Asher Gamedze - out side work | two duets with Xristian Espinoza and Alan Bishop (April 1, 2022 Astral Spirits)

We are beyond thrilled to present the latest from South African drummer / cultural worker / organizer Asher Gamedze.  I'm sure many of you are familiar with his incredible debut Dialectic Soul (On The Corner, 2020) or his work with Angel Bat Dawid & Tha Brothahood, and we're happy to unveil another side of Gamedze's work with out side work | two duets. 

out side work | two duets is a very literal album as the album features Gamedze in a conversation of sorts, a recording made more for the enjoyment of playing together rather than being planned as a release.  Quite literally, the record consists of two improvised duets, one with fellow Brothahood member Xristian Espinoza (who's artwork graces the cover and insert of the record as well) and one with Alan Bishop (Sun City Girls, Alvarius B., Sublime Frequencies). 

As Gamedze mentions in the liner notes, this is "Free time" - both in terms of the music itself and the multi-directional possibilities that each duo aspires toward.  This record wasn't made to capitalize on anything, it focuses instead on those out side moments of possibility: music on the other side of Time.  

One of the things that makes Gamedze so unique is how his playing is both conversational but also slyly lifts up those around him.  His writing and playing on Dialectic Soul drove the group behind the album, and the same can be said here on out side work | two duets. Xristian Espinoza & Alan Bishop shine, painting, stretching and conversing with Time. Whilst channeling a playful urgency, their ideas unfurl with an unhurried and patient logic.  All in real time, free time, out side of time, and that is truly what makes this album an amazing new statement from Gamedze, Espinoza & Bishop, furthering what each has done and will do long into the future. 

ASHER GAMEDZE ON out side work | two duets

1. (with xristian): robbing the clock

2. (with xtristian): robbing the clock (EXCERPT)

3. (with alan): wild cats strike

4. (with alan) wild cat strike (EXCERPT)

tenor saxophone and percussion on 'robbing the clock': xristian espinoza

alto saxophone and voice on 'wild cat strike': alan bishop

drum kit on both sides: asher gamedze

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Rob Clearfield & Quin Kirchner - Concentric Orbits (April 1, 2022 Astral Spirits)

Happy to announce the latest from Chicago-based percussionist Quin Kirchner, this time in an intimate duo setting with France-based pianist Rob Clearfield. Concentric Orbits is Clearfield & Kirchner's gorgeous debut recording as a duo, although they have a long history of playing together over the years in Chicago.

You will likely remember Clearfield from his standout playing on Kirchner's The Shadows and The Light (2020, Astral Spirits), and here on Concentric Orbits he takes a bit more of the foreground on the piano with Kirchner's solid, driving support moving the proceedings along.

The two sidelong tracks offer different sides of the duo; "Orbit 1" dives in with a insistent and repetitive left piano groove that eventually unfolds into a splattering of free improv that subsides. Cymbals, bells and more from Kirchner lead us through the second half of the track, with Clearfield continuing variations on the original ostinato through to the ending. "Orbit 2" jumps out immediately with a percussive attack complimented by Clearfield's prepared piano that mirrors the percussive sounds without overpowering. Kirchner's groove rides powerfully through the majority of the track, with some truly stirring playing from Clearfield on the second half.

It's worth noting that Concentric Orbits came out of the same sessions as Kirchner's The Shadows and The Light. Clearfield & Kirchner happened to find themselves at the session earlier than the other musicians and decided to roll tape. The loose "let's see what happens" vibe helps give focus to why Concentric Orbits is so beautiful and important without being self-important. Even though it may not have seemed as substantial as Kirchner's album at the time, it stands on equal footing as yet another beautiful document of these players growth and maturity.

"When we were recording The Shadows and The Light, it was tricky to coordinate because I had 8 other people on the session over a couple days and no one could be there the whole time. One of the reasons we were doing the session that week was because I knew Rob was going to be in town from France and I definitely wanted him to play on it. As it turned out, he and I were the only musicians able to be there first thing on the second day, so I suggested we just record some duo things. Without any planning we just dove in, and what you hear on this album are the first two pieces we played, in order. We also did a third one - I used my sampler and Rob switched to Wurlitzer - and what we made eventually became Batá Chop on Shadows, after adding Matt Ulery & Greg Ward. I originally thought I'd use excerpts of our improvisations as vignettes on the album, but after taking in all the material from our session, it became clearer to me and Rob that it was kind of great on its own and we ought to keep it that way. We're happy to finally be presenting it to you now." - Quin 

