On Leap of Faith: "Alien yet familiar, bizarre yet completely fascinating. Expanding, contracting, erupting, settling down, always as one force..." - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
On Metal Chaos Ensemble: "... using unique strategies to yield densely active and eerily surreal music, an incredible excursion through experimental improvisation." - Squidco website staff
12/9/2015 - String Theory
- Quantum Chromodynamics
Debut set for String Theory as a quartet. First EC apearrenee of Mimi Rabson (violin) and Clara Kebabian (viola). Mimi and Glynis had played together some in the 80s, but not since! I very much enjoyed this first set with the strings... Linear Combinations and Transformations, recorded at Killian Hall MIT in 1997 had included a large string section for one piece which I had loved at the time, so my expectations were high and well met by this stellar group.
Audio CD Evil Clown 9057
Leap of Faith ‐ Superalloys
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1) Thermal Creep Deformation ‐ 38:38
2) Yield Strength Anomaly ‐ 35:45
Studio 234, Cambridge MA ‐ 4/8/2015
PEK ‐ clarinets, saxophones, double reeds, tarogato, aquasonic, metal, voice (1,2)
Glynis Lomon ‐ cello, aquasonic, metal, voice (1,2)
Steve Norton ‐ clarinets, saxophones, metal (1,2)
Yuri Zbitnov ‐ drums, percussion, metal (1,2)
Eric Zinman ‐ piano, metal, percussion (1,2)
Yedidyah Syd Smart ‐ metal (2)
Audio CD Evil Clown 9081
Metal Chaos Ensemble - Zero-Point Energy
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1) Absolute Zero -
Evil Clown Headquarters ‐ 10/7/2015
PEK - clarinet, contra-alto clarinet, piccolo oboe, alto sax, tenor sax, siren,
tromboon, tarogato, korg ms-20, aquasonic, theremin, metal
Andria Nicodemou - vibes, metal
Jane Wang - space plates, mbira, metal
Matt Samolis - metal
Kevin Dacey - metal, korg ms-20, theremin, whistles
Yuri Zbitnov - metal, mbira, aquasonic, voice
3/9 & 13/2015 - PEK Solo - Unit Circle
While working up my chops after my long break, I did a number of solo sessions at Evil Clown Headquarters. I have selected a few of these for release. This was the first session I used the contra-bassoon, one of my more exciting new acquisitions - rarely used outside of a full classical orchestra.
Audio CD Evil Clown 9063
Metal Chaos Ensemble ‐ Molten
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1) Molten ‐ 1:00:33
Evil Clown Headquarters ‐ 5/13/2015
PEK ‐ oboe, contrabassoon, piccolo oboe, contra‐alto clarinet,
piccolo copper clarinet, shenai, alto sax, taragato, aquasonic,
slide whistle, game calls, metal, voice
Tony Savarino ‐ guitar, iphone apps, metal, whistle, voice
Tamora Gooding ‐ metal, drums, aquasonic, voice
Yuri Zbitnov ‐ metal, drums, aquasonic, voice
7/5/2015 - Metal Chaos Ensemble - Circuits
After the Chrononauts session with Bill T. Miller on electronics, I decided I wanted to increase the electronics capabilities of MCE. I already had purchased a theremin an a great small analog synth (Korg ms-20), but now I added a bunch of new digital delays, vocoders, echopex, a bunch of Shure SM57, mireless mics, wireless headsets and other electronics so we could explore that sound space. We got Joel Simches to come over to ECH and help us optimize the configuration of this stuff, and afterwards he did this session with us. Since then, I've sort of run this part of the mix myself while playing, but Joel does a great job here paying full attention to an digital processing mix...
Audio CD Evil Clown 9064
Metal Chaos Ensemble - Chrononauts
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Metal Chaos Ensemble ‐ Chrononauts
1) Electrochemical Oxidation ‐ 58:38
Evil Clown Headquarters ‐ 5/27/2015
PEK ‐ alto sax, clarinet, contra‐alto clarinet, oboe, contra‐bassoon, piccolo oboe, shenai, nadaswaram, game calls, aquasonic, theremin, whistles, metal, voice
Bill T Miller ‐ electronics, metal, voice
Yuri Zbitnov ‐ metal, drums, aquasonic, theremin, voice
5/5/2015 - Leap of Faith Orchestra -
Abstract Structures
The first live performance by the reformed LOF. Leap of Faith and New Language Collaborative - three sets by two ensembles. Keith Martin came up from New York to shoot video which was later posted on Kevin Reily's YouTube page where it got a lot of views.
