a cyclic frenzy of fragmented sounds without an ounce of entropy (a Jazz Noise review: Anomic Aphasia)

CD cover of ‘Anomic Aphasia’ (SLAMCD 559) with Han-earl Park, Catherine Sikora, Nick Didkovsky and Josh Sinton (artwork copyright 2015, Han-earl Park)
‘Anomic Aphasia’ (SLAMCD 559) © 2015 Han-earl Park

“Impressive in scale”? “overwhelming in execution”? “listening to two separate pieces at the same time in serendipitous juxtaposition”? “genius charlatan”? listening that “can produce altered states”? Dave Foxall of a Jazz Noise reviews ‘Anomic Aphasia’ (SLAMCD 559) by Han-earl Park, Catherine Sikora, Nick Didkovsky and Josh Sinton:

Monopod is a sprawling, non-idiomatic (and non-repetitive) improvisation of suite-like proportions (27 minutes and counting). Impressive in scale, overwhelming in execution, it’s a cyclic frenzy of fragmented sounds without an ounce of entropy, yet somehow with a sense of clear movement and progression. Warning: close listening can produce altered states….

Confused [re. Metis 9]? I was. Emperor’s new clothes…? Given the playful nature of Park’s website, a little leg-pulling is not entirely out of the question. Nor does the questionnaire in the liner notes dispel the possibility with its mix of obfuscation and subversion…. And while the explanations left me feeling Park is clearly some kind of obscure genius—either a genius improviser or a genius charlatan, and I’m inclined towards the former—damned if on a re-listen, I didn’t think I could spot some of these tactics at play. Stroke your chin and check out the ‘interrupting continua’ emerging about two-thirds of the way through Pleonasm…. It’s fascinating to listen with that possible strategic structure in mind….

After all the preceding intensity… Stopcock’s intro—in which actual guitar strings can be discerned—is almost light relief, despite its tricky density. Then second guitar begins to play hide and seek, giving the uncanny sense of listening to two separate pieces at the same time in serendipitous juxtaposition. Cue Sikora’s ever free, ever inventive tenor and the layers are complete for a highly worthwhile finale. [Read the rest…]

— Dave Foxall (a Jazz Noise)

[About this recording…] [All reviews…]

Also from SLAM Productions…

‘io 0.0.1 beta++ (SLAMCD 531) CD cover (copyright 2011, Han-earl Park)

io 0.0.1 beta++ (SLAMCD 531) [details…]

Performers: io 0.0.1 beta++ (itself), Han-earl Park (guitar), Bruce Coates (alto and sopranino saxophones) and Franziska Schroeder (soprano saxophone). [About this project…]

© 2011 Han-earl Park.
℗ 2011 SLAM Productions.

‘Mathilde 253’ (SLAMCD 528) CD cover (copyright 2010, Han-earl Park)

Mathilde 253 (SLAMCD 528) [details…]

Performers: Charles Hayward (drums, percussion and melodica), Han-earl Park (guitar) and Ian Smith (trumpet and flugelhorn) plus Lol Coxhill (saxophone). [About this ensemble…]

© 2010 Han-earl Park.
℗ 2010 SLAM Productions.

Best of 2015

As previously teased, ‘Anomic Aphasia’ (SLAMCD 559) with Han-earl Park, Catherine Sikora, Nick Didkovsky and Josh Sinton makes Avant Music News Best of 2015.

[Avant Music News review…] [All reviews…]

CD cover of ‘Anomic Aphasia’ (SLAMCD 559) with Han-earl Park, Catherine Sikora, Nick Didkovsky and Josh Sinton (artwork copyright 2015, Han-earl Park)

Anomic Aphasia (SLAMCD 559) [details…]

Performers: Han-earl Park (guitar), Catherine Sikora (tenor and soprano saxophones), Nick Didkovsky (guitar), and Josh Sinton (baritone saxophone and bass clarinet).

© 2015 Han-earl Park.
℗ 2015 SLAM Productions.

Plus, A Little Brittle Music by Han-earl Park, Dominic Lash and Corey Mwamba gets an honorable mention in the same list.

