Martin Wind Quartet - My Astorian Queen (November 12, 2021 Laika Records)

Bassist and composer Martin Wind is on a roll with two upcoming albums from Laika Records.

He celebrates 25 years in NYC with My Astorian Queen, a quartet album featuring Wind and his Quartet with Scott Robinson, Bill Mays and Matt Wilson. The album will be released November 19, 2021. 

Wind follows this album on February 25, 2022 with the release of AIR featuring his New York Bass Quartet (Wind, Greg August, Jordan Frazier, Samm Suggs along with special guests Matt Wilson, Gary Versace and Lenny White).

Wind is one of a few German jazz musicians that have been able to establish themselves and remain on the New York jazz scene. My Astorian Queen is a heartfelt thank you note to “this city and its welcoming artistic community in general, and some very special human beings in particular, that have guided and formed me over the last quarter of a century.”  

The album is also a tribute to his wife.  Wind hadn’t even been in New York for 24 hours when Mays’ wife at the time introduced Wind to one of her colleagues. “On my second day in NYC I got to meet my future wife on a blind date – what are the chances?! The first couple of years were incredibly intensive and life-changing: my studies at NYU, the first attempts of making the scene, my marriage to Maria and the birth of our first son, all while living in a cute apartment in Astoria, Queens.”

George Gershwin wrote a song for Porgy and Bess called “There`s a Boat That’s Leaving Soon For New York.” Except for the fact that Martin Wind arrived at the Big Apple exactly 25 years ago by plane a lot of the Gershwin opera’s storyline could have been written for him. The bassist from Flensburg, Germany has found his version of the American Dream. “I’ve been living it ever since my arrival in 1996 together with my wife, our two grown-up sons, our dog and the house in the New Jersey suburbs, just outside of big city.” As a matter of fact, he is one of a few German jazz musicians that were able to establish them- selves on the New York jazz scene for good. His new al- bum My Astorian Queen is a heartfelt thank you note to “this city and its welcoming artistic community in general, and some very special human beings in particular, that have guided and formed me over the last quarter of a century."

He’s referring to the members of his quartet - all veterans of the New York jazz scene. Pianist Bill Mays was impressed by the classically trained bassist when he heard him for the first time at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam in 1992. He started to mentor him as they recorded and toured Europe together with the late drummer Keith Copeland. “Bill used to fax me pages and pages of tunes that he wanted me to learn when I was still living in Cologne.” 

Wind hadn’t even been in New York for 24 hours when Mays’ wife at the time, who worked at a hospital, introduced Wind to one of her colleagues. “On my second day in NYC I got to meet my future wife on a blind date – what are the chances?! The first couple of years were incredibly intensive and life-changing: my studies at NYU, the first attempts of making the scene, my marriage to Maria and the birth of our first son, all while living in a cute apartment in Astoria, Queens.” 

The swinging opener, “Mean What You Say,” relates to a magical moment that Wind experienced at the legendary Village Vanguard. “It took several years before I got a chance to play a Monday night with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. While some of the last guests were taking their seats, the rhythm section started to play this great composition by Thad Jones. Already while setting up my gear, I had noticed how unbelievable my instrument sounded in the acoustics of this basement club: warm and chocolatey, yet incredibly clear and defined. That first night with this band was one of those NYC moments that I will never forget.” 

While establishing his New York career, Wind took a wide variety of gigs including subbing on major musicals. Those theater jobs inspired him to record “Broadway.” “I got to play a dozen or so performances of Webber’s ‘Phantom of the Opera,’ which was not my cup of tea. I much preferred a production of Cole Porter’s fabulous ‘Kiss me, Kate’ with arrangements by Don Sebesky.” 

Outstanding on this track is Scott Robinson, featured on the mighty bass saxophone. Robinson plays seemingly every reed and brass instrument ever invented, and Wind identifies him as “the voice of my music.” Robinson’s rehearsal and recording space, which he calls his laboratory, is home to many uncommon instruments such as a bass marimbaphone, a theremin and the extremely rare contrabass saxophone. “Scott and I share the same birthday, live in the same town AND he brews his own beer! He is an unbelievably spontaneous and sensitive musician who manages to still surprise and deeply move me after all these years of playing music together.” 

Bill Mays, Scott Robinson, Martin Wind, Matt Wilson at Deer Head Inn, Pennsylvania, July 4, 2021 by Jeff Dunn, Detroit

Those who can’t get enough of the wonderfully growling sound of the bass saxophone will be happy to discover a short encore somewhere towards the end of the Brazilian song “E Preciso Perdoar,” which was made famous by João Gilberto and Stan Getz. 