1. Orbit 1

2. Orbit 2

3. Orbit 1 (excerpt 1)

4. Orbit 1 (excerpt 2)

5. Orbit 1 (excerpt 3)

6. Orbit 1 (excerpt 4)

7. Orbit 2 (excerpt 1)

8. Orbit 2 (excerpt 2)

9. Orbit 2 (excerpt 3)

Rob Clearfield - Piano

Quin Kirchner - Percussion

Recorded at Decade Music Studios in Chicago 9/17/19

Engineered by Nick Broste & Brian Sulpizio

Mixed by Nick Broste at Shape Shoppe

Mastered by Mikey Young

Produced by Quin Kirchner

Artwork & Layout by Mason McFee

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Brodie West Quintet - Meadow Of Dreams (March 25, 2022 Astral Spirits)

1. Entrainment

2. Fortress

3. Inhabit I

4. Grotto

5. Inhabit II

6. Inhabit III

7. Haunt

8. Meadow of Dreams

Evan Cartwright: drums, vibraphone and guitar

Josh Cole: bass

Nick Fraser : drums

Tania Gill: piano

Brodie West: alto saxophone

Recorded by Jeremy Darby and Julian Decorte at Canterbury Music Company on February 29, March 1 and March 2, 2020.

Mixed by Matt Smith

Mastered by Jeff McMurrich.

Produced by the Brodie West Quintet

Co-Produced by Matt Smith.

Photograph by Alex Durlak.

All compositions © B. West

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Grossman / Morris-Smith - Curious Music (April 8, 2022 Astral Spirits)

This is a split release with RESEARCH RECORDS in Australia. For Australian customers PLEASE order directly from Research here: researchrecords.bandcamp.com

The music on this album was created using only Electric Guitar *

Using a single instrument - Electric Guitar - As A frame and the studio as the limit.

ie :

The sound of ‘Harp’

The layering of a single, guitar chord.

The sound of ‘Trumpets’ & ‘Saxophone’

Were designed and treated using fuzz / Wah Wah / Pitch Box / Delay & Mic Gate.

The sound of ‘hi hat’ was designed through the scratching of two guitar strings repeatedly

etc.

Thank you for listening

Michael Grossman & Jai Morris-Smith

Curious Music.

*Jai’s watch can be heard as it marks the next hour. Side I ending.

*The last phrase of guitars on side II was recorded and played back using a dictaphone.

1. "Curious Music I" I. Catalogue of Dreams, II. Miles Beneath Antarctica

2. "Curious Music II" I. Shalom (Peace Be With You), II. Silk III. Catalogue Of The Universe /(The Conversation)

Guitar & Treatments - Michael Grossman

Guitar & Treatments - Jai Morris-Smith

All Compositions

Written, Recorded Mixed & Produced by

Michael Grossman // Jai Morris-Smith

2020 - 2021

Mastered By Mikey Young

Artwork By James Coe

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Thollem - Obstacle Illusion (March 11, 2022 Astral Spirits)

Its simple intricacies wipe the ashen windshield

Feeling its sound intensely close with chirping resonance and soft clattering cats-tails Seeds blowing and quickly tumbling over the damp terrain

When peeking through the clouds, the eye grows

And trees like giant lashes, lashes out into the sun-drunk evening sky

Transported to the salon of dreams where the sound of pianos from a thousand hands Clear the moon’s gravitas and plunks playfully through the streets of another city’s wound

Sinking its broken tapestry claws into new and exciting forms

The resonance is in movement and time

The clarity speaks with a sharp tongue and warm hands

The heart seeps metallic and wanders straight to the meadow of love and kindness Modal synchronies chromatic asymmetries spread roots through wet terrain and things grow

It all grows and grows as bark strips itself from the tree with the prodding of singing rain Bowling its way through the foliage and turquoise petrified forest

Biting itself and eating naturally the fungus from below and shooting up high

Tender bits of golden leaves drifting upward and spiraling haphazard until the sky takes it into its mouth

Using its tongue as a weapon for resounding sound meditations

Splattering the artificial grass with shards of mercury tears and bleeding hands Wounded from too much sun and too much cold

But resilient like the earth, devouring everything

Growing and growing towards an unknowable scarred reality that bursts with every breath

Every ounce of feeling

Peeled and glowing these giant orbs

Projecting their way into other dimensions

While firmly in their own

The pounding of salt and the crackling of burnt rice

Sticking to the palms of the hand and rising and hammering these forms, these shapes, Into glorious resonant beings

Where the plums of Queens and Kings taste sweet

Until that social change renders their bombast sour in new cycles of flowing blood Respondent to itself and the stoppages they procure

