
Recorded live at the 2022 Vision Festival in Brooklyn, Jason Kao Hwang conducts a remarkable ensemble of strings, guitars, bass, and percussion in a work that blends notated passages with conduction-driven improvisation, forging a powerful and fluid language that transcends cultural and stylistic boundaries while illuminating collective individuality and truth.
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Sample The Album:
Charles Burnham-violin
Mark Chung-violin
Gabby Fluke-Mogul-violin
Keir GoGwilt-violin
Rosi Hertlein-violin
Gwen Laster-violin
Elena Moon Park-violin
Ben Sutin-violin
Tom Swafford-violin
Johnna Wu-violin
Ginger Dolden-viola
Melanie Dyer-viola
Judith Insell-viola
Pete Lanctot-viola
Eric Salazar-viola
Dara Bloom-cello
Kirin McElwain-cello
Lester St. Louis-cello
Tomas Ulrich-cello
Che Chen-guitar
Anders Nilsson-guitar
Hans Tammen-guitar
Ken Filiano-bass
Andrew Drury-drums
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UPC: 798576333096
Label: True Sound Recordings
Catalog ID: TS06
Squidco Product Code: 36762
Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2025
Country: USA
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold 3 Panels
Recorded live at the Vision Festival at Roulette in Brooklyn, New York, on June 25th, 2022, by Andrya Ambro and Teerapat Parnmongkol.
"Myths of Origin literally starts with a bang, answered by a solitary twang, punctuated by another sudden drum stroke and then another, cuing the entrance of high diaphanous tone clusters from the strings. Whether evoking the ancient sounds of Japanese gagaku for some listeners or the modernist sonorities of a Penderecki threnody for others, depending on cultural frames of reference, this dramatic introduction immediately engages everyone in the cosmopolitan sonic world of Jason Hwang's musical alchemy, amalgamating and transmuting jazz, contemporary, and world music, subverting and sublating conventional hierarchies of East and West, old and new, high and low, noble and base - and all without a single note played from the printed page as of yet. Nonetheless, the clarity of Jason's conception is so clear that this conducted ensemble improvisation stamps each performance with his distinctive artistic signature, so powerfully that - if there weren't so much great music still to follow - one might be tempted to replay the track to savor its delicate beauty once again.
At its best, as illustrated here, conduction fuses improvisation and indeterminacy, with a composer-bandleader determining the ultimate shape of a musical work in progress while directing its continuous flow. Having worked with many of the pioneers of this innovative real-time compositional technique, including Butch Morris and Karl Berger, Jason premiered his unique approach to improvising-orchestra conduction with his Spontaneous River ensemble's Symphony of Souls (2011), and honed kindred conceptions throughout the various chamber-ensemble projects he has led over the years since. Myths of Origin showcases the flexible aesthetic he has developed, which integrates notated ensemble passages, extemporized solo statements, and conducted ensemble improvisations, cued by an economical system of largely intuitive gestures that facilitate and shape the musical flow, while giving players the co-creative agency to be themselves and thus fostering their sense of individuality within the collectivity. After giving impassioned voice to his own individual muse in his previous solo-improvisation project Soliloquies, Jason now trades violin for baton to focus on the collective dimensions of ensemble improvisation, effectively playing the entire orchestra as his instrument.
All of this, of course, sounds great in theory, but how - one might well ask - does it actually work in practice? Just listen to the solos, one after another, each as eloquent and expressive as the last, collectively testifying to Jason's ability not just to assemble one of the most talented rosters of improvising strings on record, but also to create the musical settings that inspire the very best from them all, as they take virtuosic impetus from propulsive rhythms, weave lyrical cadenzas around fleeting harmonies, and inevitably discover new melodic paths to explore within the work's carefully charted soundscapes. From the wailing guitar solo by Anders Nilsson in "Spin Fast and Burn," through the freewheeling conversation among violinist Elena Moon Park and cellists Dara Bloom, Kirin McElwain, Lester St. Louis, and Tomas Ulrich in "Dust Gathers Around Sleep," to the impassioned dialogues between guitarist Che Chen and violists Ginger Dolden and Pete Lanctot in "Ancestors of Light," the kaleidoscopic combinations and permutations of talent showcased here cannot but impress.