Wind’s third trusted friend and musical partner is drummer Matt Wilson, with whom he has spent more time on the road than with any other musician over the last 20+ years. “Matt was one of the first established band-leaders to invite me into his world and accept me as his equal. Because of him I started to believe that I might belong here. His presence is so liberating that you think you can fly - he welcomes everything you offer so completely that there really isn’t such a thing as doing anything ‘wrong’ around him.” With the classic Sinatra hit “New York, New York,” the two friends close out the album. Their approach is a lot looser than the original: “Matt and I love to use the term ‘going into the sandbox.’ It means to innocently sit down in the sandbox and to start molding, creating and truly playing with the material - and then react to what is starting to appear in front of you.” It seems that this approach is working: “After hearing our take, Bill Mays commented approvingly: ‘Man, you almost make me like that song!” 

In every sense, this album turned out as a fitting and genuine musical gift to the metropolis and its soulful inhabitants. The compositions narrate some of Wind’s personal NY stories, and are presented with song serving, yet unpredictable arrangements. 

It all adds up to a fitting tribute to the one person in Wind’s life that has made this ongoing musical adventure possible: Maria, his “Astorian Queen.”

1 Mean What you Say (Thad Jones) 7:36

2 Solitude (Martin Wind) 5:30

3 Broadway (Wilbur H. Bird) 6:08

4 Peace Waltz (Bill Mays) 7:38

5 È Preciso Perduar (Carlos Cequeijo & Aleivando Luz) 5:04

6 Out in P.A. (Martin Wind) 8:04

7 My Astorian Queen (Martin Wind) 5:34

8 There’s a Boat that’s leaving soon for New York (George Gershwin) 4:57

9 New York, New York (Fred Ebb & John Kander) 3:15

Martin Wind (upright bass)

Scott Robinson (tenor-, bass-saxophone, clarinet, trumpet)

Bill Mays (piano)

Matt Wilson (drums, percussion)

Produced by Martin Wind, co-produced by Matt Balitsaris, executive produced by Peter Cronemeyer.

Recorded (July 4 & 5, 2021) and mixed by Matt Balitsaris at Maggie’s Farm, Pennsylvania.Mastered by Gene Paul in July 2021 at G & J Audio, Union City, New Jersey. Cover photos by Olff Appold, Hamburg. Live photo Deer Head Inn, Pennsylvania, July 4, 2021by Jeff Dunn, Detroit. Martin Wind plays D’Addario Strings, Acoustic Image Amps, The “Lifeline” Pick-up, the “Nadine” bass microphone by Ear Trumpet Labs and a beautiful instrument crafted for him in 2017 by master luthier Arnold Schnitzer.

Wind celebrates My Astorian Queen with NYC concerts:  

• Thursday, November 18 – Martin Wind Quartet at Cellar Dog 

• Friday, November 19 – MW Trio at Mezzrow

Martin Wind

Laika Records

Randy Sandke - Uptown Lowdown / A Jazz Salute to the Big Apple (May 2021 nagel heyer records)

"The solos ring true; the band warms the room. Uptown Lowdon is jazz music of the highest quality. Why can't all dream bands sound like this?"

- Cadence

It took a German recording team to enable trumpeter/arranger Randy Sandke to assemble this all-American, 12-piece ensemble for a panorama of New York-inspired tunes, recorded in the Big Apple in the Sylvia and Danny Kaye Playhouse as part of the 1999 JVC Jazz Festival. In doing so, he raided the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, as well as several independent history-minded players in the area, and emerged with a band that fires off the numbers with crisp virtuosity in any idiom called for. Thankfully, there is also more than enough gusto in the playing, due in no small part to the live festival recording situation.

"The Harlem Medley," a lengthy leadoff stream of delicacies from the land of Ellingtonia, gets close enough to the Ellington sound to convey the idea without being slavishly imitative or ghostly. The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra boys know their Ellington craft well and apply the plunger mutes accordingly. From there, the band doubles back to Dixieland, works its way up to swing, and slides without a glitch into bebop ("Scrapple From the Apple"), a Mingus shuffle blues ("Nostalgia in Times Square"), transitional Coltrane ("Grand Central"), and some Monk ("52nd Street Theme"), before being deposited back in Harlem by -- naturally -- the "'A' Train."

