recent writings
April 29, 2013
Here are some early reviews of the new Little Women record if you’re interested:
news
Lung is available now.
March 26, 2013
LUNG is now available for advance purchase as a CD or digital download at the AUM Fidelity website. Get it there before it’s in stores and on itunes etc…This is the best place to purchase this music.
Here’s a description of the new CD via the AUM site::
Lung – the new album-length composition from Brooklyn’s genre-defying Little Women – is sonic cinema without precedent. Collectively composed and refined over the course of 2011/12, the piece is a collaborative work at the purest level, and is by far their most dynamic to date. Tone poem evocation, pop group melodicism, all-four-vocal-chords-as-one intonation, and unparalleled shrapnel-sharp/laser-beam-focused shredding are some of the sonic vistas moved through during this astonishing creation. The aim of their music continues to be transcendence, be it via brutally precise sonic assault, indelibly ascendant melodies or a quiet imbued with the globally resonant sound of the circulatory system.
Where their previous acclaimed suite Throat (2010, AUM061) grabbed listeners by the neck from its first seconds, Lung arises slowly from silence. The visceral qualities of their previous work is maintained, and the band is now also comfortable in places of deep mystery, subtlety – the long inhale, and magical moment of pause before the exhale – thereby diving much deeper into the inner planes of emotion and spirit. The highly charged emotional center of Lung becomes fully evident only when listened to in its entirety. It will not be made available on LP as that format requires an interruption to flip sides.
The band writes, “The main themes/forms of Lung all have the shape of a downfall of something beautiful. We were working with a Shakespearian form from its conception. The main themes that developed organically throughout the process of creating Lung are: the life and death of humans, the downfall of a romance, the inhale and the exhale, and the death of earth (both seasonally and ultimately). These themes exist and are encompassed on both the microcosmic and macrocosmic level, meaning they exist simultaneously inside every sound, every phrase, every section, and the entire piece.”
Lung
March 11, 2013
photo credit: Balarama Heller
I’m happy to announce that Little Women’s next full-length recording entitled Lung will be officially released on April 9th. It will be released the AUM Fidelity label. Our official CD release show will take place on Saturday, April 20th at 92Y Tribeca with Mick Barr also performing. Advance tickets are available HERE
introducing Battle Trance
February 16, 2013
Next Saturday, February 23rd marks the world premiere of Battle Trance, my new band with Matthew Nelson, Patrick Breiner, and Jeremy Viner. We all play tenor saxophones. We have been rehearsing intensively in this lovely basement for quite sometime and are finally ready to come above ground and let sound fly.
Progress Report
November 18, 2012
As of today, my next solo record Invisible Arrow as well as Little Women’s next full length, entitled Lung are both mixed and are off to mastering engineers. Exact release dates will be announced soon!
Denmark
July 30, 2012
At the end of August I’ll be traveling to Denmark for 3 weeks. I’ll be on guest faculty at the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus where I’ll be working with two undergraduate student groups. They will be premiering a new large-scale work of mine that crystalized over the summer in the form of a day dream. More on that later…After I finish teaching I’ll be touring the Country with Soren Raaschou, as well as playing solo and in a few other configurations. Every other time I’ve been to Denmark it’s always been on the “load in/sound check/eat/play/sleep/drive to the next city” schedule, so I’m very much looking forward to spending a longer stretch of time there.
Summer
June 11, 2012
I hope everyone is enjoying summer so far!! For the next month or so I will be taking a break from performances. This spring has been a whirlwind in so many ways and now it’s time to be still for a moment and meditate and reflect.
Which pieces still radiate?
Which pieces to pick up and glue back together in a new way? Hopefully creating something more beautiful than before.
Which pieces to leave broken on the floor?
I plan on using this window of time to finish writing my next solo saxophone record as well as music for my trio, quartet, and other top secret projects. More late summer/fall plans announced very soon…
Solo concert on Friday.
May 27, 2012
A new Quartet, this Friday
March 14, 2012
I’m thrilled to announce that a new quartet will make our first public appearance this Friday!!!! Here are the details:
Friday, March 16th
@ ibeam
Travis Laplante -Tenor Saxophone
Ingrid Laubrock- Tenor Saxophone
Tom Rainey- Drums
Randy Peterson- Drums
168 7th street, Brooklyn
F or R train to 4th Ave
$10
8:30pm
Here is a nice preview from Time Out New York.
A New Year
January 13, 2012
Happy 2012 everyone! I hope this year brings everyone closer to their heart’s longing, whatever that may be. Already it’s looking like this year is going to be a very busy year for me musically! The first half of the year will include 3 separate North American solo tours. All of these tours are double bills with friends! At the end of January bassist Trevor Dunn and I will be on the west coast, touring from Vancouver down to Los Angeles (see shows page for details). In late April drummer/percussionist Ches Smith and I will be heading out to the midwest, and in May trumpeter Peter Evans and I will be heading down south. Feel free to get in touch with booking inquires.
In other news Little Women is scheduled to record our next full-length this spring and a couple new ensembles of mine will be making their debuts during the 1st half of the year (shows page…)! There is a lot more exciting news on the horizon but I have to pace myself and show restraint!!