Fluctuating in its remittent clots

Clinking ever so lightly on the windowsills of tomorrow's dreams

The hand of hands

The double and triple hands of these hands

Massage the rigor and let it flow

Let rigor loosen its grip on this hypercreativity

Simulacrum

The same of something different

The difference protrudes through the heavens

The difference defines the space around the frequencies

The difference is always there, it's never the same

It can’t be

The constant tapping of what is truly inside

Finding its way through the webs of endless possibilities Swarming itself, eating itself, growing its own food

Its own self-reliant self

Selflessly expounding this brilliant sound

That could only come from these hands

This heart

This exhausted inexhaustible being

Sound the organ of new life

Trill the notes into another shape

Carry the electric storm in your pocket and let it loose when it’s time

Let your pockets grow into enormous sails

Take to the sea

Watch the coast fade and touch your lips to the salt water

Wash your hands in this water and look at yourself in the reflection pool

Swim with the dolphins

Sing with the flying fish

The storm comes quickly and the ripping blasts from the sky

Whip your face and destroy nothing

The pain transforms into a kind of ecstasy

This beauty reverberates itself into another shape

This shape turns itself to you and speaks of nothing in particular

Until the fog that has now drifted so close begins to clarify

And these communications that were once impossible and not particular Become particular. Become the very thing it is made from

Condensation and salt and the weather and the wonderfulness of not knowing Skipping gently across the clear sheets of barely moving water

a tremendously long snake

Caressing the water into a long canal of cryptic whispering trace

We see so clearly how there can be no clarity there can be no rigor

Without the heart creating and gently thumping

In the crevices of time

Bursting its own knowledge

Into something miraculous

- Rob Mazurek December 9, 2021

words constructed in response to the music

Obstacle Illusion is born out of my love for a wide array of musics that I've experienced and studied over the years. The album includes edited live concert recordings from my 3-month European tour at the end of 2021 (Centro d'Arte in Padova, AngelicA Festival in Bologna and the Rassegna di Nuova Musica in Macerata). The first and fourth tracks are solo acoustic piano. The second and third tracks are solely with the Korg Wavestate: all live, no overdubs. This music is the result of a collaboration between myself and the engineers who developed these instruments as well as the halls, the audiences and the dynamics of the world at large. The music is genre-bending, code- switching, omni-idiomatic, internationalist, intersectional and intentional. It represents the culmination of my life’s experiences as a musician and a human being in dialogue with the universe.

Deep gratitude to these historical presenting organizations: Centro d'Arte Padova, AngelicA Festival and the Associazione Nuova Musica. These are institutions that have been presenting musicians for decades, supporting and introducing new and vital works to their communities and the world.

In memory of Stefano Scodanibbio, Enzo Carpentieri and Stephen Paul Trimboli Dedicated to Angela and Maresa 

1. Assorted Selves

2. I Put My Shadow On The Wall

3. Cruising The Mystic Whole

4. The Way To The Way To The Way

Live concert recordings from:

Tracks 1 & 2 - Centro d’Arte dell’Università di Padova at Teatro Torresino in Padua on 28 October 2021.

Recording engineer: José Dicati (JD Service)

Grazie a Veniero Rizzardi, Stefano Merighi, Nicola Negri e Giorgia Masiero

Track 3 - AngelicA | Centro di Ricerca Musicale at Teatro San Leonardo in Bologna on 8 November 2021.

Recording engineer: Gianluca Turrini

Grazie Massimo Simonini e Elisabetta Beddini

Track 4 - Associazione Nuova Musica | Rassegna di Nuova Musica 39 at the Scuola Civica di Musica "Stefano Scodanibbio" in Macerata on 18 November 2021. Recording engineer: Andrea Lambertucci

Grazie a Gianluca Gentili e Maresa Scodanibbio

Mastered by Mikey Young

Photo credit: ACVilla at AngelicA Festival - Teatro San Leonardo

Artwork & Layout by Dylan Marcus McConnell

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Emmeluth / Knedal Andersen / Skavhaug Nergaard - The A​-​Z of Microwave Cookery (March 4, 2022 Astral Spirits)

"If a fire starts in your microwave, press the stop pad and leave the door closed. Then turn off the power at the switch and pull out the plug."

1. Artichoke and Prawn Starter

2. Boiling Water

3. Shortcut Clam Chowder

4. Drying Flowers

5. Amazing Fudge

6. Glitter (edible)

Signe Emmeluth - Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone

Magnus Skavhaug Nergaard - Double Bass

Dag Erik Knedal Andersen - Drums, Percussion

All music by Signe Emmeluth, Dag Erik Kendal Andersen and Magnus Skavhaug Nergaard.