In between the main tour stops, Concord Jazz teammates guitarist Howard Alden and clarinetist Ken Peplowski serve up another of their fluid duets on Irving Berlin's "Slumming on Park Avenue." Other high points include clarinetist Allan Vaché wailing in the trad flagwaver "Chinatown" and trumpeters Sandke and Warren Vaché duking it out on "42nd Street." In all, a well-recorded souvenir of what sounds like a heartwarming local celebration. AllMusic Review by Richard S. Ginell

1. Echoes of Harlem / Drop Me Off in Harlem 03:07

2. Jungle Nights in Harlem 03:37

3. Boys from Harlem 03:33

4. Sugar Hill Penthouse 02:31

5. Blue Belles of Harlem 03:07

6. Harlem Speaks 05:28

7. Chinatown, My Chinatown 03:09

8. Rose of Washington Square / Broadway Rose 06:43

9. Slumming on Park Avenue 05:13

10. 42nd Street 05:59

11. Scrapple from the Apple 05:48

12. Nostalgia in Times Square 08:14

13. Grand Central 08:31

14. Grand Central 04:42

15. Take the "A" Train 07:46

16. What's New * 05:09

* Bonus Track

Randy Sandke - trumpet

Warren Vaché - trumpet

Wycliffe Gordon - trombone

Ken Peplowski - clarinet, tenor sax

Allan Vaché - clarinet

Scott Robinson - alto sax, tenor sax, flute

Joe Temperley - baritone sax

Howard Alden - guitar

Eric Reed - piano

Mark Shane - piano

Rodney Whitaker - bass

Joe Ascione - drums

Recorded live at the 1999 JVC Jazz Festival New York.

Directed by Randy Sandke.

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Danny Moss / Antti Sarpila / Brian Dee - For You and Yours (May 2021 nagel heyer records)

Danny Moss belongs to the best European saxophone players of all times. He later lived in Perth, Australia and toured the world only for a few months each year. His idol is definitely Coleman Hawkins and the great "Hawk" would have been proud of him. Danny Moss has played with such illustrious names like Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra. He is such an excellent musician and great personality that he was ennobled by the Queen of England and the initials M.B.E. (Member of the British Empire) were added to his name.

Antti Sarpila clarinet and saxophone is a scholar of the famous clarinettist and sax player Bob Wilber and one of the outstanding jazz musicians Finland’s. He lives in Helsinki, comes from a musician’s family and is already know today as one of the best clarinettists in the world. He plays his instrument unbelievable fluently with a nice tone and a remarkable swing. He has performed in New York’s Carnegie Hall, leads his own band in Finland and is on his way to a great international career.

Brian Dee is an Englishman and a very sensitive and swinging accompanist and soloist. Besides Lemon he is the pianist in England who is often accompanying American musicians when they come to Europe and visit his country. Therefore, he has played with nearly all the big names in the jazz scene.

1. All the Cats Join In 07:41

2. Buckin' the Blues 05:19

3. Stompy Jones 06:11

4. Willow Weep for Me 04:27

5. Toot Sweet 05:35

6. Robbins Nest 07:51

7. Stealin' Apples 06:14

8. A Ghost of a Chance 04:06

9. Professor Jazz 06:26

10. Fiesta in Blue 03:38

11. Jumpin' at the Woodside 06:05

12. Blue and Sentimental 06:51

13. It Don't Mean a Thing 09:06

14. Sabine's Jazz Arena 06:54

15. Satin Doll 04:10

16. Crossing the Border 08:07

17. Lean Baby 05:15

18. If Dreams Come True 06:15

Danny Moss - tenor sax

Antti Sarpila - clarinet, soprano sax, tenor sax

Brian Dee - piano

Randy Sandke - trumpet

Harry Allen - tenor sax

Scott Robinson - baritone sax

Jerry Tilitz - trombone

Len Skeat - bass

Oliver Jackson - drums

Butch Miles - drums

plus

Jeannie Lambe - vocals

Recorded live 1993 and 1994 at the Fabrik, Hamburg, Germany

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Frank Kimbrough - Monk's Dreams: The Complete Compositions of Thelonious Sphere Monk (SUNNYSIDE RECORDS 2018)

The genius of pianist and composer Thelonious Monk is unassailable. Since his death in 1982, he has become recognized as one of the greatest composers of jazz – and of the wider world of music. The year 2017 was the centennial of Monk’s birth, and brought scores of tributes, including a well-received stay of pianist Frank Kimbrough’s quartet at the Jazz Standard club in New York City. 

