Happy New Year: 2015
site update: Han-earl Park bio plus YouTube playlist
Although nowhere near a big a revision as the last major update, I’ve made some significant changes to my bio. Below is the new verbose, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink, 472 word version [shorter versions…].
Improviser, guitarist and constructor Han-earl Park (박한얼) (www.busterandfriends.com) has been crossing borders and performing fuzzily idiomatic, on occasion experimental, always traditional, open improvised musics for twenty years. He has performed in clubs, theaters, art galleries, concert halls, and (ad-hoc) alternative spaces in Austria, Denmark, Germany, England, Ireland, The Netherlands, Scotland and the USA.
Park engages a radical, liminal, cyborg virtuosity in which mind, body and artifact collide. He is driven by the social and revolutionary potential of real-time interactive performance in which tradition and practice become creative problematics. As a constructor of musical automata, he is interested in partial, and partially frustrating, context-specific artifacts; artifacts that amplify social relations and corporeal identities and agencies.
Ensembles include Mathilde 253 with Charles Hayward and Ian Smith, Eris 136199 with Nick Didkovsky and Catherine Sikora, and Numbers with Richard Barrett. Park is the constructor of the machine improviser io 0.0.1 beta++, and instigator of Metis 9, a playbook of improvisative tactics. He has performed with Wadada Leo Smith, Paul Dunmall, Evan Parker, Lol Coxhill, Mark Sanders, Josh Sinton, Louise Dam Eckardt Jensen, Gino Robair, Tim Perkis, Andrew Drury, Pat Thomas and Franziska Schroeder. He has guested with Gargantius Effect (Murray Campbell and Randy McKean), the Mark Hanslip/Dominic Lash/Phillip Marks Trio, and Swim This (Nick Didkovsky, Gerry Hemingway and Michael Lytle); performed as part of large ensembles led by Wadada Leo Smith, Evan Parker and Pauline Oliveros; and participated in improvisative meetings with Gerald Cleaver, Andrea Parkins, Tom Rainey, Mike Pride, Anna Webber, Jack Wright and Ingrid Laubrock. He has studied with improviser-composers Wadada Leo Smith, Richard Barrett, Joel Ryan, Mark Trayle, Chick Lyall and David Rosenboom, composers Clarence Barlow and Marina Adamia, and interactive media artist Sara Roberts.
Festival appearances include Freedom of the City (London), Sonorities (Belfast), International Society for Improvised Music (New York), dialogues festival (Edinburgh), VAIN Live Art (Oxford), Center for Experiments in Art, Information and Technology Festival (Los Angeles) and Sonic Acts (Amsterdam). In addition to numerous self-released albums, his recordings have been released by Slam Productions, Creative Sources, Vicmod Records, FrImp, Owlhouse Recordings and DUNS Limited Edition. His music has been featured on anthologies released by Bridge Records, farpoint recordings and Frog Peak Music. He has performed live on Resonance FM (London), Drift Radio (Scotland), and KVMR 89.5 FM (Nevada County), interviewed on RTÉ Morning Ireland and RTÉ Nova (Ireland), and his recordings have been broadcast around the world.
Park taught improvisation at University College Cork (2006–2011), and founded and curated (2007–2011) Stet Lab, a space for improvised music in Cork. He is a recipient of grants from the Arts Council of Ireland (2007, 2008 and 2009) and Music Network (2009 and 2010), and of the Ahmanson Foundation Scholarship (1999) and the CalArts Scholarship (1999 and 1999–2000).
[Han-earl Park’s biography (16–472 words) plus press quotes…]
I’ve also taken the opportunity to create a new video playlist of selected performances. With 52 videos, and clocking in at around 13 hours, my previous playlist of ‘recent’ performances was no longer able to be an effective portfolio reel. Thanks as always to the videographers (Don Mount, Kevin Reilly and Scott Friedlander), and to all the performers.
site update: scrapbook redux reboot
Another summary of the updates to my scrapbook since the last review. A few newer clips from Brooklyn and New York which include some of the best music I’ve been involved in (the duo with Gerald Cleaver, in particular, has, for me, some of my best playing), plus a blast from the past: Mathilde 253 in Cork. With the latest updates, I’ve also taken the opportunity to split the scrapbook across two pages (with so much embedded media, it was getting near impossible for those with slower computers and/or connections to load the page).
Please note that all music and audio recordings © + ℗ their respective owners (i.e. these are not covered by a Creative Commons License).
Han-earl Park (guitar), Catherine Sikora (saxophones) and Mike Pride (drums).
Music by Han-earl Park, Catherine Sikora and Mike Pride.
Recorded live, April 2, 2014 at Spectrum, New York.
Recorded by Don Mount.
Recorded live, April 2, 2014 at Spectrum, New York.
Recorded by Don Mount.