All rights reserved TONO/NCB.

Recorded at Flerbruket, December 2020 by Magnus Skavhaug Nergaard.

Mixed by Magnus Skavhaug Nergaard, January 2021.

Mastered by Lasse Marhaug at the best studio in Oslo, February 2021.

Artwork and Layout by Robert Beatty.

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Dikeman / Gonzalez / Håker-Flaten / Horne - Texas Butt Biters (March 4, 2022 Astral Spirits)

1. Kreptik Epoch

2. Midnight Photosynthesis

3. Pu Erh Gaze

John Dikeman - saxophone

Stefan Gonzalez - drums

Ingebrigt Håker-Flaten - bass

Jonathan F Horne - guitar

Recorded live at ZAAL 100, Amsterdam, October 29, 2019

Recorded and Mixed by Ron Ruiten

Insert Artwork by Amber Rijcken

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Lina Tullgren & Alec Toku Whiting - Unfamiliar Ceilings (March 4, 2022 Astral Spirits)

1. 47

2. polly chainsaw

3. every finger, an eye

Lina Tullgren: violin

Alec Toku Whiting: koto, bass koto

Ted Reichman: synthesizer, pedals (track 3)

Engineered and mixed by Ted Reichman at Subtext Sound System

Mastered by Jack Callahan

Artwork & design by Robert Beatty

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GOATFACE! - Akhenaten Bazucas (March 4, 2022 Astral Spirits)

1. Câmara 1 - O Bode sem Face

2. Câmara 2 - As Doze Vidas de Paco

3. Câmara 3 - Num3ro5

4. Câmara 4 - Amarna

5. Câmara Secreta

GOATFACE! is:

Guilherme Granado - keyboards, synthesizers, electronics, percussion

Leandro Archela - keyboards, synthesizers, percussion

Thomas Rohrer - soprano saxophone, rabeca, futes, objects, percussion

Rogerio Martins - bass clarinet, clarinet, flute, percussion

Ricardo Pereira - percussion

Recorded in 2019 at estudio fitacrepe by Leandro Archela

Mixed and edited by Guilherme Granado at toca do conart and Leandro Archela at formigaz garden.

Mastered by Fernando Snaches at El Rocha studios.

Artwork & Layout by Robert Beatty.

PRE-ORDER

Luke Stewart - Works For Upright Bass and Amplifier Vol. 2 (February 25, 2022 Astral Spirits)

In Indian musical theory it is said that there are two kinds of sound, one a vibration of ether, the other a vibration of air. The vibration of ether, which cannot be perceived in the physical sense, is considered the principle of all manifestation, the basis of all substance. It corresponds to what neo-Pythagoreans called “music of the spheres”. It forms permanent numerical patterns which are the basis of the world’s existence. The kind of vibration is not caused by a physical shock as are audible sounds. It is therefore called anāhata, “unstruck”. The other kind of sound is an impermanent vibration of air, an image of the ether vibration. It is audible and always produced by a shock. It is therefore called āhata or “struck”. (Alain Daniélou, 1980)

I’d never thought about Luke Stewart in such terms until recently, but I think that scholar Alain Daniélou’s words are a great place to start. When asking our bassist-at-large about how he wanted to approach talking about this new record, he gave a little background, but ultimately wanted the music to speak for itself… and speak it does. 

Works for Upright Bass and Amplifier Volume Two takes the foundation laid down by Volume One and builds a large flame out of it. A sort of regeneration. This beauty is not for the weak listener, afraid of radical change. Nor is it for a casual passerby. Over an hour, this new opus is not only a form of expression regarding where Luke has been but his willingness to examine the nature around him, specifically the relationship between electricity and wood. 

Or, as I like to think of it, a few lovely compositions about a cleansing forest fire. 

After Volume One, Luke advanced his techniques and recording processes through his work with several artists. Traveling and watching an array of disciplines being harnessed before his eyes led him to redeveloping his approach to training his bull fiddle to play nicely in the sandbox with a few power sources. Luke says of forming his concept that “it is the main influence for the process by which the sound is generated on this setup, but using the bass as well as the crucial element of movement. Literally moving the bass back and forth, creating an effect of movement, is necessary to make the process musical.”

Another technical observation regarding Volume Two falls someplace between the opening quote and a conversation on our mutual love for classic-era Hip-Hop production. The chopping function on the Akai MPC allows the user to take any sound and separate the impact from its sustain… or aftermath. Having tinkered on the machine for many years, I always found it fascinating to hold onto the ghosts of notes, as opposed to repeating the point of attack where they are first heard. Luke gives many examples of this through the record. Not only does his creation of the sound resonate, but the actual soul of the notes often lingers in the air like an audience listening to themselves. 

