bynum, Taylor Ho / John Hebert / Gerald Cleaver Book of Three: Continuum (Relative Pitch) |
![]() | Lightcap, Chris' Big Mouth Deluxe (Clean Feed) |
![]() | Levin, Daniel Trio Fuhuffah (Clean Feed) |
![]() | Moondoc Tentet, Jemeel / Jus Grew Orchestra Live at the Vision Festival 2001 (Ayler) |
![]() | Rova Bingo (Les Disques Victo) |