‘A Little Brittle Music’ with Han-earl Park, Dominc Lash and Corey Mwamba (artwork copyright 2015, Han-earl Park)

A Little Brittle Music [details…]

Performers: Han-earl Park (guitar), Dominic Lash (double bass) and Corey Mwamba (vibraphone and flute).

© 2015 Han-earl Park. ℗ 2015 Park/Lash/Mwamba.

I’m honored to find my music standing among such amazing creative work! [Avant Music News Best of 2015…]

Elsewhere, the Birmingham, December 1 performance by Han-earl Park, Dominic Lash, Mark Sanders and Caroline Pugh makes Niluccio on noise’s Top 20 gigs:

Screeching and scraping in an improv style, this quartet assailed the ears with a pleasing melee of noise, some of it vaguely intelligible. Caroline Pugh jabbered away in what sounded like snatches of Greek, while the guitarist Han-earl Park did impossibly intricate yet percussive stuff on his guitar fret. Mad but entertaining. It was in the backroom of a gloomy back-street boozer. When I tentatively asked the elderly landlord “Where’s the jazz tonight?”, he said “I wouldn’t call it jazz. More like a fookin’ racket.” He was right! [Read the rest…]

Culture Ireland logo

Birmingham performance presented with funding from Culture Ireland, and support from SLAM Productions.

Happy New Year: 2016

2016 collage

Original photographs/images © 2015 Han-earl Park; © 2015 Translating Improvisation; © 2015 Peter Fay; © 2015 Caroline Pugh; © 2015 65Fen Music Series; and © 2015 Michael Foster.

Anomic Aphasia Berlin Belfast Manchester, Cambridge and London Cork A Little Brittle Music Birmingham, Bristol and London London Brooklyn Birmingham, Bristol, London and Brooklyn Brooklyn (again)

thanks: Park-Lash-Sanders-Pugh (Fizzle, Birmingham; BtB, Bristol; and OTO London), Laubrock-Park (New Revolution Arts, Brooklyn) and Didkovsky-Park-Sinton (65Fen, Brooklyn)

Han-earl Park and Ingrid Laubrock (New Revolution Arts, Brooklyn, December 12, 2015). Photo © 2015 Michael Foster.
Han-earl Park and Ingrid Laubrock (New Revolution Arts, Brooklyn, December 12, 2015). Photo © 2015 Michael Foster.

Five performance this final month of 2015! A great privilege to have shared the stage with so many awesomely creative, smart and generous people. Let’s get to the hat-tips…

Okay, start with a thanks to my co-conspirators, Dominic Lash, Mark Sanders and Caroline Pugh, who consistently created fascinating, difficult, infuriating, confounding and beautiful spaces for interaction. Listening to the music play out in real-time, all I could think was that it sounds great whenever the guitarist shuts-up. (As Josh Sinton pointed out later, that’s really a wonderful position to be in; not knowing how to contribute to—to add to—an already perfect ensemble at play.)

Thanks to Ingrid Laubrock for the play—it was great to come-off a… logistically challenging set of gigs into a relaxed performance where, well, anything might happen… and we ended up in some interesting and unexpected places. (Felt very good about this one.)

To Josh Sinton and Nick Didkovsky, well… That. Was. A. Blast. …Thanks, Josh, Nick, for the Loud Jazz (best possible sense!).

Big thanks to all the venues and promoters, DIYers and supporters: to the indefatigable Andrew Woodhead at Fizzle; to Seth Cooke and everyone at Bang the Bore for an awesome event; to Fielding Hope, Oli Barrett and everyone at Cafe OTO for their support, and for their patience with all the ups’n’downs; to Josh and everyone at 65Fen Music Series; and to Cisco Bradley for inviting me to perform at New Revolution Arts (a beautiful space—socially, musically).

Thanks to Tom Durham the gentleman who lent me his amplifier in Birmingham (sorry, can’t remember your name!), and to Andrew Drury and Chris Welcome who did the same in Brooklyn—y’all made my travels so much more pleasant!

