Thursday, September 16, 2021

Allison Miller & Jane Ira Bloom - Tues Days (September 2021 Royal Potato Family)

In March and April of 2021 soprano saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom and drummer Allison Miller came together on five Tuesdays in March and April of 2021 to record some improvised sax and drum duets to see what might happen. They didn’t set out to make an album - they just wanted to play because they needed to improvise any way that they could. They played with complete abandon, performing remotely from their home studios in New York City in the reality of the world of 2021. Tues Days is the result of those recordings that now appear on Bloom’s Outline label and are available through Miller’s Bandcamp site, mixed and mastered by bassist Mark Helias with breathtaking fidelity. It’s a musical duet saturated in a kaleidoscope of color. The music is spontaneous composition at its best by two masterful improvisers – energetic, tactile, and alive. 

Miller’s multi-colored array of percussion augments her drumset in exquisite counterpoint to Bloom’s signature tone on the soprano sax. The music is both rhythmic and deeply lyrical - drum and sax dancing around one another until their song is sung. The compositions are Bloom and Miller making-it-up live and in the moment, taking you on a wild ride through their musical universe. From the adventurous journey of “The Wild Frontier” to the unpredictable “A & J’s Test Kitchen,” get ready for Tues Days - a story for your ears that will have your head spinning in wonder.

1. Tues Days 04:43
2. Technicolor 05:36
3. Rowing In The Dark 05:26
4. This Is It 03:16
5. Five Bells 02:16
6. The Wild Frontier 08:30
7. Light Years Away 05:59
8. A's & J's Test Kitchen 04:16
9. Crayola 06:13
10. On Seeing JP 04:19
11. Walk Alone 06:08

Allison Miller drums, percussion
Jane Ira Bloom soprano saxophone

Jane Ira Bloom Outline Music/ BMI
Allison Miller Supaphine / ASCAP

Produced by Jane Ira Bloom & Allison Miller
Recorded by Allison Miller & Jane Ira Bloom on March 2,9, 16, 25 & April 6, 2021 in NYC.
Mixed & mastered by Mark Helias
Cover Illustration Leo Holder ©2020, All rights reserved, used by permission.
Cover Design Christopher Drukker
Artist photography Erika Kapin

All compositions by Allison Miller & Jane Ira Bloom except “Rowing in the Dark,” “Light Years Away,” “On Seeing JP” and “Walk Alone” by Jane Ira Bloom (Outline Music/ BMI)