Like many jazz pianists, Kimbrough found Monk’s music a revelation when he first heard it. From the outset of his career, Kimbrough has returned time and again to Monk’s compositions. After nearly four decades of study, reflection, and performance, Kimbrough has established a relationship with these pieces and found a way to express himself through the prism of Monk. 

When the Standard approached Kimbrough to put together a quartet to play Monk’s music, he picked the brilliant rhythm section of bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Billy Drummond. His choice for lead horn voice was the multi-instrumentalist Scott Robinson, with whom he has played for many years and in many combinations, most notably with the Maria Schneider Orchestra. 

After the first set of the October 17th, 2017 performance at the Standard Kimbrough’s friend Mait Jones urged that the group record Monk’s entire oeuvre, a feat that Kimbrough had never considered. A jazz fan and co-presenter of his own Princeton series JazzNights Jones began a lifelong appreciation of Monk when he heard the master live at the Five Spot in New York City in 1957. 

Over the next few days, Jones doubled down on his intent to make the project reach fruition, bringing in his friend and fellow jazz head, Dr. Dorothy Lieberman, to help co-produce the effort. 

The musicians began the intensive work such a project demands. Finally, in April of 2018 Kimbrough led a trio and then the quartet at Jazz at the Kitano, polishing 30 new tunes on the way to the full Monk catalog of 70 pieces. 

For the recording, Matt Balitsaris provided his renowned Maggie’s Farm studios and an optimistic plan of recording a disc’s worth of material each day for six days. The musicians recorded each day from 11 to 5 or 6 in two three-day intervals broken up by a three-day respite. Miraculously this ambitious plan succeeded, with most tunes needing only one or two takes. Robinson picked his axe of choice on the spot, from the standard (tenor sax and trumpet) to the exotic (bass saxophone, echo cornet, bass clarinet, and contrabass sarrusophone). The resultant tracks are fresh, varied, and inspired. 

Highlights of the group’s takes on these classic pieces include Robinson’s juggling of trumpet and tenor sax on “Thelonious” and the ensemble’s free-wheeling energy on “Skippy.” “Locomotive” is the picture of peaceful beauty, whereas “Jackie-ing” is all jumps and starts. Reid and Robinson play beautifully on “Reflections” and a lovely solo performance of “Crepuscule with Nellie” showcases Kimbrough’s command of the piano and Monk’s language. 

The recordings form a fantastically diverse collection. On the six-CD set, titled Monk's Dreams: The Complete Compositions of Thelonious Sphere Monk, Monk’s compositions are played in various configurations, most by the quartet, but others in smaller combinations, even solo piano. The package also includes beautifully penned liner notes from Nate Chinen (New York Times, WBGO and NPR) along with notes from members of the ensemble and the producers of the album. 

Frank Kimbrough - piano 

Scott Robinson - tenor and bass saxophones, trumpet, echo cornet, bass clarinet, contrabass sarrusophone 