The tour by my ensemble with Dom, Mark and Caroline was made possible with funding from Culture Ireland, and I am extremely grateful for their support.

I am also grateful to Franziska Schroeder, Elspeth Murray, Helen Petts, ODD7’s Towards the Margins, London Korea Links, and Alma Ní Choigligh of Embassy of Ireland (London) who all helped to spread the word of the performances. A special thanks to Cath Roberts of LUME, Avant Music News, and George Haslam of SLAM Productions for their continued support. Similarly, thanks to Editor Laurence Donohue-Greene for tying-in a review in The New York City Jazz Record to coincide with my Brooklyn performances.

Thanks to Dom Lash and Kate Hendry, and to Josh Sinton and family, for offering a place for this itinerant musician to crash a night (or three). Kudos to Nasc Ireland for helping me navigate some border… technicalities 😉

And a very special thanks to the Best Sound Engineer in the Known Universe, Alex Fiennes, for taking time to make the music sound great in London.

Finally, as always, thanks, thanks, thanks, everyone, for listening.

Next up…

Performing again with Dom Lash, Mark Sanders and Caroline Pugh, this time in Cork, January 2016. See the performance diary for up-to-date info.

Culture Ireland logo

Birmingham, Bristol and London performances presented with funding from Culture Ireland, and support from SLAM Productions.

updates

12–20-15: add Tom Durham’s name (thanks, Andy).

reminder: Nick Didkovsky, Han-earl Park and Josh Sinton at 65Fen Music, Brooklyn

Tomorrow (Monday, December 14, 2015), at 9:00pm (doors: 8:30pm): Nick Didkovsky (guitar), Han-earl Park (guitar) and Josh Sinton (saxophone) perform at 65Fen Music Series (65 Fenimore Street, Brooklyn, NY 11225). $10 suggested donation.

As I said previously, we never got to do a launch gig for Anomic Aphasia, so, despite Catherine Sikora’s absence (next time, Catherine!), I’m thinking of this as an unofficial record launch event. Come down to hear some noise!

reminder: Ingrid Laubrock and Han-earl Park at New Revolution Arts, Brooklyn

This Saturday (December 12, 2015), at 8:00pm (our set: 9:00pm): Ingrid Laubrock (saxophone) and Han-earl Park (guitar) perform at New Revolution Arts Series (7 Stanhope Street, Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY 11221). $10 suggested donation.

It’s been a while since I played in Brooklyn; it’ll be great to be back. See you there!

frightening atmospherics (New York City Jazz Record review: Anomic Aphasia)

CD cover of ‘Anomic Aphasia’ (SLAMCD 559) with Han-earl Park, Catherine Sikora, Nick Didkovsky and Josh Sinton (artwork copyright 2015, Han-earl Park)
‘Anomic Aphasia’ (SLAMCD 559) © 2015 Han-earl Park

“Plucky heroine faced with rebellious robots”? “ingot-like density”? “human triumph”? “electronically plugged in as well as pointedly blended”? Ken Waxman, writing in The New York City Jazz Record, reviews ‘Anomic Aphasia’ (SLAMCD 559) by Han-earl Park, Catherine Sikora, Nick Didkovsky and Josh Sinton:

Guitarist Han-earl Park joins those improvisers who conceive of a playbook for interactive tactics….

As the guitarists clip staccato whines with ingot-like density from below the bridges and along the necks, her [Sikora’s] wistful soprano saxophone variations preserve the linear form, eventually making common cause with offbeat folksy strums from one string player. Hear Sikora’s final unaccompanied cadenza as potential human triumph over, or coexistence with, the widening machine-produced tremolo pumps. A folk-like overlay also makes its appearance on the concluding “Stopcock”, although the tenor saxophonist’s concentrated upwards snarls and magnetic near-string-tearing pops from guitar strings make the track so atmospheric as to become almost frightening.

The wailing vigor of Sinton’s bottom-pitched horns adds to the reeds’ aleatoric strategies on the other three
tracks. Nearly verbalized reed tones are so euphonious on “Flying Rods” that the subsequent layered lines nearly move into songbook territory. But Park’s parallel flanges and hard thumping keeps the results electronically plugged in as well as pointedly blended.

