research – Han-earl Park

February 15, 2025

‘Breathe (Just Breathe)’ #onetakestudy Nº 17

My technique feels a little rusty (been busy again with the ‘extracurricular activities’ that come with my so-called career), but I needed to take a break and get something out there.

This one is a little exercise in shorter cycles, or phrase lengths—a little more regular in its underlying scaffolding. I hope you find something in the noise. Enjoy.

Out on NEWJAiM Recordings

Of Life, Recombinant (NEWJAiM9) [details…]

Personnel: Han-earl Park (guitar) with Anne Wellmer (voice on track 4).

Track listing: Game: Mutation (5:38); Naught Opportune (≥ 10:42); Are Variant (≥ 8:06); Of Life, Recombinant (≥ 29:22). Total duration ≥ 53:48.

November 13, 2024November 14, 2024

‘Salvo and Echo’ (#onetakestudy* Nº 16)

* If you’re wondering what the asterisk on ‘#onetakestudy’ is about, it’s because this one—the only one in the series—is not the first take. I recorded the first couple of phrases on an aborted take before starting again—I had not felt quite ready yet.

I’ve taken the title, ‘Salvo and Echo,’ from Doctor Nerve’s The Monkey Farm—I hope you don’t mind, Nick. If you don’t know it, check out The Monkey Farm, it’s my favorite Nerve album.

Out on NEWJAiM Recordings

Of Life, Recombinant (NEWJAiM9) [details…]

Personnel: Han-earl Park (guitar) with Anne Wellmer (voice on track 4).

Track listing: Game: Mutation (5:38); Naught Opportune (≥ 10:42); Are Variant (≥ 8:06); Of Life, Recombinant (≥ 29:22). Total duration ≥ 53:48.

September 20, 2024November 8, 2024

‘Coefficient of Friction’ (#onetakestudy Nº 15)

Taking a short break from The Big Hustle, and all the extra-curricular activities that surround music (to borrow an expression from CT), to do this short improvisation. Enjoy the noise!

Out on NEWJAiM Recordings

Of Life, Recombinant (NEWJAiM9) [details…]

Personnel: Han-earl Park (guitar) with Anne Wellmer (voice on track 4).

Track listing: Game: Mutation (5:38); Naught Opportune (≥ 10:42); Are Variant (≥ 8:06); Of Life, Recombinant (≥ 29:22). Total duration ≥ 53:48.

August 28, 2024November 8, 2024

‘Inside The Box’ (#onetakestudy Nº 14)

Thinking in-the-box (I almost called this one ‘Four-By-Four’). A little something that I walked away with from my last performance. Not quite as… lyrical or inventive, I think, as what transpired at the gig, but it is a one-take. And a hat-tip to Richard Scott for mentioning EP last week.

Out on NEWJAiM Recordings

Of Life, Recombinant (NEWJAiM9) [details…]

Personnel: Han-earl Park (guitar) with Anne Wellmer (voice on track 4).

Track listing: Game: Mutation (5:38); Naught Opportune (≥ 10:42); Are Variant (≥ 8:06); Of Life, Recombinant (≥ 29:22). Total duration ≥ 53:48.

July 21, 2024November 8, 2024

‘Grade Separation’ (#onetakestudy Nº 13)

At Friday’s solo set I found myself in spaces I had not occupied in a while—some techniques I hadn’t really leaned into in years. I wondered, without prep, if I could make something from these. Enjoy!

Out on NEWJAiM Recordings

Of Life, Recombinant (NEWJAiM9) [details…]

Personnel: Han-earl Park (guitar) with Anne Wellmer (voice on track 4).

Track listing: Game: Mutation (5:38); Naught Opportune (≥ 10:42); Are Variant (≥ 8:06); Of Life, Recombinant (≥ 29:22). Total duration ≥ 53:48.

July 1, 2024November 8, 2024

‘All The Wrong Notes’ (#onetakestudy Nº 12)

A quick’n’dirty improvisation—just something to try out a simplified recording and mixing setup. I have no idea if this one is any good. It’s what it is. (At least, as promised, it’s a first-take improvisation.)

As always, please hit me in the comments with any questions… although, as I went into this one with no plan, I’m not sure how helpful my answers might be. Regardless, thanks so, so much for listening!

Out on NEWJAiM Recordings

Of Life, Recombinant (NEWJAiM9) [details…]

Personnel: Han-earl Park (guitar) with Anne Wellmer (voice on track 4).

Track listing: Game: Mutation (5:38); Naught Opportune (≥ 10:42); Are Variant (≥ 8:06); Of Life, Recombinant (≥ 29:22). Total duration ≥ 53:48.