Evan Parker (saxophone) and Han-earl Park (guitar), plus Peter Evans (trumpet) and Okkyung Lee (’cello).
Music by Evan Parker and Han-earl Park, plus Peter Evans and Okkyung Lee.
Recorded live, September 19, 2013 at The Stone, New York.
Recorded by Don Mount.
Recorded live, September 19, 2013 at The Stone, New York.
Recorded by Don Mount.
Gerald Cleaver (drums) and Han-earl Park (guitar).
Music by Gerald Cleaver and Han-earl Park
Recorded live, August 13, 2013 at Douglass Street Music Collective, Brooklyn.
Recorded by Don Mount.
Recorded live, August 13, 2013 at Douglass Street Music Collective, Brooklyn.
Recorded by Don Mount.
Mathilde 253 (Han-earl Park: guitar; Charles Hayward: drums; and Ian Smith: trumpet).
Music by Mathilde 253.
Recorded live, March 30, 2011 at Half Moon Theatre, Cork.
Presented with funding from the Music Network Performance and Touring Award, and support from the UCC School of Music and the Cork Opera House.
Recorded by John Hough. Live sound by Alex Fiennes.
Recorded live, March 30, 2011 at Half Moon Theatre, Cork.
Presented with funding from the Music Network Performance and Touring Award, and support from the UCC School of Music and the Cork Opera House.
Recorded by John Hough. Live sound by Alex Fiennes.
thanks: Park-Pride-Sikora (Spectrum, NYC) and Velez-Wright-Drury-Park-Tabuenca (Soup and Sound, Brooklyn)
Thanks to all involved in the April 2 and April 3 performances. Thanks to the hosts at Spectrum (Glenn Cornett and the multi-talented Lester St. Louis), and at Soup and Sound (I thank the Cosmos for people like Andrew Drury and Alissa Schwartz who open their homes, and welcome the arts and artists). Thanks to the efforts of the multiple documentarists at the events: Kevin Reilly, Don Mount, Michael Lytle, Adrian Knight and Lawrence de Martin (who provided the experimental speaker cabinet for the Spectrum performance).
I take my hat off to all the musicians who shared the stage: Javier Areal Velez, Jack Wright, Luis Tabuenca and Andrew Drury, and a big, big thanks to Mike Pride and Catherine Sikora for their awesome musicianship and peerless inventiveness. Finally, thanks to all who came to listen!
Next up: performance in Cork, May 3 as part of Sonic Vigil 8. See the performance diary for up-to-date info.
reminder: Han-earl Park, Mike Pride and Catherine Sikora at Spectrum, New York
This Wednesday (April 2, 2014), at 9:30pm: a performance by Han-earl Park (guitar), Mike Pride (drums) and Catherine Sikora (saxophones) takes place at Spectrum (121 Ludlow Street, Floor 2 (ring bell for 2), New York, NY 10002) [map…]. $15 ($10.00 students and seniors).
performance diary 03-29-14 (Brooklyn, Cork, New York)
| date | venue | time | details |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2, 2014 | Spectrum 121 Ludlow Street Floor 2 (ring bell for 2) New York, NY 10002 |
9:30pm | Performance by Han-earl Park (guitar), Mike Pride (drums) and Catherine Sikora (saxophones). $15 ($10 students and seniors). [Details…] |
| April 3, 2014 | Andrew Drury’s home [Contact for location…] Lefferts Gardens Brooklyn, NY |
7:00pm | Soup and Sound House Concert with Javier Areal Velez (guitar), Jack Wright (saxophones), Andrew Drury (percussion) and Han-earl Park (guitar). Recommended donation: $15. |
| May 3, 2014 | St Anne’s Church Shandon Cork, Ireland |
2:00pm | Han-earl Park (guitar) performs as part of Sonic Vigil 8. Free admission. [Details…] |
| June 6, 2014 | The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music 55 West 13th Street New York, NY 10011 |
3:00pm | Performance by Eris 136199 (Nick Didkovsky: guitar; Han-earl Park: guitar; and Catherine Sikora: saxophones) as part of ISIM: Cross-Cultural Improvisation III. Details to follow… |
| June 8, 2014 | Why Not Jazz Room 14 Christopher Street New York, NY 10014 |
7:30pm | Performance by Han-earl Park (guitar) and Tom Rainey (drums) as part of Andrea Wolper’s Why Not Experiment? Series. Also performing: TransAtlantico (Lamy Istrefi: drums, percussion, sound efx; Lawrence Leathers: drums, sound efx; Brahim Fribgane: percussion, goumbri, oud, sound efx). Details to follow… Recommended donation: $10 ($15 both sets). |
| 2014– | 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). Interested promoters, venues and sponsors, please get in touch! |
| September–October 2014 | Europe | Eris 136199 (Nick Didkovsky, Han-earl Park and Catherine Sikora) is seeking performance opportunities late-September and October 2014. Interested promoters, venues and sponsors, please get in touch! |
Continue reading “performance diary 03-29-14 (Brooklyn, Cork, New York)”
thanks: Han-earl Park with Justin Yang and Caroline Pugh at Sonic Arts Research Centre, Belfast
Quick thanks for all involved in the seminar/performance at the Sonic Arts Research Center earlier this month. My hat goes off to all the administrative and technical folk: Chris Corrigan, Pearl Young, Marian Hanna, and, especially, Craig Jackson (who got the A/V up and running for the presentation). Kudos also to Miguel Angel Ortiz Pérez for acting as host when Justin was busy with other business.