Sardonically printing a faux questionnaire about Metis 9 application in the CD booklet shows that Park champions music over theory. With associates like Sikora, Didkovsky and Sinton, it appears he can have it both ways. [Read the rest…]

— Ken Waxman (The New York City Jazz Record)

In a few weeks, I’ll be performing in New York with Josh and Nick on December 14, and with Ingrid Laubrock on December 12. See the performance diary for up-to-date info.

[About this recording…] [All reviews…]

Also from SLAM Productions…

‘io 0.0.1 beta++ (SLAMCD 531) CD cover (copyright 2011, Han-earl Park)

io 0.0.1 beta++ (SLAMCD 531) [details…]

Performers: io 0.0.1 beta++ (itself), Han-earl Park (guitar), Bruce Coates (alto and sopranino saxophones) and Franziska Schroeder (soprano saxophone). [About this project…]

© 2011 Han-earl Park.
℗ 2011 SLAM Productions.

‘Mathilde 253’ (SLAMCD 528) CD cover (copyright 2010, Han-earl Park)

Mathilde 253 (SLAMCD 528) [details…]

Performers: Charles Hayward (drums, percussion and melodica), Han-earl Park (guitar) and Ian Smith (trumpet and flugelhorn) plus Lol Coxhill (saxophone). [About this ensemble…]

© 2010 Han-earl Park.
℗ 2010 SLAM Productions.

performance diary 11-24-15 (Birmingham, Bristol, Brooklyn, Cork, London)

upcoming performances
date venue time details
December 1, 2015 The Lamp Tavern
Barford Street
Birmingham B5 6AH
England
7:30pm Han-earl Park (guitar), Dominic Lash (double bass) and Mark Sanders (drums) [about this trio…] with Caroline Pugh (voice and electronics) presented by Fizzle. Also performing: Lee Griffiths (saxophone) and Olly Chalk (piano). Admission: £5.
[Details…] [Fizzle listings…]
December 2, 2015 Cafe Kino
108 Stokes Croft
Bristol BS1 3RU
England
8:00pm Han-earl Park (guitar), Dominic Lash (double bass) and Mark Sanders (drums) [about this trio…] with Caroline Pugh (voice and electronics) presented by Bang the Bore. Also performing: Casey Hale, and Dsic. Admission: £6.
[Details…] [Bang the Bore page…]
December 3, 2015 Cafe OTO
18–22 Ashwin Street
Dalston
London E8 3DL
England
8:00pm Han-earl Park (guitar), Dominic Lash (double bass) and Mark Sanders (drums) [about this trio…] with Caroline Pugh (voice and electronics). Also performing: John Russell, Terry Day and Billy Steiger. Tickets: £10 (£8 advance) [get tickets…].
[Details…] [OTO page…]
December 12, 2015 New Revolution Arts Series
7 Stanhope Street
Bushwick
Brooklyn, NY 11221
8:00pm Ingrid Laubrock (saxophone) and Han-earl Park (guitar). Also performing: Joanna Mattrey (viola), Leila Bordreuil (cello) and Sean Ali (bass); and James Ilgenfritz’ Trio Caveat.$10 suggested donation.
[Details…] [New Revolution Arts listings…]
December 14, 2015 65Fen Music Series
65 Fenimore Street
Brooklyn, NY 11225
9:00pm Nick Didkovsky (guitar), Han-earl Park (guitar) and Josh Sinton (saxophone). Also performing: Jon Irabagon (saxophone).$10 suggested donation.
[Details…]
January 29, 2016 Aula Maxima
University College Cork
Cork, Ireland
1:10pm Han-earl Park (guitar), Dominic Lash (double bass) and Mark Sanders (drums) [about this trio…] with Caroline Pugh (voice and electronics) presented by FUAIM Music at UCC.
Admission free.
[Details…] [FUAIM page…]
2016– Europe I am based in Europe as of 2014, and I am seeking performance opportunities for, in particular, my Europe-based projects including Numbers (with Richard Barrett), Mathilde 253 (with Charles Hayward and Ian Smith), and my trio with Dominic Lash and Mark Sanders. Interested promoters, venues and sponsors, please get in touch!
Culture Ireland logo

Birmingham, Bristol and London performances presented with funding from Culture Ireland, and support from SLAM Productions.