A simple pluck of one, or several, strings reverberates between, at times, two amplifiers placed in varying positions around our bassist. These placements allow Luke to not only focus on his contact with the wood, but also the wood's relation to the electricity. Hand strikes a match, causing flame. Then flame touches the tree. Spreading and cleansing the area. It is ultimately a process of universal creation right before the ears. There aren’t too many spaces left where a brother can go into a place quietly and create his own universe. 

Gabriel Jermaine Vanlandingham-Dunn, 2021 

1. 01

2. 02

3. 03

4. 04

5. 05

6. 06

7. 07

8. 08

My Hope is for the Listener to discover a connection within themselves.

To inspire deeper personal development, and radical change when needed.

These pieces contained on this album are documents of various approaches to the setup, intended to further explore the developments of the Sound.

Each Work is an exhibition of the intersection of acoustic and electronic Music, the intersection of the elements in the natural world.

Track 1 - Upright Bass and 2 Amplifiers

Track 2 - Upright Bass and Amplifier

Track 3 - Upright Bass and Amplifier and NO-INPUT Mixing Board

All Subsequent Tracks - Upright Bass and Amplifier

Recorded by Craig Bowen, Mattson Ogg, and Luke Stewart

Performed Live no Overdubs by Luke Stewart

Mixed and Edited by Craig Bowen and Luke Stewart

Mastered for Vinyl by Mikey Young

Film Stills by Pat Cain

Design & layout by Dylan Marcus McConnell

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Survival Unit III - The Art of Flight: For Alvin Fielder (March 18, 2022 Astral Spirits)

"To rush at the wind and having caught it, to soar." - Unknown

Astral Spirits and the Instigation Festival are proud to announce the first release on Instigation Records: "The Art of Flight: For Alvin Fielder" by Survival Unit III (Fred Lonberg-Holm (cello), Joe McPhee (tenor saxophone, pocket trumpet), Michael Zerang (percussion).

This set finds the trio breaking new ground - Lonberg-Holm going sans electronics for the first time in Survival Unit III's storied discography - while displaying the mastery of sonic shade and deft interplay that's been their hallmark over the past sixteen plus years.

Beautifully recorded at the New Orleans Jazz Museum during the 2018 Instigation Festival, the night was fittingly historic: Survival Unit III performed the middle set of a three act bill featuring Ken Vandermark's Marker (released as Roadwork 1 on Vandermark's Audiographic imprint) and the final performance of McPhee (filling in last minute for an ill Kidd Jordan) with legendary drummer and beloved AACM elder Alvin Fielder to whom this album is dedicated. That set - with James Singleton on bass to round out the trio - will be released on LP in 2023 as the third title on Instigation Records.

With precious few recordings of Survival Unit III, every new release is a cause for celebration, and a perfect encapsulation of the spirit of the festival: honoring the history by crafting the future.

ABOUT INSTIGATION RECORDS:

Instigation Records serves to release historic documents from the Instigation Festival archive and highlight new work by members of the festival's expansive community. Founded in 2016 by guitarist & improviser Steve Marquette and movement artist Marie Casimir, the Instigation Festival hosts a biannual week of interdisciplinary performance between the Chicago and New Orleans improvised music, movement and video arts communities. 

1. Part I

2. Part II

3. Part III

4. Part IV

5. Part V

Fred Lonberg-Holm (cello)

Joe McPhee (tenor saxophone, pocket trumpet)

Michael Zerang (percussion)

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Mars Williams Presents An Ayler Xmas Vol. 5 (December 3, 2021 Astral Spirits)

1. The Divine Peacemaker Plays Dreidel In Frightful Weather

2. The Angels Sing With The Old & New Ghosts In The Manger

3. Did You Hear They Found Light In Darkness

Mars Williams - Sax, Suona, Toy Instruments

Josh Berman - Cornet

Jim Baker - Piano, Viola, Arp Synth

Brian Sandstrom - Bass, Guitar, Trumpet

Steve Hunt - Drums

Peter Maunu - Violin

Kent Kessler - Bass (Tracks 1 & 2)

Krzysztof Pablan - Bass (Track 3)

Track 1 & 2 Recorded by: Dave Zuchowski 7/28/21

Track 3 Recorded Live at Constellation Chicago 12/19/20

Mixed & Mastered by: Hermey at Island Of Misfit Toys Studios

Design by Rich Good

TRACK 1 CONTAINS MUSIC WRITTEN BY ALBERT AYLER (BMI) “Divine Peacemaker” (Railroad Town Music / BMI) Additional Songs: “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow” By Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne © Imagem Music /Cahn Music and Chappell and Co. / Producers Music Publishing Co.