June 8, 2024November 8, 2024

‘Scratch’n’Sniff’ (#onetakestudy Nº 11)

A short, improvisative meditation on snaps and grids (or should that be unsnaps and degrids?). Simple, modest—nothing at all complicated—but it does exactly what I set out to do.

Out on NEWJAiM Recordings

Of Life, Recombinant (NEWJAiM9) [details…]

Personnel: Han-earl Park (guitar) with Anne Wellmer (voice on track 4).

Track listing: Game: Mutation (5:38); Naught Opportune (≥ 10:42); Are Variant (≥ 8:06); Of Life, Recombinant (≥ 29:22). Total duration ≥ 53:48.

May 2, 2024November 8, 2024

‘Delaying Tactics’ (#onetakestudy Nº 10)

‘Delaying Tactics’ a.k.a. ‘Dither’ a.k.a. ‘A Brief But Needed Break From Writing Another D*mn Proposal.’

Now back to work!

Out on NEWJAiM Recordings

Of Life, Recombinant (NEWJAiM9) [details…]

Personnel: Han-earl Park (guitar) with Anne Wellmer (voice on track 4).

Track listing: Game: Mutation (5:38); Naught Opportune (≥ 10:42); Are Variant (≥ 8:06); Of Life, Recombinant (≥ 29:22). Total duration ≥ 53:48.

April 20, 2024November 8, 2024

‘The Zen of, fwiw, Frustration’ (#onetakestudy Nº 9)

The Zen of Frustration, or: ever had one of those days (or weeks)? This is probably as spontaneous as it gets. I felt better* by the end, but, I don’t know, as a listener, does this bring you frustration or relief?

* Autocorrect suggested ‘battered.’ Nice try, but no cigar.

Out on NEWJAiM Recordings

Of Life, Recombinant (NEWJAiM9) [details…]

Personnel: Han-earl Park (guitar) with Anne Wellmer (voice on track 4).

Track listing: Game: Mutation (5:38); Naught Opportune (≥ 10:42); Are Variant (≥ 8:06); Of Life, Recombinant (≥ 29:22). Total duration ≥ 53:48.

April 11, 2024November 8, 2024

‘Contiguity’ (#onetakestudy Nº 8)

My latest study in the #onetakestudy series is a super simple, quick little improvisation. This one is partly a response to some of the issues I had with study Nº 6. This study does, I think, what it needs to do, and no more. Enjoy.

Out on NEWJAiM Recordings

Of Life, Recombinant (NEWJAiM9) [details…]

Personnel: Han-earl Park (guitar) with Anne Wellmer (voice on track 4).

Track listing: Game: Mutation (5:38); Naught Opportune (≥ 10:42); Are Variant (≥ 8:06); Of Life, Recombinant (≥ 29:22). Total duration ≥ 53:48.

April 4, 2024November 8, 2024

‘Don’t Overthink It’ (#onetakestudy Nº 7)

I came away from a session with Kaffe Matthews with some fragments of ideas—not themes, barely motives—let’s call them random arrangement of atoms. This study is an unprepared (without even a warm-up) first-run of some of these. Think of it as a soup made from whatever’s at hand.

I’ve taken the title for this latest study (‘Don’t Overthink It’) from an album by Corey Mwamba. (I hope you don’t mind, Corey.)

Kaffe and I are performing on Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at REH (Kopenhagener Straße 17, 10437 Berlin).

Out on NEWJAiM Recordings

Of Life, Recombinant (NEWJAiM9) [details…]

Personnel: Han-earl Park (guitar) with Anne Wellmer (voice on track 4).

Track listing: Game: Mutation (5:38); Naught Opportune (≥ 10:42); Are Variant (≥ 8:06); Of Life, Recombinant (≥ 29:22). Total duration ≥ 53:48.

March 26, 2024November 8, 2024

‘Bees on a Summer Day’ (#onetakestudy Nº 6)

Latest in my series of single-take improvisations, the title for this one is taken from Laurie Anderson’s United States (I hope she won’t mind). And lighting design again courtesy of the Berlin sky.

Out on NEWJAiM Recordings

Of Life, Recombinant (NEWJAiM9) [details…]

Personnel: Han-earl Park (guitar) with Anne Wellmer (voice on track 4).

Track listing: Game: Mutation (5:38); Naught Opportune (≥ 10:42); Are Variant (≥ 8:06); Of Life, Recombinant (≥ 29:22). Total duration ≥ 53:48.