Continue reading “performance diary 11-24-15 (Birmingham, Bristol, Brooklyn, Cork, London)”

performance: Ingrid Laubrock and Han-earl Park at New Revolution Arts, Brooklyn

The saxophonist displayed characteristic versatility with her instrument, while the guitarist played in his unique percussive style. The two had a resonance in their sound immediately, producing a pensive breathiness with foreboding overtones throughout the 40 minute performance. They seemed to cast away vulgar, simplistic attempts at clarity, preferring to open a liminal space between the benign expected and chaotic nothingness: a glimmer of deeper and deeper windows into the unexplained and undefined, all the while delving towards utter truths in their exploration. Laubrock’s percussive intensity that ultimately erupted into brilliant exclamations over Park’s mellower staccato ultimately merged into receding thunder. [Read the rest…]

— Cisco Bradley (Jazz Right Now)

Saturday, December 12, 2015, at 8:00pm (our set: 9:00pm): Ingrid Laubrock (saxophone) and Han-earl Park (guitar) perform at New Revolution Arts Series (7 Stanhope Street, Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY 11221). $10 suggested donation.

Set order

8:00pm: Joanna Mattrey (viola), Leila Bordreuil (cello) and Sean Ali (bass).
9:00pm: Ingrid Laubrock (saxophone) and Han-earl Park (guitar).
10:00pm: James Ilgenfritz’ Trio Caveat.

See the performance diary for up-to-date info. [New Revolution Arts listings…] [Facebook event…]

Above video of the May 2013 duo with Ingrid. Videography by Don Mount.

performance: Nick Didkovsky, Han-earl Park and Josh Sinton at 65Fen Music, Brooklyn

‘Free’ is barely sufficient to describe this approach…. The vocabulary of sounds here is as broad as it is unconventional…. While an occasional interlocking harmony might emerge from all of this innovation, it is quickly shattered by unexpected Möbius twists…. An exercise in texture as much as it is in melody, Park, Sikora, Didkovsky, and Sinton don’t just break molds here – they disintegrate anything that resembles the ordinary with authority and prejudice. [Read the rest…]

— Mike Borella (Avant Music News)

Monday, December 14, 2015, at 9:00pm (doors: 8:30pm; our set: 9:00pm): Nick Didkovsky (guitar), Han-earl Park (guitar) and Josh Sinton (saxophone), plus Jon Irabagon (saxophone), perform at 65Fen Music Series (65 Fenimore Street, Brooklyn, NY 11225). $10 suggested donation.

We never got to kick Anomic Aphasia into the world, so, although Catherine Sikora sadly cannot make the gig, I’d like to consider this an unofficial record launch event. See you there!

See the performance diary for up-to-date info. [65fen listings…] [Facebook event…]

Above video playlist of the November 2013 Gowanus Company. Videography by Scott Friedlander. Featuring a stellar cast (seriously worth watching the whole thing for its breadth and depth, and unexpected turns and corners)… yet somehow Josh, Nick and I never managed to all be onstage at the same time! We’ll fix that this time.

By Han-earl Park, Nick Didkovsky and Josh Sinton

CD cover of ‘Anomic Aphasia’ (SLAMCD 559) with Han-earl Park, Catherine Sikora, Nick Didkovsky and Josh Sinton (artwork copyright 2015, Han-earl Park)

Anomic Aphasia (SLAMCD 559) [details…]

Performers: Han-earl Park (guitar), Catherine Sikora (tenor and soprano saxophones), Nick Didkovsky (guitar), and Josh Sinton (baritone saxophone and bass clarinet).