Excerpt from Stefan Wood Review:
"What one comes away from this diverse and intense live set is the bottomless creativity of the musicians. The music is intelligently paced, and the breaks in tone and shifts of approach and sound are appropriately done. This is an excellent outing that should be heard. Recommended."
Audio CD Evil Clown 9036
Leap of Faith ‐ Regenerations
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1) Regenerations
Yuris' Haus ‐ 1/22/2015
2) Subspace 1 ‐ Image (test take)
3) Subspace 3 ‐ Orthogonal Projections (alt take 2)
4) Subspace 3 ‐ Orthogonal Projections (test take)
Killian Hall, MIT, Cambridge MA ‐ 10/12&13/1996
PEK ‐ clarinets, saxophones, bassoon (1‐4)
Glynis Lomon ‐ cello, aquasonic, voice (1‐4)
Steve Norton ‐ clarinets, saxophones (1)
Yuri Zbitnov ‐ percussion (1)
Mark McGrain ‐ trombone (2‐4)
Craig Schildhauer ‐ bass (2‐4)
Sydney Smart ‐ drums (2)
Forrest Larsen ‐ viola (3,4)
Rob Bethel ‐ cello (3,4)
Laurence Cook ‐ drums (3,4)
David "Tiger" Lyons ‐ engineering (2‐4)
8/16/2015 - Leap of Faith - Solution Concepts
Originally, Bruce had Frank Gratokowski / Thomas Heberer duet for the second group at the regular Sunday night Downtown Music Gallery show we did the next evening. Frank couldn't make it, so Thomas did a solo set which was wonderful. This disc contains the opening LOF set, four of Thomas' shorter pieces and the combined final set.
Excerpt from Bruce Lee Gallanter's review:
"You can hear that these folks have been playing together for a long while since they have a focused group sound. Everyone in the quartet was integral to the sound and approach of what makes Leap of Faith unique. Each member got their chance to stretch out and shine. Drummer Yuri Zbitnov was especially amazing at a few points spinning several rhythmic lines or weaving odd textures in the right places. The central section of this disc features four solo from ace trumpeter Thomas Heberer, who was in fine form that night, somewhat restrained yet still quite enchanting. ... One of the things I love about this band is/are the strange vocals which always add a bizarre alien presence that makes them quite unique."
Audio CD Evil Clown 9070
Metal Chaos Ensemble - Forgings
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1) Microstructure 1:01:44
Evil Clown Headquarters ‐ 7/8/2015
PEK - alto sax, tenor sax, piccolo clarinet, contra-alto clarinet, piccolo oboe,
oboe, contrabassoon, whistles, game calls, aquasonic, theremin,
Korg MS-20, metal, voice, electronics
Bob Moores - guitar, trumpet, electronics, metal
Matt Samolis - flute, bowed metal, metal
Kevin Dacey - metal, drums, percussion, Korg MS-20, aquasonic
Yuri Zbitnov - metal, drums, percussion, voice, , electronics
10/7/2015 - Metal Chaos Ensemble
- Zero-Point Energy
In late August or early September, In went to see a Tatsuya Nakatani concert at Mobius in Cambridge with several intentions. 1) I love Tatsuya's playing. 2) I wanted to give him the Evil Clown CDs he is on from the 90s period while he was still in town. 3) I wanted to introduce myself to Jane Wang, who Glynis recommended for String Theory on cello or bass - she was performing with Tatsyua on her self-made instrument called space-plates, which sounded fantastic, and 4) I wanted to recruit Andria Nicodemou who I thought would be in attendance. I succeeded with all of those tasks and additionally arranged this MCE session with both Jane and Andria in addition to our growing group of core members. This is a fantastic set which is very suspended and slow moving as we all adapted to the somewhat quieter space-plates Jane was playing...
Audio CD Evil Clown 9058
Metal Chaos Ensemble ‐ War Tuba
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1) War Tuba ‐ 51:40
Evil Clown Headquarters ‐ 4/1/2015
PEK ‐ English horn, piccolo oboe, tarogato, piccolo copper clarinet, contra‐alto clarinet,
game calls, aquasonic, metal, voice
Catherine "Axemunkee" Capozzi ‐ guitar, aquasonic, metal
Yuri Zbitnov ‐ metal, aquasonic, voice
If your reading this from the webpage and you would like to receive this newsletter via email - send email to me at Sparkles@GiantEvilClown.com
Things have continued to be very busy recently at Evil Clown Headquarters…
Main links to web content:
Evil Clown webpage http://www.giantevilclown.com/
PEK YouTube channel 1 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCprJy4kMIRs51FIFQF12dw/videos
PEK YouTube channel 2 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClfRlTeeHnSxRsJTkFakiJw/videos
Kevin Reilly YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/Kjreilly/videos
Bandcamp, for Streaming, Downloads and CD Orders https://evilclown.bandcamp.com/
In this newsletter, I'm going to go through all of the newly produced Evil Clown work from 2015. I will produce a second newsletter in the standard format within a week or so... I started Evil Clown in the fall of 2014 when I emerged from a long retirement from music. I started by producing a whole bunch of releases from the work of Leap of Faith and my other bands during the 90s and early 00s - that work continued throughout 2015 and is ongoing, but will now move much more slowly due to the active current period.
The first new work of the reformed Leap of Faith occurred in January and Evil Clown has been on fire ever since...
1) The Short Version
During 2015, Evil Clown produced 33 newly recorded CD length releases, 1 EP and one CD single:
1/10/2015 - PEK Solo - Partition of Unity
1/22/2015 - Leap of Faith - Regenerations
1/24/2015 - PEK Solo - Singularities
2/17/2015 - Leap of Faith - Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica
3/9 & 13/2015 - PEK Solo - Unit Circle
3/21/2015 - Metal Chaos Ensemble - Null Theory
4/1/2015 - Metal Chaos Ensemble - War Tuba
4/6/2015 - Leap of Faith - Superalloys
4/15/2015 - Metal Chaos Ensemble - Shards
5/5/2015 - Leap of Faith Orchestra - Abstract Structures - volume 1 & 2
5/13/2015 - Metal Chaos Ensemble - Molten
5/22/2015 - Metal Chaos Ensemble - Supercooling
5/27/2015 - Metal Chaos Ensemble - Chrononauts
6/3/2015 - Metal Chaos Ensemble - Prongs
6/16/2015 - Leap of Faith - If and Only If - Volume 1 & 2
7/5/2015 - Metal Chaos Ensemble - Circuits
7/8/2015 - Metal Chaos Ensemble - Forgings
7/29/2015 - Metal Chaos Ensemble - Introducing… …Sunshine!!
8/4/2015 - Leap of Faith - Continuums (Private Tape - Not for Distribution)
8/4 & 15/2015 - Leap of Faith - Riemann Surfaces
8/15/2015 - Leap of Faith - Factorizations
8/16/2015 - Leap of Faith - Solution Concepts
9/6/2015 - Black Metal Chaos Ensemble - Corrosion
9/12/2015 - Leap of Faith Orchestra - Hyperbolic Spirals - Volume 1 & 2
10/7/2015 - Metal Chaos Ensemble - Zero-Point Energy
10/22/2015 - Metal Chaos Ensemble - Excavation
10/27/2015 - Leap of Faith Orchestra - Flow Regimes - Volume 1 & 2
11/4/2015 - Metal Chaos Ensemble - Gears
11/25/2015 - Metal Chaos Ensemble - Torque
12/9/2015 - String Theory - Quantum Chromodynamics
12/15/2015 - Leap of Faith Orchestra - Supersymmetries - Volume 1 & 2
11/4/2015 - Metal Chaos Ensemble - Gears
This is another MCE appearance at Sonic Osmosis, this time as a trio with PEK, Yuri and Kevin. Again, this was a very rapidly transforming piece crammed into a brief 15 minute period.... Hilite of this session is the ending minute with PEK and Yuri screaming at the top of their lungs and Yuri brutalizing the drum kit. This was released as a single and then added to the next MCE set entitled Torque.
Audio CD Evil Clown 9054
PEK Solo ‐ Unit Circle
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1) Unitary Groups ‐ 6:02
Evil Clown Headquarters ‐ 3/9/2015
PEK ‐ contrabassoon
2) Real‐Analytic Maps ‐ 1:04:30
Evil Clown Headquarters ‐ 3/13/2015
PEK ‐ contrabassoon, contra‐alto clarinet, alto clarinet, english
horn, piccolo open‐hole oboe, shenai, nadaswaram,
tenor and soprano saxophones, aquasonic, metal, voice
Audio CD Evil Clown 9041
PEK Solo ‐ Partition of Unity
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1) Locally Compact Space ‐ 32:52
Evil Clown Headquarters ‐ 1/10/2015
PEK ‐ tenor saxophone
2) Unit Interval ‐ 42:30
Zeitgeist Gallery, Cambridge MA ‐ 1/18/1997
PEK ‐ clarinets, saxophones, bassoon
Audio CD Evil Clown 9066
Metal Chaos Ensemble ‐ Prongs
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1) Prongs ‐ 26:34
Out of the Blue Gallery, Cambridge MA - 3 June 2015
PEK - alto sax, tenor sax, oboe, piccolo oboe, contra-alto clarinet, clarinet, piccolo
clarinet, goat horn, whistles, game calls, theremin, aquasonic, metal, voice
Yuri Zbitnov - drums, metal, aquasonic, voice
2) The Detailed Version
1/10/2015 - PEK Solo - Partition of Unity
While working up my chops after my long break, I did a number of solo sessions at Evil Clown Headquarters (ECH). I have selected a few of these for release. I paired this set with a solo performance at the Zeitgeist in Cambridge MA from 1/18/1997.
Audio CD Evil Clown 9088
Leap of Faith / String Theory ‐ Supersymmetries Volume 1
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String Theory
1) Bosons - 36:57
Leap of Faith
2) Fermions - 37:57
Lily Pad, Cambridge MA
12/15/2015
PEK - clarinets, saxes, double reeds, sheng, gaunzi, whistles,
game calls, shenai, aquasonic, metal, voice (all)
Glynis Lomon - cello, aquasonic, voice (all)
Steve Norton - clarinets, saxes, metal (V1:2, V2)
Yuri Zbitnov - drums, metal, voice (V1:2, V2)
Mimi Rabson - violin, electronics (V1:1, V2)
Clara Kebabian - violin, electronics (V1:1, V2)
Jane Wang - cello (V1:1, V2)
Tony Leva - bass (V1:1, V2)
11/25/2015 - Metal Chaos Ensemble - Torque
This set was supposed to have a full ensemble, but it was the night before Thanksgiving and only Yuri and I were on it at the end of the day... Debut of the new 40 inch Atlantis gong, the new Taiko drum, and the Sheng. I left a lot delay and signal processing in the mix. I nice return at the end of the year after a whole bunch of new instruments and development to the duet roots of MCE...
Audio CD Evil Clown 9075
Steve Swell / Leap of Faith - Factorizations
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Steve Swell Solo
1) Hope is the Thing with Feathers that Perches in the Soul... - 19:07
2) ... and Sings the Tunes without the Words - and Never Stops at All - 6:09
Leap of Faith
3) Rational Roots - 32:34
Steve Swell - trombone (1-3)
Pek - clarinets, saxophones, double reeds, tarogato, metal, voice (3)
Glynis Lomon - cello, voice (3)
Steve Norton - clarinets, saxophones (3)
Yuri Zbitnov - drums, metal (3)
Single - Download Only Evil Clown 9085
Metal Chaos Ensemble - Gears
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1) Gears 15:14
Sonic Osmosis IV
Out of the Blue Gallery ‐ 11/4/2015
PEK - contra-alto clarinet, piccolo oboe, tenor sax, korg ms-20, aquasonic,
theremin, metal
Kevin Dacey - metal, siren
Yuri Zbitnov - metal, drums, aquasonic, voice
4/6/2015 - Leap of Faith - Superalloys
This set was recorded at Studio 234 (Eric ZInman's Haus in Cambridge MA) in preparation for the Abstract Structures show at the Lilypad in Cambridge MA - the first performance by the new Leap of Faith. In the 90s, we frequently played at the Zeitgeist in Cambridge with two bands playing three sets. This is my preferred format since it lets us explore both familiar and new contexts in the same performance. The second band for this show was going to be New Language Collaborative, Glynis' trio with pianist Eric Zinman and drummer Yedidyah Syd Smart. Although I was not thinking it at the time, this is the birth of the Leap of Faith Orchestra - an expanded Leap of Faith with everyone doubling metal percussion for the opening of both pieces.
Excerpt from Bruce Lee Gallanter Review:
"This music is completely improvised and quite free, reminding me of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, in the organic way hat their sets unfolds and are filled with the possessed spirits of various reeds and little instruments like percussive toys or chochkes. This disc is 74+ minutes long and most compelling throughout."
Audio CD Evil Clown 9069
Metal Chaos Ensemble - Circuits
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1) Signal to Noise Ratio ‐ 1:00:15
Evil Clown Headquarters ‐ 7/6/2015
PEK ‐ alto and tenor saxophones, shenai, piccolo oboe, contra-alto clarinet, soprano
clarinet, tenor bassoon, whistles, aquasonic, synth, theremin, metal, voice
Yuri Zbitnov ‐ metal, drums, percussion, voice
Joel Simches - metal, delays, vocoders, electronics
7/8/2015 - Metal Chaos Ensemble - Forgings
MCE gets larger for the next set.... Matt Samolis plays flute and bowed metals. I played with him and Steve Norton in the 90s with Boston Improvisors' Collective and knew he would fit in great with this ensemble. He brought a fantastic young versatile percussionist Kevin Dacey... Both have joined MCE as core members.... The guest here is Bob Moores who plays trumpet and guitar and did a fine job on this set...
Excerpt from Bruce Lee Gallanter review:
"Everyone in this ensemble plays metal/percussion so we see a large number of gongs on display in the booklet. The eerie and occasionally disorienting sound of layers of metals & gongs slowly evolves throughout this disc. Eventually other instruments emerge from the chaos: synth, electronics, guitar, trumpet, assorted reeds and voice. There is a long stretch of more stark, suspense-filled improv midway that sounds just right."
Audio CD Evil Clown 9076
Thomas Herberer / Leap of Faith - Solution Concepts
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Leap of Faith
1) Subgame - 39:24
Thomas Heberer Solo
2) The Great Hill - 4:41 (Heberer)
3) Teodoro - 5:08 (Heberer)
4) Mongezi - 3:32 (Heberer)
5) Loose Ends - 4:40 (Heberer)
Leap of Faith with special guest Thomas Heberer
6) Information Sets - 21:53
Downtown Music Gallery, Manhattan - 16 August 2015
Thomas Heberer - cornet (2-6)
PEK - tenor sax, piccolo oboe, clarinet, contra-alto clarinet, voice (1,6)
Glynis Lomon - cello, aquasonic, voice (1,6)
Steve Norton - sopranino sax, alto clarinet, alto saxophone (1,6)
Yuri Zbitnov - drums, metal, voice (1,6)
Audio CD Evil Clown 9042
PEK Solo ‐ Singularities
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1) Event Horizon ‐ 38:54
Evil Clown Headquarters ‐ 1/24/2015
PEK ‐ bassoon, clarinet, bass clarinet
2) Ergosphere ‐ 28:30
Zeitgeist Gallery, Cambridge MA ‐ 3/14/1997
PEK ‐ clarinets, saxophones, bassoon
Audio CD Evil Clown 9061
Leap of Faith / New Language Collaborative ‐ Abstract Structures Volume 1
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1) Occurences ‐ 9:11 (NLC)
2) Isomorphisms ‐ 18:03 (NLC)
3) Quantifications ‐ 43:26 (LOF)
Lily Pad, Cambridge MA ‐ 5/5/2015
PEK ‐ clarinets, saxophones, double reeds, metal voice (V1:3, V2: 2)
Glynis Lomon ‐ cello, aquasonic, metal, voice (all)
Steve Norton ‐ clarinets, saxophones, metal (V1:3, V2:2)
Yuri Zbitnov ‐ drums, metal, voice (V1:3, V2:2)
Eric Zinman ‐ piano (V1:1,2, V2:1,2)
Yedidyah Syd Smart ‐ drums (V1:1,2, V2:1,2)
9/6/2015 - Black Metal Chaos Ensemble
- Corrosion
Yuri is a closet (or not-so closet) metal-head which is one of the reasons that we ended up calling MCE the Metal Chaos Ensemble. We like the joke of creating the expectation of a Metal style of music from the name but defying that expectation by delivering chaotic rhythms on metal instruments. MCE has had, however, a number of guests who come from rock backgrounds instead of improvisation or jazz backgrounds, so we decided be would have a side project where we included real metal players. Yuri has long known a fantastic black metal drummer named Phil Trembley who came to the set along with guitarist Catherine Cappozzi from the War Tuba session. This unique set moves back and forth between full bore black metal and the more ordinary territory of MCE. Look for more of this fun offshoot in the future!
Audio CD Evil Clown 9079
Leap of Faith / Metal Chaos Ensemble ‐ Hyperbolic Spirals Volume 1
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Metal Chaos Ensemble
1) Asymptotes - 36:32
Leap of Faith
2) Ordinate Approaches - 33:44
Leap of Faith Orchestra (Leap of Faith + Metal Chaos Ensemble)
1) Transcendental Plane Curves - 51:05
Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church, Somerville MA
9/12/2015
PEK ‐ clarinets, saxophones, double reeds, metal, theremin, KS-20, aquasonic, game calls, voice (all)
Glynis Lomon ‐ cello, aquasonic, voice (V1:2, V2)
Steve Norton ‐ clarinets, saxophones, metal (V1:2, V2)
Yuri Zbitnov ‐ drums, metal, voice (all)
Andria Nicodemou - vibes (V1:1 V2)
Matt Samolis - bowed cymbals, flute, metal (V1:1 V2)
Kevin Dacey - metal, percussion (V1:1 V2)
2/17/2015 - Leap of Faith -
Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica
Yuri had another gig on the date we planned the next Leap of Faith session, so Glynis, Steve and I did a trio at ECH. This is kind of a throwback to the very early Leap of Faith which frequently had no drummer. I paired this set with a solo I did on.
Excerpt from Bruce Lee Gallanter's review:
"The trio set is less busy than the usual quartet or quintet versions. The sound of the two spiraling reeds and cello sound especially great together, bending and twisting their notes in a similar fashion. They sound somewhat relaxed and keep a certain calm, thoughtful vibe at the center. Often one player will start a line and another will complete the line. Hearing PEK by himself is also unusual and revealing as he takes his time and concentrates al length on his alto sax rather than the dozens of reeds he often plays at most Leap of Faith sessions."
12/15/2015 - Leap of Faith Orchestra
- Supersymmetries - Volume 1 & 2
This is the Lilypad show for the LOF / String Theory prep for Leap of Faith Orchestra... Tony Leva on bass is the newcomer...
8/4/2015 - Leap of Faith - Continuums
This Lilypad show had the Jim Hobbs / Daniel Levin duet as the other act... We did the usual 3 sets by two bands, but Daniel didn't want me to release the sextet set, so the LOF set got combined with a set from later in the month...
Audio CD Evil Clown 9071
Metal Chaos Ensemble - Introducing... ... Sunshine!
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1) Introducing... ... Sunshine! 1:02:48
Evil Clown Headquarters ‐ 7/29/2015
PEK - tenor and soprano saxophones, contra-alto clarinet, oboe, piccolo oboe,
contra-bassoon, bagpipe chanter, hulusi, theremin, Korg MS-20,
aquasonic, electronics, metal, voice
Greg Grinnell - electronics, laptop, real-time sampling, trumpet, saz cura
Kenny Maurais - bass, metal
Kevin Dacey - metal, drums, percussion, Korg MS-20, aquasonic
Yuri Zbitnov - metal, drums, percussion, voice, , electronics
5/13/2015 - Metal Chaos Ensemble - Molten
For the next MCE session Yuri and I recruited more players from Yuri's rock bands... Tony Savarino (guitar) joins us from Mission Creep and Tamora Gooding joins us from Axmunkee. Tamora is a drummer / percussionist and after this session we plan on increasing the number of percussionists to thicken the layers of metallic sounds...
Excerpt of Review by Bruce Lee Gallanter:
"It begins with multiple metals, gongs, cymbals, drums and assorted percussion. Quite hypnotic and well recorded. Similar in some ways to the Art Ensemble of Chicago, this music has otherworldly, ritualistic sort of sound."
Sparkles out....
4/1/2015 - Metal Chaos Ensemble - War Tuba
Yuri and I did not wait to schedule a second session for MCE. We invited the great guitarist Catherine "Axmunkee" Cappozzi who leads the rock band Axmunkee with Yuri in the drum chair. This established a protocol for MCE where we invite different people with different backgrounds to come sit in with MCE making the MCE sessions very different from one to the next. A month or so later, I made contact with Glenn Astarita who blogs for the very prestigious site All About Jazz. I sent Glenn a bunch of the new CDs and he selected this one to review!
Excerpt from Glenn Astarita's Review:
"War Tuba is a free improv world music spree unlike most anything I've heard. With the respective musicians' use of the aquasonic waterphone percussion instrument, jangling chains, metal objects, game calls, piccolo copper clarinet and other off the beaten path implements, the trio abides by a euphorically executed campaign. Think of ancient rituals with some degree of bombast, coinciding with PEK's various reeds and horns dialogues, enamored by the pristine audio characteristics."
Evil Clown Newsletter 12/26/2015
2015 in Review
Audio CD Evil Clown 9077
Leap of Faith - Riemann Surfaces
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1) Complex Plane - 35:36
New Revolution Arts, