performance: Crucible Sound #7 at ModernFormations, Pittsburgh

Crucible Sound (Pittsburgh, 11-07-13)
Thursday, November 7, 2013, at 8:00pm (doors: 7:30pm): David Bernabo (guitar), Edgar Um Bucholtz (coronet, trash), J Wayne Clinton (synthesizer, homemade instruments), Han-earl Park (guitar) and Lenny Young (oboe) perform as part of Crucible Sound. Crucible Sound is a series in which “musicians from different backgrounds and styles collaborate to create live improvised soundworks. The series seeks to support the creation of unexpected music in Pittsburgh and to increase awareness and understanding of the practice of improvisation. Crucible Sound is organized by multi-instrumentalist and improviser Anthony Levin-Decanini” [more…]. The event takes place at ModernFormations (4919 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15224) [map…]. Suggested donation: $7.

See the performance diary for up-to-date info. [Crucible Sound page…]

reminder: Han-earl Park, Catherine Sikora and Josh Sinton at Harvestworks, New York

Tomorrow (Tuesday, October 29, 2013), at 7:00pm: perhaps for the last time, Han-earl Park (guitar), Catherine Sikora (saxophones) and Josh Sinton (saxophone and clarinet) will render Metis 9. The performance takes place at Harvestworks (596 Broadway #602, New York, NY 10012) [map and directions…]. Free admission.

reminder: Eris 136199 (Nick Didkovsky, Han-earl Park and Catherine Sikora) at Downtown Music Gallery, New York

This Sunday (October 27, 2013), at 6:00pm: maybe your last chance to hear Nick Didkovsky (guitar), Han-earl Park (guitar), and Catherine Sikora (saxophones), a.k.a. Eris 136199, visit the crossroads of noise, melody, rhythm, space, density, contrast, synchronicity, asymmetry, serendipity and contradiction. Also performing is Samm Bennett. The event takes place at Downtown Music Gallery (13 Monroe Street, New York, NY 10002-7351) [map…]. Free admission.

performance diary 10-23-13 (Brooklyn, New York, Pittsburgh)

upcoming performances
date venue time details
October 27, 2013 Downtown Music Gallery
13 Monroe Street
New York, NY 10002
6:00pm Performance by Eris 136199 (Nick Didkovsky: guitar; Han-earl Park: guitar; and Catherine Sikora: saxophones). Also performing: Samm Bennett. Free admission.
[Details…] [DMG page…]
October 29, 2013 Harvestworks
596 Broadway #602
New York, NY 10012
7:00pm Performance of Metis 9 by Han-earl Park (guitar), Catherine Sikora (saxophones) and Josh Sinton (saxophone and clarinet).
Free admission.
[Details…] [Harvestworks page…]
November 7, 2013 ModernFormations
4919 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15224
8:00pm (doors: 7:30pm) Performance by David Bernabo (guitar), Edgar Um Bucholtz (coronet, trash), J Wayne Clinton (synthesizer, homemade instruments), Han-earl Park (guitar) and Lenny Young (oboe) as part of Crucible Sound.
Suggested donation: $7.
[Details…] [Crucible Sound page…]
November 17, 2013 Downtown Music Gallery
13 Monroe Street
New York, NY 10002
6:00pm Canceled! Performance by Viv Corringham (voice and electronics) and Han-earl Park (guitar). Details to follow…
Free admission.
November 20, 2013 IBeam
168 7th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11215
8:30pm Performance by Anna Webber (saxophone) and Han-earl Park (guitar). Also performing: Joe Moffett (trumpet), Carlo Costa (drums) and Dan Peck (tuba). $10 suggested donation.
[Details…]
November 21, 2013 Andrew Drury’s home
[Contact for location…]
Lefferts Gardens
Brooklyn, NY
7:00pm Soup and Sound House Concert with Jack Wright (saxophones) and Ben Wright (double bass) with Andrew Drury (percussion), Joe Moffett (trumpet), Dan Peck (tuba), Han-earl Park (guitar), Michael Evans (percussion) and others.
Recommended donation: $10.
[Details…]
November 26, 2013 Douglass Street Music Collective
295 Douglass Street
Gowanus
Brooklyn, NY 11217
7:00pm Gowanus Company curated by Kyoko Kitamura, Josh Sinton and Han-earl Park. Performers: Dan Blake (saxophone), Olie Brice (double bass), Viv Corringham (voice and electronics), Nick Didkovsky (guitar), Michael Evans (drums), Ken Filiano (double bass), Christopher Hoffman (’cello), Jason Kao Hwang (violin), Kyoko Kitamura (voice), Ingrid Laubrock (saxophone), Jeremiah Lockwood (voice and guitar), Russ Lossing (piano), Han-earl Park (guitar), Tom Rainey (drums), Josh Sinton (saxophone and clarinet), Fay Victor (voice) and others. Recommended donation: $10.
[Details…] [DSMC page…]
2014– Europe I will be moving back to Europe at the start 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 io 0.0.1 beta++ (with Bruce Coates and Franziska Schroeder). Interested promoters, venues and sponsors, please get in touch!

Continue reading “performance diary 10-23-13 (Brooklyn, New York, Pittsburgh)”

Bird is the Worm: Work Spaces

Han-earl Park’s work space, Brooklyn
As Dave Sumner describes it, Work Spaces is “a series of photos of artist work spaces… the places where the creative process takes shape and form,” and in this edition features:

Han-earl Park work space in his Kensington, Brooklyn apartment. According to Park, it is also where Gisel the cat performs her role as music critic. [More…]

Also featured as part of Work Spaces is Catherine Sikora, Ian Smith and Han-earl Park’s download album which Sumner previously reviewed, and on this occasion describes as “improvised music, straight from the heart”. [More about this recording…] [All reviews…]

Also available for download [more…]

Paul Dunmall, Han-earl Park and Mark Sanders: Dunmall-Park-Sanders (Birmingham, 02-15-11)

Dunmall-Park-Sanders (Birmingham, 02-15-11) [details…]

Performers: Paul Dunmall (saxophones and bagpipes), Han-earl Park (guitar) and Mark Sanders (drums).

(cc) 2013 Paul Dunmall/Han-earl Park/Mark Sanders.

Murray Campbell, Randy McKean with Han-earl Park, plus Gino Robair and Scott R. Looney: Gargantius Effect +1 +2 +3 (Nor Cal, 08-2011)

Gargantius Effect +1 +2 +3 (Nor Cal, 08-2011) [details…]

Performers: Murray Campbell (violins, oboe and cor anglais), Randy McKean (saxophone, clarinets and flutes) with Han-earl Park (guitar), plus Gino Robair (energized surfaces, voltage made audible) and Scott R. Looney (hyperpiano).

(cc) 2012 Murray Campbell/Randy McKean/Han-earl Park/Gino Robair/Scott R. Looney.

Han-earl Park plus Marian Murray: Park+Murray (Cork, 07-29-10)

Park+Murray (Cork, 07-29-10) [details…]

Performers: Han-earl Park (guitar) plus Marian Murray (violin).

(cc) 2012 Han-earl Park/Marian Murray.

Jin Sangtae, Han-earl Park and Jeffrey Weeter: Jin-Park-Weeter (Cork, 01–24–11)

Jin-Park-Weeter (Cork, 01-24-11) [details…]

Performers: Jin Sangtae (electronics), Han-earl Park (guitar) and Jeffrey Weeter (drums and electronics).

(cc) 2012 Jin Sangtae/Han-earl Park/Jeffrey Weeter.

Han-earl Park and Franziska Schroeder: Park-Schroeder (Cork, 03-26-09)

Park-Schroeder (Cork, 03-26-09) [details…]

Performers: Han-earl Park (guitar) and Franziska Schroeder (saxophone).

(cc) 2012 Han-earl Park/Franziska Schroeder.

performance: Han-earl Park, Catherine Sikora and Josh Sinton at Harvestworks, New York

Tuesday, October 29, 2013, at 7:00pm: Free play meets social engineering? ‘Glorious noise’? Anti-structures? Willful complexity? Perhaps the last chance to hear Han-earl Park (guitar), Catherine Sikora (saxophones) and Josh Sinton (saxophone and clarinet) explore interactive noise and improvisative complexity via Metis 9. The performance takes place at Harvestworks (596 Broadway #602, New York, NY 10012) [map and directions…]. Free admission.

See the performance diary for up-to-date info. [Harvestworks page…]

details

Free play meets social engineering? ‘Glorious noise’? Anti-structures? Willful complexity? An orchestrated, real-time, interactive collision between the cyborgism of guitarist Han-earl Park, and the incomparably original melodic and timbral sensibilities of saxophonist Catherine Sikora and saxophonist-clarinetist Josh Sinton. The trio will render into music, Metis 9, a collection of improvisative tactics, and higher-level interactive macros for group improvisation.

An orchestrated, real-time, interactive collision between the cyborgism of guitarist Han-earl Park, and the incomparably original melodic and timbral sensibilities of saxophonist Catherine Sikora and saxophonist-clarinetist Josh Sinton. The trio will render into music, Metis 9, a collection of improvisative tactics, and higher-level interactive macros for ensemble performance designed, designated and specified by Han-earl Park.

Metis 9 has ‘glorious noise’ or ‘frenzy’ at its root, yet it is not so much structuring the noise as it is a meta-layer of complexity that performers can introduce at will. Metis 9 does not tell the performer what to play, or provide all the details of how to interact, but it is an auxiliary network protocol for interactive possibilities. Group improvisation is always the primary protocol; Metis 9 provides secondary or tertiary tactics that create an additional focused complexity. The decision for each bloop and bleep is still retained by the ensemble. These macros enable specific interactionist schemes to be expressed in an open improvisative context; it is improvisative play channeled by group consent.

performance: Eris 136199 (Nick Didkovsky, Han-earl Park and Catherine Sikora) at Downtown Music Gallery, New York

Sunday, October 27, 2013, at 6:00pm: expect noise, melody, space and density in unexpected proportions and combinations as Eris 136199 (Nick Didkovsky: guitar; Han-earl Park: guitar; and Catherine Sikora: saxophones) performs for the (last?) time. The event, also featuring a set by Samm Bennett, takes place at Downtown Music Gallery (13 Monroe Street, New York, NY 10002-7351) [map…]. Free admission.

See the performance diary for up-to-date info. [DMG page…]

about Eris 136199

Eris 136199 plays on the crossroads of noise, melody, rhythm, space, density, contrast, synchronicity, asymmetry, serendipity and contradiction. Eris 136199 is the noisy, unruly complexity of composer, computer artist and guitarist Nick Didkovsky, the corporeal, cyborg virtuosity of constructor and guitarist Han-earl Park, and the no-nonsense melodic logic of composer and saxophonist Catherine Sikora.

A composer who enjoys blurry boundaries, Nick Didkovsky founded the avant-rock big band Doctor Nerve, and is a member of Swim This with Gerry Hemingway and Michael Lytle. He is a pioneer of small-systems computer music, and has composed music for ensemble including Bang On A Can All-Stars and the California EAR Unit.

Described by Brian Morton as “a musical philosopher… a delightful shape-shifter”, Han-earl Park is drawn to real-time cyborg configurations in which artifacts and bodies collide. He has performed with some of the finest practitioners of improvised music, is part of Mathilde 253 with Charles Hayward and Ian Smith, and Numbers with Richard Barrett.

Catherine Sikora is “a free-blowing player’s player with a spectacular harmonic imagination and an evolved understanding of the tonal palette of the saxophone” (Chris Elliot, Seacoast Online). She has a long-standing duo project with Eric Mingus, and performs as part of ensembles led by Elliott Sharp, François Grillot and Matt Lavelle.

Together, Didkovsky, Park and Sikora forges an improvisative space where melody can be melody, noise can be noise, meter can be meter, metal becomes metal, bluegrass turns to bluegrass, jazz transforms into jazz, all there, all necessary without imploding under idiomatic pressures.

audio clips: Numbers: Richard Barrett + Han-earl Park

CD cover of ‘Numbers’ (CS 201 cd) with Richard Barrett and Han-earl Park (copyright 2012, Creative Sources Recordings)
‘Numbers’ (CS 201 cd) © 2012 Creative Sources

Previously posted individually, I’ve now collated the audio excerpts from Richard Barrett and Han-earl Park’s CD, ‘Numbers’ (CS 201 cd) on the album specific post, on my discography, on the project page, and below:




Audio clip courtesy of Creative Sources Recordings.
Music by Richard Barrett and Han-earl Park.
Audio ℗ 2012 Creative Sources Recordings. Please do not distribute audio file, but instead share the link to this page.

‘Numbers’ (CS 201 cd) is available from Creative Sources Recordings. [More info…] [Get the CD…] [About this duo…]

Cannot play audio?

Try loading the original post, and playing back from there. Please contact me if you have further problems.

final (?) performances: Eris 136199 and Metis 9, NYC

Eris 136199 and Metis 9 (NYC, October 2013)
Last chance to see? Coming up in October: what may be the final performances (for the foreseeable future) of two of my New York projects, Eris 136199 with Nick Didkovsky and Catherine Sikora, and Metis 9 with Catherine Sikora and Josh Sinton (see the performance diary for up-to-date info).

If you’ve never caught these project… now’s the time!

thanks: Parker-Park (The Stone, NYC), Park-Sikora-Sinton (DSMC, Brooklyn) and Park-Parkins (The Living Gallery, Brooklyn)

Three gigs; and I couldn’t ask for a more varied and musically valuable seven days.

I learned a heck of a lot (about my capabilities as an improviser, and about the social dynamics of interactive play) performing with Evan Parker. Still reeling from the experience, I’m grateful for the opportunity to play with Mr Parker again, and to have sat in with the Bleeding Edge Trio.

The performance with Catherine Sikora and Josh Sinton was the most craftily accomplished. We’ve been engineering, navigating and negotiating these improvisative, tactical considerations since February, and it’s been a pleasure and a privilege to be working with two imaginative and gutsy performers. I expect our performance at Harvestworks in October will be something else. (Plus thanks to Josh for the post-gig reflections.)

If I had to choose just one of these gigs as a stand-out though, it might have to be the duo with the stupendously creative Andrea Parkins. Insanely fun! Despite (or perhaps becuase of) severe technical limitations, I found myself in some very odd places. (Andrea was one of the first NYC people I contacted before moving here, so this performance was looong overdue.) Let’s play again. I had a blast.

Big thanks to coconspirators Michael Foster and Lisa Mezzacappa, to Mike Pride for the funniest post-gig story telling, and to the documetarists Don Mount and Jeremiah Cymerman. Finally, special thanks to Louise and Tom for bringing their new family to The Stone.

Next up: performances coming up in October as part of Eris 136199 (Nick Didkovsky, Han-earl Park and Catherine Sikora), and with Catherine Sikora and Josh Sinton for another round with Metis 9. See the performance diary for up-to-date info.

performance diary 09-27-13 (Brooklyn, New York, Pittsburgh)

upcoming performances
date venue time details
October 27, 2013 Downtown Music Gallery
13 Monroe Street
New York, NY 10002
6:00pm Performance by Eris 136199 (Nick Didkovsky: guitar; Han-earl Park: guitar; and Catherine Sikora: saxophones). Also performing: Samm Bennett. Free admission.
[Details…] [DMG page…]
October 29, 2013 Harvestworks
596 Broadway #602
New York, NY 10012
7:00pm Performance of Metis 9 by Han-earl Park (guitar), Catherine Sikora (saxophones) and Josh Sinton (saxophone and clarinet).
Free admission.
[Details…] [Harvestworks page…]
November 7, 2013 ModernFormations
4919 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15224
8:00pm (doors: 7:30pm) Performance by Han-earl Park (guitar) and other as part of Crucible Sound. Details to follow…
Suggested donation: $7.
November 17, 2013 Downtown Music Gallery
13 Monroe Street
New York, NY 10002
6:00pm Performance by Viv Corringham (voice and electronics) and Han-earl Park (guitar). Details to follow…
Free admission.
November 21, 2013 Andrew Drury’s home
[Contact for location…]
Lefferts Gardens
Brooklyn, NY
7:00pm Soup and Sound House Concert with Jack Wright (saxophones) and Ben Wright (double bass) with Andrew Drury (percussion), Joe Moffett (trumpet), Dan Peck (tuba), Han-earl Park (guitar), Michael Evans (percussion) and others. Details to follow…
Recommended donation: $10.
2014– Europe I will be moving back to Europe at the start 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 io 0.0.1 beta++ (with Bruce Coates and Franziska Schroeder). Interested promoters, venues and sponsors, please get in touch!

Continue reading “performance diary 09-27-13 (Brooklyn, New York, Pittsburgh)”

reminder: Han-earl Park and Andrea Parkins at The Living Gallery, Brooklyn

Han-earl Park and Andrea Parkins
This Wednesday (September 25, 2013), at 9:00pm: a performance by Han-earl Park (guitar) and Andrea Parkins (accordion and electronics), plus Marc Edwards/Ernest Anderson III and Tristan Shepherd/Michael Foster, at The Living Gallery (1094 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY 11221) [map and directions…]. Recommended donation: $8.