© 2015 Han-earl Park.
℗ 2015 SLAM Productions.

updates

11-20-15: change set time, and add Facebook event.

performance diary 09-30-15 (Birmingham, Bristol, Brooklyn, London)

upcoming performances
date venue time details
December 1, 2015 The Lamp Tavern
Barford Street
Birmingham B5 6AH
England
7:30pm Han-earl Park (guitar), Dominic Lash (double bass) and Mark Sanders (drums) [about this trio…] with Caroline Pugh (voice and electronics) presented by Fizzle. Also performing: Lee Griffiths (saxophone) and Olly Chalk (piano). Admission: £5.
[Details…] [Fizzle listings…]
December 2, 2015 Cafe Kino
108 Stokes Croft
Bristol BS1 3RU
England
8:00pm Han-earl Park (guitar), Dominic Lash (double bass) and Mark Sanders (drums) [about this trio…] with Caroline Pugh (voice and electronics) presented by Bang the Bore. Also performing: Casey Hale, and Dsic. Admission: £6.
[Details…] [Bang the Bore page…]
December 3, 2015 Cafe OTO
18–22 Ashwin Street
Dalston
London E8 3DL
England
8:00pm Han-earl Park (guitar), Dominic Lash (double bass) and Mark Sanders (drums) [about this trio…] with Caroline Pugh (voice and electronics). Also performing: John Russell, Terry Day and Billy Steiger. Tickets: £10 (£8 advance) [get tickets…].
[Details…] [OTO page…]
December 12, 2015 New Revolution Arts Series
7 Stanhope Street
Bushwick
Brooklyn, NY 11221
8:00pm Ingrid Laubrock (saxophone) and Han-earl Park (guitar). Also performing: Joanna Mattrey (viola), Leila Bordreuil (cello) and Sean Ali (bass); and James Ilgenfritz’ Trio Caveat.$10 suggested donation.
[Details…] [New Revolution Arts listings…]
December 14, 2015 65Fen Music Series
65 Fenimore Street
Brooklyn, NY 11225
9:00pm Nick Didkovsky (guitar), Han-earl Park (guitar) and Josh Sinton (saxophone). Also performing: Jon Irabagon (saxophone).$10 suggested donation.
[Details…]
2015– Europe I am based in Europe as of 2014, and I am seeking performance opportunities for, in particular, my Europe-based projects including Numbers (with Richard Barrett), Mathilde 253 (with Charles Hayward and Ian Smith), and my trio with Dominic Lash and Mark Sanders. Interested promoters, venues and sponsors, please get in touch!
Culture Ireland logo

Birmingham, Bristol and London performances presented with funding from Culture Ireland, and support from SLAM Productions.

Continue reading “performance diary 09-30-15 (Birmingham, Bristol, Brooklyn, London)”

beautiful noise (reviews: Anomic Aphasia)

CD cover of ‘Anomic Aphasia’ (SLAMCD 559) with Han-earl Park, Catherine Sikora, Nick Didkovsky and Josh Sinton (artwork copyright 2015, Han-earl Park)
‘Anomic Aphasia’ (SLAMCD 559) © 2015 Han-earl Park

‘Anomic Aphasia’ (SLAMCD 559) with Han-earl Park, Catherine Sikora, Nick Didkovsky and Josh Sinton makes Avant Music News Best of 2015 (So Far). Honored to find my work among such illustrious company. [Read the Avant Music News review…]

Meanwhile… “dynamic, articulate”? “jarring, discordant, loud and experimental”? “interesting acoustic altercations?” sounds that are simultaneously “alien and captivating”? (I certainly love the idea that my guitar “breaks constantly with magmatic rumblings.”) Accompanying the interview with Han-earl Park in jazzColo[u]rs, Andrew Rigmore and Antonio Terzo review ‘Anomic Aphasia’:

Votato all’improvvisazione basata su macro tattiche, artefice di un impiego ritmico—molto personale—della chitarra, e fautore di sonorità comunque aliene e trascinanti al tempo stesso, Han-earl Park è musicista conscio dei propri limiti, che cerca di superare con un approccio “alternativo”, umile e di ricerca. A beneficiarne, innanzitutto, la voce della sassofonista Catherine Sikora, sonora, multicolore e sfaccettata…. Mette in campo due diverse formazioni: la prima, stridente, discordante, rumorosa e sperimentale, con il chitarrista Nick Didkovsky, ossia l’Eris trio, l’altra, più dinamica, articolata e meno dissonante, invece, insieme al sassofonista—anche lui sui generis—Josh Sinton, ossia Metis 9…. Han-earl Park lo dice chiaramente: il terreno è, specie per Metis 9, quello della sperimentazione, e dal punto di vista pratico, siamo certo molto lontani da quel che si intende per jazz. Ma è anche vero che essere pratici spesso impedisce di vedere il possibile. E, soprattutto in arte, uccide la fantasia.

— Andrew Rigmore and Antonio Terzo (jazzColo[u]rs)

Elsewhere… you can get your copy of the CD from Downtown Music Gallery who call it “challenging music where all of the players help determine the direction and interaction”:

Mr. Park moved here for a few years not too long ago and worked with a number of Downtown musicians…. This is Mr. Park’s first disc with those Downtowners, an interesting cast from different scenes…. Mr. Park wrote or provided directions for each piece…. The first trio is for two guitars and Ms. Sikora on saxes. It is very long and both guitars sound well-integrated, Mr. Park played those fractured notes similar to Derek Bailey and Mr. Didkovsky using some sustain or other devices to thicken up his tone or provide alien textures. Ms. Sikora… works well in the two guitars or two saxes context here. This is a strong, long and spirited disc of challenging music where all of the players help determine the direction and interaction. Another great thing about this disc is getting to hear bari sax great Josh Sinton stretching out at length. [Read the rest…]

— Bruce Lee Gallanter (Downtown Music Gallery)

Finally, KFJC 89.7 FM hears music that spans “cacophony to melody”, and a “beautiful noise”:

It’s all about guitars versus sax. Sax versus guitars. Sax and guitars together. They are challenging and phenomenal works with the musicians playing off of each others ideas. The guitars are each unique in approach and Sikora goes for it with her sax taking them on note for note. There is pause and space, much needed allowing the listener to appreciate it all. Cacophony to melody…. What is clear is the stunning trio work…. The feeling is different but still crazy, intertwining each others notes, letting them stand, then facing off, blending, melding, challenging each other. A beautiful noise. Free jazz continuing to experiment. [Read the rest…]

Thanks to KFJC 89.7 FM for all the support over the years (shout outs to Carson Street, Edison Einstein, Cousin Mary, Dada Diogenes and Spliff Skankin!), and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank, in particular, WNUR 89.3 FM, CHRW 94.9 FM, KALX 90.7 FM and WFMU 91.1 FM for their airplay.

[About this recording…] [All reviews…]

More updates

In addition to Downtown Music Gallery, ‘Anomic Aphasia’ is now also available from Wayside Music. So you can now get your copy from:

[Downtown Music Gallery…] [Wayside Music…] [Disk Union…] [Improjazz…] [Crazy Jazz…] [Jazzcds…] [Proper Music (distributor)…] [More purchase options…]

And above is the latest trailer for the album. Watch, listen and share….

Also from SLAM Productions…

‘io 0.0.1 beta++ (SLAMCD 531) CD cover (copyright 2011, Han-earl Park)

io 0.0.1 beta++ (SLAMCD 531) [details…]

Performers: io 0.0.1 beta++ (itself), Han-earl Park (guitar), Bruce Coates (alto and sopranino saxophones) and Franziska Schroeder (soprano saxophone). [About this project…]

© 2011 Han-earl Park.
℗ 2011 SLAM Productions.

‘Mathilde 253’ (SLAMCD 528) CD cover (copyright 2010, Han-earl Park)

Mathilde 253 (SLAMCD 528) [details…]

Performers: Charles Hayward (drums, percussion and melodica), Han-earl Park (guitar) and Ian Smith (trumpet and flugelhorn) plus Lol Coxhill (saxophone). [About this ensemble…]

© 2010 Han-earl Park.
℗ 2010 SLAM Productions.

updates

09–23-15: update Downtown Music Gallery link.