Finally, big thanks to Caroline Pugh for the noise, out of the box choices, the occasional melody, and the momentary glimpse of semantics, and to Justin Yang for sharing the stage, and for inviting me in the first place.
Next up: performances coming on April 2 with Mike Pride and Catherine Sikora at Spectrum, New York. See the performance diary for up-to-date info.
performance: Han-earl Park, Mike Pride and Catherine Sikora at Spectrum, New York
Wednesday, April 2, 2014, at 9:30pm: a performance by Han-earl Park (guitar), Mike Pride (drums) and Catherine Sikora (saxophones) takes place at Spectrum (121 Ludlow Street, Floor 2 (ring bell for 2), New York, NY 10002) [map…]. $15 ($10.00 students and seniors).
See the performance diary for up-to-date info. [Spectrum calendar…]
unnecessary blurb
Of all the ways to practice, structure or perform music, why might we choose improvisation? There’s no right answer to this question, but addressing it may help us to… a real-time, interactive improvisative meeting of guitarist Han-earl Park, drummer Mike Pride, and saxophonist and Catherine Sikora, the performance… nomadic tribes of Acirema… “Would it be fair to say ‘invaluable insight’?” “Of course not,” she replied, “it’s never fair….” And yet there’s always this….
Click….
On his returning to New York, Park sees an… “but they’re missing something essential, because the planes don’t land…” runaway winners… and as the only drummer to have performed with both… embrace a wide spectrum… Sikora, far too generous to be performing with… “pushes the boundaries, or plushes the boundaries…?” the asymmetrical soft-clipping stage which consists of the the diodes tied back-to-back in the feedback path of the… and as Eco may have asked: bad dream or bad simulation…? Canada’s 5 feet and 6 inches… as far as it goes.
about the performers
Improviser, guitarist and constructor Han-earl Park has been crossing borders and performing fuzzily idiomatic, on occasion experimental, always traditional, open improvised musics for over fifteen years. He has performed in clubs, theaters, art galleries, concert halls, and (ad-hoc) alternative spaces in Austria, Denmark, Germany, England, Ireland, The Netherlands, Scotland and the USA.
Park is part of Mathilde 253 with Charles Hayward and Ian Smith, Eris 136199 with Nick Didkovsky and Catherine Sikora, and Numbers with Richard Barrett. He is the constructor of the machine improviser io 0.0.1 beta++, a project performed in coalition with Bruce Coates and Franziska Schroeder. He has recently performed with Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith, Paul Dunmall, Lol Coxhill, Mark Sanders, Gino Robair, Tim Perkis, Pat Thomas, Andrew Drury, Josh Sinton, Dominic Lash, and as part of ensembles led by Wadada Leo Smith, Evan Parker, and Pauline Oliveros. Festival appearances include Freedom of the City (London), Sonorities (Belfast), Sonic Acts (Amsterdam), dialogues festival (Edinburgh), and CEAIT (California). His recordings have been released by labels including Slam Productions and Creative Sources.
Park taught improvisation at the UCC Department of Music, and founded and curated Stet Lab, a space for improvised music in Cork.
Born and raised in Southern Maine, but based out of New York City since 2000, Mike Pride currently leads From Bacteria To Boys, and the 7-drummer installation-band Drummer’s Corpse. Both record for AUM Fidelity. Pride is renowned for his ability to excel in a wide range of genres and ensembles. He has worked with everyone from improvised music icon Anthony Braxton to punk legends Millions Of Dead Cops, toured extensively on four continents and appeared on more than 85 recordings.
A short list of his collaborators includes Mick Barr, Boredoms, Eugene Chadbourne, Nels Cline, Andrew D’Angelo, Trevor Dunn, Dynamite Club, Peter Evans, Milford Graves, Mary Halvorson, Curtis Hasselbring, Nona Hendryx, Jon Irabagon, Haino Keiji, Kirk Knuffke, George Lewis, Bill McHenry, Tony Malaby, Sam Mickens, Butch Morris, Joe Morris, William Parker, Matana Roberts, Herb Robertson, Jamie Saft, Sonny Simmons, Jason Stein, Nate Wooley, and Otomo Yoshihide.
Pride’s versatility doesn’t end with his eclectic résumé as a popular sideman and leader/co-leader of many active ensembles spanning the worlds of modern-jazz, avant-rock, noise and doom metal improv. He is also a busy educator and clinician, a soundtrack composer for TV shows, video games and independent films, and an experienced and exhibited visual artist.
Since making her way to New York City from West Cork, Ireland to study abstract improvisation, Catherine Sikora has become a well-known face and sound in New York creative music circles. She has worked with Elliott Sharp, Eric Mingus, Michael Evans, Matt Lavelle, Jeremy Bacon, François Grillot and Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber, among many others. Her undeniably unique approach sets her apart from everyone else, even when surrounded by the most original and creative voices in New York City. Sikora is a contributing writer to the book “Silent Solos-Improvisers Speak” (Buddy’s Knife Publishing, Köln, DE) and is currently working on producing a solo recording.
performance diary 01-22-14 (Belfast, New York)
| date | venue | time | details |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 13, 2014 | Sonic Arts Research Center Queen’s University Belfast, N. Ireland |
1:10pm | Performance by Han-earl Park (guitar) with Justin Yang (saxophones) and Caroline Pugh (voice). Han-earl Park will also be giving a seminar presentation on the previous day (Wednesday, 12 March), 1:00pm at the Sonic Lab. Free admission. [Details…] [SARC page…] [Program (PDF)…] |
| April 2, 2014 | Spectrum 121 Ludlow Street Floor 2 (ring bell for 2) New York, NY 10002 |
9:30pm | Performance by Han-earl Park (guitar), Mike Pride (drums) and Catherine Sikora (saxophones). $15 ($10 students and seniors). [Details…] |
| 2014– | 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). Interested promoters, venues and sponsors, please get in touch! |
| September–October 2014 | Europe | Eris 136199 (Nick Didkovsky, Han-earl Park and Catherine Sikora) is seeking performance opportunities late-September and October 2014. Interested promoters, venues and sponsors, please get in touch! |
Continue reading “performance diary 01-22-14 (Belfast, New York)”
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.
reminder: Han-earl Park, Catherine Sikora and Josh Sinton at Douglass Street Music Collective, Brooklyn
This Sunday (September 22, 2013), at 8:00pm: a real-time rendering of Metis 9 by Han-earl Park (guitar), Catherine Sikora (saxophones) and Josh Sinton (saxophone and clarinet), plus a performance by the Lisa Mezzacappa Trio (Chris Welcome: guitar and voice; Lisa Mezzacappa: double bass; and Mike Pride: drums), Douglass Street Music Collective (295 Douglass Street, Gowanus, Brooklyn, NY 11217) [map and directions…]. $10 suggested donation.
performance diary 08-31-13 (Brooklyn, New York, Pittsburgh)
| date | venue | time | details |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 19, 2013 | The Stone 16 Avenue C New York, NY 10009 |
10:00pm | Performance by Evan Parker (saxophones) and Han-earl Park (guitar). Admission: $20 (students 13–19: $10; children <12: free). [Details…] [The Stone calendar…] |
| September 22, 2013 | Douglass Street Music Collective 295 Douglass Street Gowanus Brooklyn, NY 11217 |
8:00pm | Performance of Metis 9 by Han-earl Park (guitar), Catherine Sikora (saxophones) and Josh Sinton (saxophone and clarinet). Also performing: Lisa Mezzacappa Trio (Chris Welcome: guitar and voice; Lisa Mezzacappa: double bass; and Mike Pride: drums). Recommended donation: $10. [Details…] [DSMC page…] |
| September 25, 2013 | The Living Gallery 1094 Broadway Brooklyn, NY 11221 |
9:00pm | Performance by Han-earl Park (guitar) and Andrea Parkins (accordion and electronics). Also performing: Marc Edwards (drums) and Ernest Anderson III (guitar), and Tristan Shepherd (turntables) and Michael Foster (saxophone). Recommended donation: $8. [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). Details to follow… Free admission. |
| 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. |
| October 2013 | New York and surrounding areas | I am seeking opportunities to perform Metis 9 in small and large ensemble contexts with, at its core, the trio of Han-earl Park, Catherine Sikora and Josh Sinton. In particular, I am seeking performance opportunities for Gargantius Effect +4 (Murray Campbell and Randy McKean with Gino Robair, Han-earl Park, Catherine Sikora and Josh Sinton). Interested promoters, venues and sponsors, please get in touch! [Details…] |
| 2013– | North America | Eris 136199 (Nick Didkovsky: guitar; Han-earl Park: guitar; and Catherine Sikora: saxophones) is seeking performance opportunities in North America, and, in 2014, elsewhere in the world. Interested promoters, venues and sponsors, please get in touch! [Detailed proposal…] |
| 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 08-31-13 (Brooklyn, New York, Pittsburgh)”