But the essential meanings of this conduction transcend the brilliance of its constituent solos, as they arise more fundamentally from the generative dynamic tensions - between structure and agency, consistency and contingency - that Jason establishes between the work's score and its ensemble, each an efflorescent elaboration of a seminal core. In its various extant realizations from premiere to recording, Myths of Origin always begins with a collective improvisation and ends with a composed theme - as here with "The Collapse of Gravity" and "Never Forgotten" - building initial climactic intensity in between with soloing over a funk vamp - here "Multiply and Rise" - that gives way, after a conducted interlude, to the unison melody heard in "Dust Gathers Around Sleep." Appropriately enough, the violinists taking funk solos here include Charles Burnham, Ben Sutin, and Rosi Hertlein, who have played central roles over the course of this ensemble's evolution, alongside violist Eric Salazar, Tomas Ulrich, guitarist Hans Tammen, bassist Ken Filiano, and drummer Andrew Drury (almost all of whom recorded in Jason's earlier Spontaneous River orchestra). Together with these constellations of fixed stars on the page and the bandstand, which have endowed the work with its enduring identity, what makes the version on this recording definitive is the way Jason builds around these ensemble stalwarts and compositional pillars to feature new stellar voices and conceive new musical myths that further expand upon his originary vision. So come join all the heroes of this tale - from Jason's longtime collaborating team of master artists like Mark Chung, Gwen Laster, Melanie Dyer, and Judith Insell to such exciting new talents as Keir GoGwilt, gabby fluke-mogul, Tom Swafford, and Johnna Wu - and follow their pilgrims' progress through each unfolding adventure recounted here. Ultimately, as satisfying as you'll doubtless find each telling and retelling, you'll also find yourself wondering where Jason might take the saga from here."-Scott Currie, from the liner notes
Artist Biographies
• Show Bio for Charles Burnham "Charles Burnham (born 1950; also known as Charlie Burnham) is an American violinist and composer. He has a unique highly imaginative style that crosses genres, including bluegrass, delta punk, free jazz, blues, classical and chamber jazz. He often performs with a wah-wah pedal. He initially became renowned for his work on James "Blood" Ulmer's Odyssey album. The musicians on that album later performed and recorded as Odyssey the Band, sometimes known as The Odyssey Band. He was also a member of the String Trio of New York, and currently plays in the 52nd Street Blues Project, Hidden City, We Free StRings, Improvising Chamber Ensemble and the Kropotkins. He has played on recordings by Living Colour, Susie Ibarra, Cassandra Wilson, Steven Bernstein, Queen Esther, Peter Apfelbaum, Henry Threadgill, Ted Daniel, Medeski Martin & Wood, The Woes, Hem, Elysian Fields, Adam Rudolph, Jonah Smith, The Heavy Circles, Mario Pavone, Joan As Police Woman, Rick Moranis, Doug Wamble, Steve Swell, John Zorn, Rufus Wainwright, Gabrielle Roth, Robert Musso, Jai Uttal, Soul Syndicate, Bobby Paunetto, Krishna Das, Sasha Dobson, Kenny Wollesen, Kato Hideki, Norah Jones, Billie Joe Armstrong, Emily Coates and Jason Kao Hwang. He played a musician in the film Junior. He played on the soundtracks for Northfork, Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man; and an episode of the Backyardigans." ^ Hide Bio for Charles Burnham • Show Bio for Gabby Fluke-Mogul "Gabby Fluke-Mogul (b. 1991) is an improviser/composer living in New York. They exist within the threads of improvisation, the jazz continuum, noise, & experimental music. Their playing has been described as "embodied, visceral, & virtuosic." Gabby is humbled to have collaborated with Kyle Bruckmann, Nava Dunkelman, Wendy Eisenberg, Fred Frith, Jordan Glenn, Phillip Greenlief, Jacob Felix Heule, Brandon Lopez, Lisa Mezzacappa, Kanoko Nishi-Smith, Pauline Oliveros, & Danishta Rivero, among many other musicians, poets, dancers, & visual artists. GFM holds a MFA in Music Performance & Literature from Mills College, a BA in Music & Education from Hampshire College, & a Deep Listening certificate from The Center for Deep Listening at Rensselaer." ^ Hide Bio for Gabby Fluke-Mogul • Show Bio for Keir GoGwilt "Keir GoGwilt is a violinist, scholar, and poet, whose work spans a range of genres and disciplines. His creative work often reflects his scholarship, which follows performers' historical writings on music, phenomenology, and pedagogies of improvisation. He is at home in collaborative, often interdisciplinary work, in which creative labor is shared and recognized. As a violinist he has been described as a "formidable performer" (New York Times) noted for his "evocative sound" (London Jazz News) and "finger-busting virtuosity" (San Diego Union Tribune). He has soloed with groups including the Orchestra of St. Luke's, the Chinese National Symphony, the Orquesta Filarmonica de Santiago, the Bowdoin International Music Festival Orchestra, the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, the Chicago Civic Orchestra, the Manhattan School of Music Chamber Sinfonia, and the La Jolla Symphony. He is a core member of the American Modern Opera Company, a collective of dancers, instrumentalists, composers, writers, and singers, committed to the long-term creation and performance of an original music- and dance-theater repertory. His duet with dancer Bobbi Jene Smith, "A Study on Effort," has been featured at the Luminato Festival, PS 122's COIL Festival, the ODC Theater, UCSD Dance&Theater, the American Repertory Theater, and Carolina Performing Arts. Their quartet with dancer Or Schraiber and violinist Miranda Cuckson, "With Care," investigates the politics of empathy and apathy on the level of individual relationships. He is part of the cast and creative team for Bobbi Jene's acclaimed show, "Lost Mountain," premiered at La Mama in May 2019. Long-time collaborators include composers Matthew Aucoin, Celeste Oram, and Carolyn Chen. Aucoin has written numerous pieces for him, including "Poem" and "Its Own Accord." They perform together frequently, and have appeared at the Spoleto Festival in Italy, Rockport Chamber Music, Music Academy of the West, the LA Opera, Dumbarton Oaks, the San Diego Symphony's "Hearing the Future" festival, among others. GoGwilt's debut solo CD, re: d, includes music by Johann Paul von Westhoff and Carolyn Chen. The CD and its live performance-installation features artwork by Audrey Hope and poetry by Christopher and Keir GoGwilt. He has worked with Celeste Oram in her explorative broadcasts on technological media, "Televisionmann," and "Vera Wyse Munro: A Radio Séance." He is also part of the creative team for Oram's 3-hour show, "Tautitotito: An Alternative Genealogy of Aotearoa New Zealand Music" (commissioned by and premiered at the Darmstadt Summer Courses 2018). GoGwilt regularly performs with other San Diego musicians including Steven Schick, Mark Dresser (as part of the Dresser quintet/septet), and bassist/improviser Kyle Motl (as part of their duo, Treesearch). He can be heard on records released by Tzadik, Clean Feed, and BMOP (upcoming). He has additionally performed with musicians including Tan Dun, Chance the Rapper, Robert Levin, and singer-songwriter Asaf Avidan." ^ Hide Bio for Keir GoGwilt • Show Bio for Rosi Hertlein "Born in Germany, Rosi Hertlein's career spans contemporary classical, improvisation, and vocal/poetic expression. She relocated to New York in the mid-1990s and has collaborated with avant/improv musicians like Joe McPhee and Pauline Oliveros." ^ Hide Bio for Rosi Hertlein • Show Bio for Gwen Laster "Gwen Laster is a nationally acclaimed musician who has been the recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts, Jubilation Foundation, Puffin Foundation, Arts Mid Hudson, Lila Wallace and the Cognac Hennessey 1st place Jazz Search. She's a native Detroiter whose creative influences come from the Motor City's exciting urban and classical music culture. Gwen started improvising and composing because of her parents love of jazz, blues, soul and classical music and her inspiring music teachers from Detroit's public schools. Laster relocated to NYC after earning two music degrees from the University of Michigan. She began collaborating, performing and recording with internationally-known creative and commercial artists including Anthony Braxton, Nona Hendryx, Aretha Franklin, Wadada Leo Smith, William Parker, Danny Elfman, Sun Ra Arkestra, Tyler, the Creator, Gladys Knight, Emeline Michel, Andrea Bocelli, David Foster, Alicia Keys, Rhianna, Shaggy, Andrew Baba Lamb, Natalie Cole, Solange, Mark Anthony, J Lo and Shakira at President Obama's Inaugural Neighborhood Ball." ^ Hide Bio for Gwen Laster • Show Bio for Tom Swafford "Tom Swafford grew up in Seattle, studied composition with Louis Andriessen (Amsterdam), Olly Wilson (U.C. Berkeley) and John McDonald (Tufts U.), and has been active as a violinist and composer in a wide variety of music communities since his arrival in New York in 2007. He has presented concerts of his music at Roulette Intermedium and The Stone. He recorded and toured Europe in the group Kef, with bassist Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz and guitarist Aram Bajakian. In 2015, his 11-piece ensemble String Power released its debut album. His musical theater piece, Bad Actor, was performed at the Tank in 2017. He recently recorded a duo album with bassist Zachary Swanson, and a trio album with Swanson and drummer Dalius Naujo." ^ Hide Bio for Tom Swafford • Show Bio for Melanie Dyer "Melanie Dyer performs and composes in creative, improvised and through-composed music spheres. She trained with William Lincer (Principal Violist, New York Philharmonic), Lee Yeingst (Principal Violist, Colorado Symphony Orchestra), John Jake Kella (NY Metropolitan Opera) and Naomi Fellows (Colorado Symphony Orchestra); and studied viola performance at the LaMont School of Music/University of Denver. Melanie founded WeFreeStrings, an improvising string/rhythm collective rooted in improvised music in 2011. From 2004 - 2013, under her Bb Universe banner and in collaboration with the multi-generational, multi-ethnic Scientific Soul Sessions collective, Melanie's Harlem home became the scene of underground public performances by WeFreeStrings and other large and small music ensembles. Bb Universe hosted open rehearsals and performances, recordings, lectures, one-act plays and films including presentations by recognized indigenous activists Toaksin Ghosthorse, a performance of Robbie McCauley's Sally's Rape and a screening of John Douglas' documentary, Grenada: The Future Coming Towards Us. These monthly and semi-monthly events brought cultural luminaries, emerging artists, social and environmental activists, working and under-employed people together. Open dialogues, emphasizing individuals as agents of change, were central to Bb Universe and Scientific Soul Sessions.Melanie currently performs with the Sun Ra Arkestra, Heroes Are Gang Leaders, Gwen Laster's New Muse 4tet, William Parker, Tomeka Reid Stringtet, Patricia Nicholson's Women w an Axe to Grind. She's played and/or recorded with Henry Grimes, Nona Hendryx, Joe Bonner, Reggie Workman, Howard Johnson, and a many other notable musicians in Europe, South Africa and across the U.S. Recordings include WeFreeStrings Fulfillment (Indepstrings, 2018), David Haney's Birth of a City (2019), Come Sunday (T. Cumberbatch, 2015); Fred Ho & Quincy Saul Present the Music of Cal Massey: A Tribute (2011); Live at St Nick's Pub, Salim Washington & Donald Smith Ensemble, Cadence Records (2007); With Strings, Salim Washington & The Harlem Arts Ensemble, CIMP Records (2007); Harlem Homecoming, Salim Washington & The Harlem Arts Ensemble, UJam Records (2005), and others. WeFreeStrings has received project support from New Music USA, Chamber Music America, Bonfils-Stanton Foundation, and individual donors." ^ Hide Bio for Melanie Dyer • Show Bio for Judith Insell "Judith Insell, a New York native, has been an active member of the New York jazz, classical, and pop scene since the mid nineties. Violist can play anything! Lee Konitz, Greg Osby, Steve Coleman, Antonio Hart, and Miguel Zenon are just a few of the many jazz greats with whom Ms. Insell has had the pleasure of performing and recording. She has performed throughout the eastern United States with the chamber jazz string group "Sojourner." As a founding member of "Sojourner," Ms. Insell has not only explored self expression through improvisation, she has also ventured into the realm of composition with the title track of the group's CD "Journey" and arranging such standards as Thelonious Monk's "I Mean You." Her debut CD, "Dark Wood Explorations," a duo project with acclaimed jazz bassist Joe Fonda, wasreleased in September 2008. Continuing her pursuit of creativity, Ms. Insell has recently formed a collective with Virg Dzurinko (piano), Eli Asher(trumpet), & Leonid Galaganov(drums/percussion), provocatively name "Jump Off This Bridge" and she previously collaborated with Reut Regev(trombone) & Tomas Ulrich(cello) in the "Twisted Standard Trio." Ms. Insell has also had an active career on the "pop" music scene performing and recording with artists Beyonce Knowles, India.Arie, Jessica Simpson, and "Joe." As a member of the "Soldier String Quartet," she was on an extensive world tour with rock legend John Cale throughout the nineties. She has performed with the New Jersey Symphony, the National Chorale Orchestra and is currently a member of the Greenwich Symphony. She has performed in the Broadway Orchestras for Les Miserables (25th Anniversary Edition), A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, Gypsy, Ms. Saigon, Tommy, Carousel, and Kiss of the Spider Woman. As an educator and administrator, Ms. Insell is currently the Director of Curriculum and Artist Development for the Bronx Arts Ensemble and was formerly a member of the Juilliard School's "Educational Outreach Team," serving as a mentor and consultant to the Morse Teaching Fellows. She previously held the position of Director of the School for Performing Arts at Bronx House, Director of Music at The Harlem School of the Arts, Assistant Director of Instrumental Studies at Mannes College The New School for Music, Director of the String Program at The Collegiate School, Director of the String Program at The Juilliard School- MAP Program and Director of the String Program at The Bloomingdale School of Music. She also completed 1-year association with "Education Through Music," as a Teaching Artist. Ms. Insell has also been a contributing writer for All About Jazz - NY since January 2006. Judith attended the Manhattan School of Music where she was classically trained: receiving both her Undergraduate and Masters degrees." ^ Hide Bio for Judith Insell • Show Bio for Lester St. Louis "Lester St. Louis is a New York City born and based Multi-instrumentalist, composer and curator. Lester has worked in, performed and created in artistic environments in The United States, Canada, South America, Europe and China with groups and artists such as Dré Hočevar Trio, Jaimie Branch Fly or Die, Ensemble Adapter, TAK Ensemble and many more. As a composer, Lester has been commissioned by artists such as the JACK Quartet, Mahan Esfahani and Stefan Jackiw, RAGE THORMBONES, Lauren Cauley and others. In the near future Lester will be continuing to develop groups such as MADD (with Dré Hočevar and Leafar) as well as TRANSFER (with Jordan Balaber, Daniel Brew and Rocío Bolaños) along with many new ventures." ^ Hide Bio for Lester St. Louis • Show Bio for Tomas Ulrich "Cellist-composer Tomas Ulrich received music degrees from Boston University and the Manhattan School of Music. After attending a performance by the great Soviet cellist Mstislav Rostropovich at the age of eight, Mr. Ulrich was inspired to begin his musical journey on the cello. In addition to the traditional classical repertoire, Mr. Ulrich's work clearly demonstrates the influence of such diverse artists as Frank Zappa, Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young, Miles Davis,Charles Mingus, Eric Dolphy, Dmitri Shostakovich and Olivier Messiaen. Mr. Ulrich has performed and recorded with such diverse artists as Anthony Davis, Joe Lovano, McCoy Tyner, Alice Coltrane, Anthony Braxton, Aretha Franklin, Derek Bailey, Ravi Coltrane, James Moody,Taylor Ho Bynum, Gerry Hemingway, Dom Minasi, Jason Kao Hwang, Dominic Duval, Ayman Fanous, Ben Allison, Ted Nash, Dave Douglas, Kevin James, Karl Berger, Hans Tammen, Coheed and Cambria, Natalie Merchant and Ivo Perelman. He is also a member of the Diller-Quaile String Quartet, which premiered his Quintet for Trumpet and Strings (featuring guest soloist Herb Robertson) in May of 1996. In 2006, Tomas began his recorded musical collaboration with the acclaimed German trombonist Christof Thewes with the release of Quartetto Pazzo "Melancholera" (with Rudi Mahall and Dirk Peter Kolsch). 2007 saw the release of Mr. Ulrich's first CD as a co-leader (Labryinths with Ayman Fanous on the Konnex label). In 2008, Mr. Ulrich released his first CD as a leader. Cargo Cult (with Rolf Sturm-electric and acoustic guitars and Michael Bisio-acoustic bass) released their first CD "If You Should Go" on the Cadence label to great critical acclaim. This ensemble has gone on to release three more CDs on the CIMP label (Tomas Ulrich's Cargo Cult (2009), Lonely House (Covers) (2010), Discovers (2011)). 2010 also saw the release of "Clear Horizons" on the German gligg record label with a new ensemble Tomas Ulrich's TransAtlantic Quartet (with Christof Thewes -trombone, Martin Schmiddi Schmidt-mandolin and Michael Griener-drums). JAZZ NOW has characterized him as "the total package ... incredible chops, great imagination and superb pitch. He fulfills the roles of bassist, guitarist, and additional horn player and is endlessly talented and creative". Jay Collins from Signal to Noise has written that "Tomas Ulrich is surely one of the most accomplished and intriguing cellists in improvised music, with a brilliant technical mastery and ability to play prickly improv, jazz, classical, film music or pretty much anything he desires." Tomas has written music for film, theater and instrumental performance and has concertized in Europe, Japan, South America and the United States. Mr Ulrich can be heard on over 100 CDs in a wide variety of musical styles and settings. Tomas has recently returned from a wonderful tour in Avignon with Bruno Bertrand percussion and Francois Grillot bass. These performances have been released as digital downloads by AMJI and are available on Itunes, Amazon, etc. . Tomas will be performing a solo cello recital in Saarbrucken on August 9th in addition to a series of concerts with Christof Thewes, Martin Schmidt, the Christof Thewes Little Big Band (Concerto for Cello, Mandolin and Big Band), Alexander Schlippenbach and Jan Roder." ^ Hide Bio for Tomas Ulrich • Show Bio for Anders Nilsson "Swedish-born and New York-based experimental guitarist Anders Nilsson produces music that is at once bracingly direct and utterly unclassifiable." - Matt Miller, tuneOUToptIN. As an electric, acoustic and 11-string alto guitarist, he has performed at festivals and concerts throughout Europe and North America. His solo guitar music is featured on the albums "Night Guitar" 2012 and "Äventyr" 2022. "Anders Nilsson, a guitarist-composer comfortable with everything from free improvisation to avant-garde metal, celebrates a fine recent solo effort, Night Guitar, that traverses ghostly mood-setting, bluesy twang and overdriven riffage." - Time Out, New York. He leads three bands playing his music; Anders Nilsson Group with Satoshi Takeishi drums, percussion and David Ambrosio electric bass, bata, Outer Space Caravan with Stephanie Griffin viola, Michael Attias alto sax, Ken Filiano bass, Anders Nilsson's AORTA, a jazz-rock band in Malmö, Sweden. He plays on over 40 albums and has performed and/or recorded with many artists such as Mohsen Namjoo, Gordon Beeferman, Jason Kao Hwang, Kalabalik, Paquito D'Rivera, Elliott Sharp, Fay Victor, and Angelblood. Nilsson's work as a composer has produced 100+ compositions ranging from brief to epic solo works to large experimental ensemble works, many of which have been released on several acclaimed albums. He has also written music for string quartet, short films, butoh dance performances and theatre. I extend endless thanks to the many special collaborators I've been fortunate to work with over the years including; Drummers: Peter Nilsson, Michael Evans, Tom Bruno, Satoshi Takeishi, David Nuss, Lou Grassi, Michael T.A. Thompson, Jeff Arnal, Gerald Cleaver, George Schuller, Hamid Drake, Vinnie Sperrazza, David Gould, Tim Keiper, Michael Wimberley, Kevin Shea, Calvin Weston, Antonio Sanchez, Lukmil Perez, Martin Brandquist, Jeremy Carlstedt Bassists: Ken Filiano, David Carlsson, David Ambrosio, Joe Fonda, Sean Conly, Michael Formanek, Matt Heyner, Reid Taylor, Kermit Driscoll, Felipe Cabrera Cardenas, John Benitez, Ed Schuller, Mark Helias, Francois Grillot, Stuart Popejoy, Ratzo Harris Cellists: Tomas Ulrich, Fred Lonberg-Holm Violin: Sarah Bernstein, Charlie Burnham Keyboardists: Sebastian Schunke, Daniel Kelly, Evan Gallagher Trumpeters: Tomas Hallonsten, Matt Lavelle, Roy Campbell, El Indio, Ralph Alessi Saxophonists: Mattias Carlson, Sabir Mateen, Daniel Carter, Ras Moshe, Michael Attias, Darius Jones, Sven Andersson, Cennet Jönsson, Sam Newsome, Tony Malaby, Helge Albin, Henrik Frisk, Mats Gustafsson, Martin Kuchen Clarinetists: Paquito D'Rivera, Perry Robinson Vocalists: Fay Victor, John Sinclair, Bonnie Barnett Percussionists: Chris Tunkel, Burkhard Beins, Brahim Fribgane Guitarists: Gene Bertoncini, Raoul Björkenheim, Aaron Dugan, Elliot Sharp Banjoist: Eugene Chadbourne Tubaist: Jose Davilla The world's only Flexicordist: Herman Müntzing." ^ Hide Bio for Anders Nilsson • Show Bio for Hans Tammen "Hans Tammen likes to set sounds in motion, and then sit back to watch the movements unfold. Using textures, timbre and dynamics as primary elements, his music is continuously shifting, with different layers floating into the foreground while others disappear. This flows like clockwork, "transforming a sequence of instrumental gestures into a wide territory of semi-hostile discontinuity; percussive, droning, intricately colorful, or simply blowing your socks off" (Touching Extremes). He currently plays guitar, Buchla Music Easel, a Blippoo Box chaos synthesizer plus other small electronics devices. He also performs with various pieces of software of his own design, i.e. the "Endangered Guitar" (a hybrid software/guitar instrument), and "Prozesshansl" (made to process the sounds of other instruments). He regularly writes for large ensembles, notably his 18-piece chamber-jazz ensemble Third Eye Orchestra, and the all-electronic Dark Circuits Orchestra, both founded in 2005. In 2021 FLUX String Quartet commissioned him to write a large work for string quartet and live electronics. His works have been presented at festivals in the US, Canada, Mexico, Russia, Ukraine, India, South Africa, the Middle East and all over Europe. He has recorded on labels such as Clang, Innova, ESP-DISK, Nur/Nicht/Nur, Gold Bolus, Nachtstück, Creative Sources, Leo Records, Potlatch and Outnow. Hans Tammen received grants and composer commissions from NewMusicUSA, Chamber Music America, MAPFund, Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, American Music Center, Lucas Artists Residencies Montalvo, New York State Council On The Arts (NYSCA), New York Foundation For The Arts (NYFA), American Composers Forum w/ Jerome Foundation, Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Funds, New York State Music Fund, Goethe Institute w/ Foreign Affairs Office, among others. Hans Tammen is currently teaching at School of Visual Arts, Hunter College and NYU. From 2001 to 2014 he worked at Harvestworks Digital Media Art Center in NYC, where he was responsible for the Client Services, Education and Artist In Residence program, helping countless digital media artists through completion of their works. As an arbitrator at BTQ in the 1990s, he spent a decade advising unions about electronic monitoring and surveillance at the workplace, and negotiating contracts and agreements to minimize surveillance aspects. He received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Kassel, studying on a stipend from Friedrich Ebert Foundation." ^ Hide Bio for Hans Tammen • Show Bio for Ken Filiano "Ken Filiano performs throughout the world, playing and recording with leading artists in jazz, spontaneous improvisation, classical, world/ethnic, and interdisciplinary performance, fusing the rich traditions of the double bass with his own seemingly limitless inventiveness. Ken's solo bass CD, subvenire (NineWinds), received widespread critical praise. For this and numerous other recordings, Ken has been called a creative virtuoso, a master of technique ... a paradigm of that type of artist... who can play anything in any context and make it work, simply because he puts the music first and leaves peripheral considerations behind. Ken composes for his quartet with Michael Attias, Tony Malaby, and Michael T.A. Thomspon; a collective with Attias and Tomas Ulrich; and for his decades-long collaborations with Steve Adams and Vinny Golia. His prolific output also includes performances and/or recordings with artists including Bonnie Barnett, Rob Blakeslee, Bobby Bradford, Taylor Ho Bynum, Roy Campbell, John Carter, Nels Cline, Alex Cline, Connie Crothers, Mark Dresser, Ted Dunbar, Marty Ehrlich, Giora Feidman, Bob Feldman, Eddie Gale, Georgian Chamber Orchestra, Dennis Gonzalez, Lou Grassi, Phil Haynes, Fred Hess, Jason Hwang, Joseph Jarman, Sheila Jordan (with the Aardvark Orchestra), Raul Juarena, Joe Labarbera, Joelle Leandre, Frank London, Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, Tina Marsh, Warne Marsh, Dom Minasi, Hafez Modirzadeh, Butch Morris, Barre Phillips, Don Preston, Herb Robertson, Bob Rodriguez, Roswell Rudd, ROVA Saxophone Quartet, Ursel Schlicht, Paul Smoker, Chris Sullivan, Peeter Uuskyla, Fay Victor, Biggi Vinkeloe, Kenny Wessel, Andrea Wolper, Pablo Ziegler. With Tomas Ulrich, Elliott Sharp, and Carlos Zingaro, he is a member of T.E.C.K. String Quartet. Ken has been a guest lecturer, performer, and workshop leader at institutions in the United States and Europe. He earned a MM from Rutgers University and is currently on faculty at Mansfield University."- All About Jazz ^ Hide Bio for Ken Filiano • Show Bio for Andrew Drury "Andrew Drury grew up near Seattle (USA) and works primarily in avant-jazz and free improvisation, with regular forays into other genres and media. He has performed in Europe and North America, made five CDs as a bandleader, and appeared on over 20 others. He is an acclaimed leader of percussion workshops. Drury began drumming in the sixth grade band at his school on Bainbridge Island, Washington. After spending a summer digging a basement under his parents' house with a shovel and pick he bought a drum set and began taking lessons from Seattle drummer Dave Coleman, Sr. He later studied with Ed Blackwell, Bill Lowe, Bill Barron, and the writer Annie Dillard at Wesleyan University. He is a self-taught composer. Drury performs as a soloist, collaborates with adventurous musicians from around the world, and leads several groups that play his compositions. In addition to groups that he leads and frequent encounters with improvisers from various parts of the world he plays regularly with Jason Kao Hwang, Jessica Lurie, Reuben Radding, the Rat Race Choir, the Steve Swell Trio, TOTEM>, Nate Wooley, Jack Wright, and others. Since 2002 much of Drury's music has been characterized by an exploration of new materials and techniques, and by the use of texture as a central organizing element. He frequently performs using one drum, scraping the head with wood slivers and fingernails, manipulating drum head tension and harmonic patterns with bells, using the drum as an acoustic filter and amplifier for vibrations produced on other objects, and using the drum as a wind instrument. Drury's wide ranging interests lead him periodically to explore other media and formats. Inspired by the work and writings of visual artist Robert Smithson, Drury performed and photographed over 20 Earth Solos-site specific drum set solos in desert, mountain, prairie, and industrial settings throughout the western US. He co-created a street theater piece that he performed in streets and political rallies in Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Mexico in 1993. In his work with choreographers (Love of the New Gun, Self-Obliteration Companion, etc.) he has created collages of field recordings and percussion samples, with occasional live mixing, percussion, or prepared piano. His music for dance has been presented at DTW, Joyce Soho, NW New Works Festival, and five cities in Romania. Drury has led nearly 1,000 percussion workshops and trainings for music teachers and since 1989. Participants have included people of all ages, backgrounds, and physical abilities in rural and urban areas in schools, prisons, museums, Indian reservations, festivals, villages in Nicaragua and Guatemala, as well as the graduate school of the Columbia University School of Social Work. In 2005 he drummed with homeless people and battered women in ten shelters in Indiana. Following a six-month "Millennium Project" residency with the Oneida Nation in 2000 the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation identified him as "one of the most skilled and experienced community artists in America." Drury has received 18 grants for his work from the NEA, NYSCA, NYFA, the Seattle Arts Commission, the Artist Trust, the Puffin Foundation, and others. He lives in Brooklyn, New York (USA)." ^ Hide Bio for Andrew Drury
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Track Listing:
1. The Collapse Of Gravity 4:17
2. Spin Fast And Burn 3:21
3. Multiply And Rise 4:42
4. Dust Gathers Around Sleep 4:52
5. Landmarks Vanish 7:04
6. Where Fools Fear 5:48
7. Ancestors Of Light 4:20
8. Anthem Of Knowing 5:00
9. Never Forgotten 3:08
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