TRACK 2 CONTAINS MUSIC WRITTEN BY ALBERT AYLER (BMI) “Ghosts” (Railroad Town Music / BMI) “New Ghosts” © Spurt Music (BMI); Railroad Town Music / BMI) Additional Songs: “Feliz Navidad” By: José Feliciano © BMG Gold Songs / J&H Publishing

TRACK 3 CONTAINS MUSIC WRITTEN BY ALBERT AYLER (BMI) “Light In Darkness” (Railroad Town Music / BMI) Additional Songs: “Do You hear what I Hear” By: Noël Regney and Gloria Shayne Baker (Jewel Music Publishing Co. Inc.)

ADDITIONAL HOLIDAY SONGS: PUBLIC DOMAIN MUSIC ARRANGED BY: MARS WILLIAMS (Music From Mars /BMI)

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Ava Mendoza - New Spells (November 26, 2021 Astral Spirits)

Ava Mendoza plays these songs. She makes them sing. Her technique is impeccable, but her playing is astonishingly expressive. She doesn't just bend blue notes; she wads them up into a ball and throws them up against a wall. She manipulates raw lightning, giving us a sound that is fluorescent and powerful enough to leave a trace of ozone in the air. Mendoza knows what she does better than almost anyone else on the planet, which is tell stories with her guitar.

A split release with Relative Pitch Records. Purchase the CD version HERE: relativepitchrecords.bandcamp.com/album/new-spells.

1. Sun Gun

2. New Ghosts

3. Ampulex Compressa

4. Apart From

5. Don't Look

Recorded by Ava Mendoza

Mixed by Eli Crews and Ava Mendoza

Mastered by Mikey Young

Tracks 1 and 2 composed by Ava Mendoza (BMI)

Track 3 composed by Devin Hoff, appears courtesy of Jessie the Dog Songs (ASCAP)

Track 4 composed by Trevor Dunn (published by Convulsive Beauty Music (ASCAP)

Track 5 composed by John Dikeman

All tracks © 2021, Ava Mendoza

Original artwork by Dylan Marcus McConnell / Tiny Little Hammers

PREORDER

Charlie Rumback - Seven Bridges (November 19, 2021 Astral Spirits)

1. Whatever It Takes

2. Fall Dog Bombs The Moon

3. Hometown Heroes

4. K10

5. Fast Shadows

6. Three Ruminations

7. Harlequin Blues

8. Reno County

9. Regina

10. K61

11. Storybook Skyline (BONUS TRACK)

Jim Baker - Analogue Synthesizer

Sima Cunningham - Voice

John Hughes - Electronics

Nick Macri - Bass

Ron Miles - Cornet

Charlie Rumback - Drums, Guitar

Jason Stein - Bass Clarinet

Macie Stewart - Violin, Voice

John Tate - Bass

Greg Ward - Alto Saxophone

Krystle Warren - Voice

Recorded and Mixed by John Hughes at HFT Studio

Mastered by Joshua Eustis

Artwork & Design by Adam Francis Scott and Jaime Zuverza

Forest Fire Photographic Source Material: Don Rumback

Ron Miles appears courtesy of Blue Note Records.

PREORDER

Luke Stewart - Works For Upright Bass and Amplifier Vol. 2 (February 2, 2022 Astral Spirits)

THIS ALBUM OFFICIALLY IS OUT 2/25/2022...we can only have the pre-order up 90 days prior via Facebook so you'll notice the release date change as we get closer. THANKS FOR UNDERSTANDING!

In Indian musical theory it is said that there are two kinds of sound, one a vibration of ether, the other a vibration of air. The vibration of ether, which cannot be perceived in the physical sense, is considered the principle of all manifestation, the basis of all substance. It corresponds to what neo-Pythagoreans called “music of the spheres”. It forms permanent numerical patterns which are the basis of the world’s existence. The kind of vibration is not caused by a physical shock as are audible sounds. It is therefore called anāhata, “unstruck”. The other kind of sound is an impermanent vibration of air, an image of the ether vibration. It is audible and always produced by a shock. It is therefore called āhata or “struck”. (Alain Daniélou, 1980)

I’d never thought about Luke Stewart in such terms until recently, but I think that scholar Alain Daniélou’s words are a great place to start. When asking our bassist-at-large about how he wanted to approach talking about this new record, he gave a little background, but ultimately wanted the music to speak for itself… and speak it does. 

Works for Upright Bass and Amplifier Volume Two takes the foundation laid down by Volume One and builds a large flame out of it. A sort of regeneration. This beauty is not for the weak listener, afraid of radical change. Nor is it for a casual passerby. Over an hour, this new opus is not only a form of expression regarding where Luke has been but his willingness to examine the nature around him, specifically the relationship between electricity and wood. 

Or, as I like to think of it, a few lovely compositions about a cleansing forest fire. 

After Volume One, Luke advanced his techniques and recording processes through his work with several artists. Traveling and watching an array of disciplines being harnessed before his eyes led him to redeveloping his approach to training his bull fiddle to play nicely in the sandbox with a few power sources. Luke says of forming his concept that “it is the main influence for the process by which the sound is generated on this setup, but using the bass as well as the crucial element of movement. Literally moving the bass back and forth, creating an effect of movement, is necessary to make the process musical.”

Another technical observation regarding Volume Two falls someplace between the opening quote and a conversation on our mutual love for classic-era Hip-Hop production. The chopping function on the Akai MPC allows the user to take any sound and separate the impact from its sustain… or aftermath. Having tinkered on the machine for many years, I always found it fascinating to hold onto the ghosts of notes, as opposed to repeating the point of attack where they are first heard. Luke gives many examples of this through the record. Not only does his creation of the sound resonate, but the actual soul of the notes often lingers in the air like an audience listening to themselves. 

A simple pluck of one, or several, strings reverberates between, at times, two amplifiers placed in varying positions around our bassist. These placements allow Luke to not only focus on his contact with the wood, but also the wood's relation to the electricity. Hand strikes a match, causing flame. Then flame touches the tree. Spreading and cleansing the area. It is ultimately a process of universal creation right before the ears. There aren’t too many spaces left where a brother can go into a place quietly and create his own universe. 

Gabriel Jermaine Vanlandingham-Dunn, 2021 

1. 01

2. 02

3. 03

4. 04

5. 05

6. 06

7. 07

8. 08

My Hope is for the Listener to discover a connection within themselves.

To inspire deeper personal development, and radical change when needed.

These pieces contained on this album are documents of various approaches to the setup, intended to further explore the developments of the Sound.

Each Work is an exhibition of the intersection of acoustic and electronic Music, the intersection of the elements in the natural world.

Track 1 - Upright Bass and 2 Amplifiers

Track 2 - Upright Bass and Amplifier

Track 3 - Upright Bass and Amplifier and NO-INPUT Mixing Board

All Subsequent Tracks - Upright Bass and Amplifier

Recorded by Craig Bowen, Mattson Ogg, and Luke Stewart

Performed Live no Overdubs by Luke Stewart

Mixed and Edited by Craig Bowen and Luke Stewart

Mastered for Vinyl by Mikey Young

PREORDER

Luke Stewart - Works For Upright Bass and Amplifier Vol. I (November 2021 Astral Spirits)

1. Works For Upright Bass and Amplifier Pt I 15:00

2. Works For Upright Bass and Amplifier Pt II 14:49

3. Works For Upright Bass and Amplifier Pt III 16:18

4. Works For Upright Bass and Amplifier Pt IV 12:05

LUKE STEWART plays Upright Bass and Amplifier

Recorded by Mattson Ogg

Mastered for Vinyl by Mikey Young

Liner Notes by Gabriel Jermaine Vanlandingham-Dunn

Film Stills by Pat Cain

Design & layout by Dylan Marcus McConnell

PREORDER

Jack Cooper & Jeff Tobias - Tributaries (July 23, 2021 Astral Spirits)

1. Wicken

2. Debden

Wicken and Debden are tributaries of the River Cam, North Essex and the inspiration for this music.

These systems were written by Jack Cooper.

The music was arranged, recorded and performed by Jeff Tobias and Jack Cooper.

Additional mixing and mastering by Ed Deegan at Gizzard Recording, London.

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Thollem / Avreeayl Ra / Matt Lux - Thollem's Astral Traveling Sessions (2021 Astral Spirits)

Thanks to Josh Berman, Mike Reed and Hungry Brain for hosting us as part of the Sunday Night Jazz and Improvised Music Series and the lovely audience that came out for it. This was the first time Avreeayl and I played together. Matt and I had played a bit previously.

“WARNING! This album truly needs a warning label, because the music you’re about to hear is at a level of dangerous intensity. I remember this concert well. The sun had already set on that brisk Chicago evening, and people were starting to make their way to the Hungry Brain. My brain was certainly very hungry. I came in thinking I might need a coffee, but upon hearing a few minutes of the trio’s quick sound check, I realized all the energizing power I needed was about to be given to me by these three improvisational monsters! Absolute creative masterminds! Hearing Thollem play is quite the experience on its own, but the addition of Matthew Lux and Avreeayl Ra was something of a whole new category. Each of these creators pushed each other in new directions and new heights, each knew exactly when to let it all out, and when to play as softly as possible; when to start a new piece, and when to let it ride. I am so thankful that evening was captured for posterity. Listeners will be wrapping their minds around this for centuries to come." - Matt Scutchfield

Chicago master drummer / percussionist AVREEAYL RA was born in Chicago on May 21st, 1947 and still lives there today. He is a renowned musician always in demand among visiting jazz artists in Chicago. Avreeayl’s father, Arthur “Swinglee” O’Neil, was a tenor saxophonist who was mentor to many young Chicago musicians, including John Gilmore, later the mainstay of Sun Ra’s Arkestra. (Avreeayl reports that John Gilmore had a crush on Avreeayl’s sister and so spent as much time as he could at the family house.) Swinglee O’Neil played in one of Sun Ra’s early Chicago bands, and Sun Ra played in one of Swinglee’s groups as well.Avreeayl is a long-term member of the Chicago AACM, his relationship with the seminal music organization having begun with early studies with AACM co-founder Kelan Philip Cohran. Avreeayl has performed and / or recorded with Fred Anderson, Amiri Baraka, Fontella Bass, Lester Bowie, Ari Brown, Oscar Brown, Jr., Henry Butler, Henry Byrd (”Professor Longhair”), Hamid Drake, Malachi Favors, Donald Raphael Garrett, Charles Gayle, Henry Grimes, Billy Harper, Joseph Jarman, Edward “Kidd” Jordan, Nicole Mitchell, Sun Ra, Pharoah Sanders, Malachi Thompson, and many more.Avreeayl considers himself greatly blessed to have come up in the richly progressive Chicago “avant-garde” jazz community. Though he has lived briefly in New Orleans and New York and has toured widely in the U.S., Canada, Europe, the Far East, and Africa, he has always returned home to live in Chicago.

Matthew Lux (1973, Chicago) Known primarily from group Isotope 217, Iron & Wine, and his association with Rob Mazurek’s various ensembles. Performing and recording with musicians such as - Peven Everett, Bill Callahan, Pharoah Sanders, Nobukazu Takemura, George Freeman and Eddie Kirkland over his 30 year career. His first release as a leader, Contra/Fact came out in 2018 on Astral Spirits. 

1. Thollem / Lux / Ra 1 25:34

2. Thollem / Lux / Ra 2 16:53

Avreeayl Ra, Drums

Matt Lux, Bass

Thollem, Piano

Live concert recording September 14th, 2019 at the Hungry Brain Chicago, IL

Edited by Thollem

Mastered by Drake Hardin

Cover Art by ACVilla

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Amirtha Kidambi & Lea Bertucci - Phase Eclipse (June 25, 2021 Astral Spirits)

Excited to announce a vinyl reissue of this amazing debut! Long OOP and previously only available as a cassette! Grab your copy on gorgeous vinyl now!

To celebrate the reissue, we have a very special bonus remix track from the one and only JACE CLAYTON aka DJ /rupture!

OF NOTE - the sequence of the vinyl album is slightly different, the track "Brood" is now a digital only bonus track and is NOT on the LP (for time purposes), but was originally on the cassette version.

1. Extensions & Distortions

2. Smoldering, Seething

3. Under the Influence

4. Live at The Kitchen

5. Jace Clayton aka DJ /rupture - Phase Eclipse Remix

Recorded January 2019 at Pioneer Works and The Kitchen.

Tracks 1-3 recorded by Justin Frye.

Mixed & Mastered by Lea Bertucci.

"Phase Eclipse Remix" recorded in 2021 by Jace Clayton, using source material from Phase Eclipse.

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Aaron Novik - Grounded (May 21, 2021 Astral Spirits)

This album was made with the acoustic sounds of the clarinet, bass clarinet and contrabass clarinet with minimal effects. It was recorded during lockdown in Elmhurst Queens, NY, April-May 2020.

1. Part 1

2. Part 2

3. Part 3

4. Part 4

5. Part 5

6. Part 6

7. Part 7

8. Part 8

9. Part 9

10. Part 10

Mixed by Eli Crews at Spillway

Mastered by Jon Cohrs at Bear Call

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