Rufus Reid - bass 

Billy Drummond - drums

1. Thelonious 04:51

2. Light Blue 06:15

3. Played Twice 04:41

4. Ba-lue Bolivar Ba-lues-are 05:00

5. Ask Me Now 05:31

6. Humph 04:36

7. Bright Mississippi 05:50

8. Reflections 05:02

9. Bemsha Swing 04:41

10. Teo 06:02

11. Blue Sphere 04:22

12. Crepescule with Nellie 02:28

13. Think of One 04:28

14. 52nd Street Theme 02:24

15. Eronel 05:23

16. Bluehawk 05:30

17. Little Rootie Tootie 06:07

18. Two Timer 03:17

19. Ruby, My Dear 04:39

20. Boo Boo's Birthday 05:11

21. San Francisco Holiday 05:12

22. Functional 04:24

23. I Mean You 05:05

24. Shuffle Boil 05:42

25. Monk's Dream 05:53

26. Evidence 05:31

27. Misterioso 03:54

28. Four In One 06:00

29. Brake's Sake 05:22

30. Pannonica 04:17

31. Bye Ya 04:28

32. North of the Sunset 02:45

33. Introspection 03:59

34. Wee See 04:49

35. In Walked Bud 04:10

36. Nutty 06:45

37. Trinkle Tinkle 04:35

38. Blues Five Spot 05:09

39. 'Round Midnight 05:23

40. Jackie-ing 02:40

41. Well You Needn't 05:40

42. Sixteen 04:03

43. Locomotive 04:37

44. Gallop's Gallop 04:13

45. Children's Song 04:47

46. Blue Monk 06:44

47. Friday the 13th 05:18

48. Criss Cross 04:17

49. Raise Four 03:35

50. Let's Call This 05:07

51. Who Knows 03:56

52. A Merrier Christmas 03:40

53. Stuffy Turkey 05:19

54. Monk's Point 03:27

55. Work 03:23

56. Brilliant Corners 06:44

57. Off Minor 03:46

58. Hackensack 05:27

59. Oska T 03:18

60. Let's Cool One 05:57

61. Hornin' In 04:24

62. Coming On The Hudson 03:46

63. Straight No Chaser 04:46

64. Monk's Mood 05:09

65. Green Chimneys 03:28

66. Rhythm-A-Ning 05:36

67. Ugly Beauty 04:32

68. Skippy 03:41

69. Something In Blue 04:43

70. Epistrophy 04:25

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Matt Mitchell - A Pouting Grimace (PI RECORDINGS 2017)

A regular member of Tim Berne’s Snakeoil and the Dave Douglas Quintet, pianist / keyboardist / composer Matt Mitchell has recently appeared on Rudresh Mahanthappa’s Bird Calls (2015) and Jonathan Finlayson’s Moving Still (2016). Mitchell has worked with a broad array of top-name artists including Steve Coleman, John Hollenbeck and Mario Pavone. Mitchell is a chameleon, able to take on completely different musical personas across of fast array of situations. His own Vista Accumulation (2015) was one of the most highly regarded releases of that year. Frequently in demand, he has managed to produce ten albums as a leader or co-leader. The most recent, A Pouting Grimace, is an eclectic collection that defies categorization.

Mitchell’s previous albums have been elatively small formations -solo through quartet and so the twelve- person ensemble on a A Pouting Grimace is new territory for him, as a leader. In that company of players are exceptional names. Saxophonist Jon Irabagon (Mostly Other People Do the Killing), flautist Anna Webber and percussionists Ches Smith and Dan Weiss are on hand, and Tyshawn Sorey serves as conductor on two pieces.

The very brief “Bulb Terminus” is a bit of programmed reverie that leads to the loosely structured “Plate Shapes,” a multifaceted maelstrom of cadences and noises with an impulsive sense of movement. Irabagon and bassoonist Sara Schoenbeck spend much of the time searching for their own alternate routes. “Brim” is the centerpiece of A Pouting Grimace as it provides a platform for the development of the surrounding compositions. At the core of “Brim” is a phantasmagorical, full-ensemble mélange that feels omnidirectional and free-flowing. The longest piece on the album, “Sick Fields” is an episodic anomaly that moves in fits and starts; it is as unstoppable as it is—at times—impenetrable. “Ooze Interim” concludes the album with a floating, solo electronics performance from Mitchell.

The free nature, density and complexity of A Pouting Grimace does not give way to blowout solos or overall chaos. The musicians wander a marauder’s map, at times, interacting with each other, or occasionally looking for their own opening. This is an album focused on detail; it can be identified in slight, contrasting hues and in unflinching statements. It is certainly a unique and challenging listen.

1. bulb terminus 01:10

2. plate shapes 08:12

3. mini alternate 05:32

4. brim 06:49

5. deal sweeteners 01:38

6. squalid ink 00:15

7. gluts 04:28

8. heft 04:16

9. sick fields 09:10

10. ooze interim 05:07

Produced by David Torn and Matt Mitchell 

Mixed and mastered by David Torn 

Matt Mitchell - piano, Prophet 6, electronics 

Kim Cass - upright bass 

Kate Gentile - drums, gongs, percussion 

Ches Smith - vibraphone, glockenspiel, bongos, timpani, gongs, Haitian tanbou, percussion 

Dan Weiss - tabla 

Patricia Brennan - vibraphone, marimba 

Katie Andrews - harp 

Anna Webber - flute, alto flute, bass flute 

Jon Irabagon - sopranino sax, soprano sax 

Ben Kono - oboe, English horn 

Sara Schoenbeck - bassoon 

Scott Robinson - bass sax, contrabass clarinet 

Tyshawn Sorey - conductor

Scott Robinson's Heliosonic Toneways, Vol. 1

ScienSonic Laboratories releases historic large ensemble recording, made on the 50th anniversary of Sun Ra's classic Heliocentric Worlds

Heliosonic Toneways, Vol. 1 now available

The Heliosonic Tone-tette featuring Sun Ra Arkestra members Marshall Allen and Danny Ray Thompson plus Scott Robinson, Philip Harper, Frank Lacy, Tim Newman, Pat O'Leary, JD Parran, Yosvany Terry and Matt Wilson

On April 20, 1965, one of the most adventurous and far-reaching recordings in jazz - or music - history was made in New York City. The great Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra convened in engineer Richard L. Alderson's RLA Studio and crafted The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, an amazing and enigmatic recording that continues to astonish listeners to this day. Somewhere between outer space chamber music and avant-garde jazz, it introduced listeners to sounds not normally heard in improvised music. The album's boundary-stretching jazz sounded like no other record made by anyone, ever.

Now, fifty years later, ScienSonic Laboratories has created Heliosonic Toneways, Vol. 1, an historic new recording in the intrepid spirit of the original Heliocentric Worlds. On April 20, 2015, original participant Marshall Allen (now 93 and still highly active as leader of the Arkestra) and longtime Arkestra member Danny Thompson joined an incredible cast of some of New York's most creative musicians at the behest of ScienSonic's founder, multi-instrumentalist Scott Robinson.


Along with trombonist Frank Lacy, trumpeter Philip Harper, bassist Pat O'Leary, saxophonist Yosvany Terry, bass trombonist Tim Newman, drummer Matt Wilson and bass clarinetist JD Parran, Robinson and the Arkestra vets reentered the orbit of that landmark recording created a half-century earlier.

Heliosonic Toneways is not a recreation or remake of Heliocentric Worlds; instead of duplicating the original music, Robinson's goal was to use the extraordinary sonic template of the original recordings - the same instrumentation and distinctive sounds - to create new and imaginative music that would honor the spirit of the original sessions while also setting off into new and completely uncharted terrain. This is ScienSonic's most ambitious project yet, and the results are remarkable. 

One of the unique facets of Heliocentric Worlds was the album's use of an expanded palette unprecedented in even the most experimental jazz, incorporating such unusual instruments as timpani, piccolo, and the haunting bass marimba. Some months later, Volume Two followed with the addition of chromatic sets of "tuned bongos" and the eerie, electronic Clavioline. The distinctive aural environment of these two recordings, along with an offbeat musical methodology which blurs the lines between composition and improvisation, makes for utterly singular music which truly lives up to the admonition on the back of the original LP jackets: "YOU NEVER HEARD SUCH SOUNDS IN YOUR LIFE."


Robinson's ScienSonic Laboratories was the most fitting locale in which to record these extraordinary sessions; his converted garage houses one of the world's most extensive collections of obscure musical instruments, the fruits of years spent combing flea markets and junk shops. Among the lab's treasures is the original bass marimba that Sun Ra played on Heliocentric Worlds, heard here in the hands of Scott Robinson and Marshall Allen himself.

Also returning from the 1965 recording is original engineer Richard Alderson - who had not worked with Allen since the Heliocentric sessions but was tracked down and recruited to engineer the date. This made for a truly historic three-way reunion - fifty years later to the day! - between Allen, Alderson, and the original instrument that figured so prominently on the 1965 LP. A strange twist was added when news arrived during the sessions of the passing of Bernard Stollman - whose ESP label had issued the original Heliocentric LPs - on the very same day.

The results include Marshall Allen's first-ever recordings on piano and bass marimba, in addition to his customary alto sax and EVI. It was captured in a marathon session, resulting in enough material for two releases - look out for Volume Two in 2018. Despite many setbacks including pouring rain, technical difficulties, and long delays in the mixing process, the results of this massive effort can finally be heard. 


This is startling and unforgettable music, captured with extraordinary clarity and sonic detail - music that could only have taken place at ScienSonic Laboratories, with these musicians, these sounds. This is music that takes you somewhere... somewhere utterly unfamiliar, yet strangely inviting. Or, as Sun Ra used to say, "Somewhere there." From an audiophile standpoint, Alderson calls it "the best recording I have ever made." And while it is unlike any other Laboratory production to date, this music certainly lives up to the ScienSonic motto, "Worlds of Tomorrow Through Sound."

Please visit www.sciensonic.net to learn more about our previous releases with Julian Thayer, Marshall Allen, Roscoe Mitchell, Henry Grimes and more. Become a Laboratory Member!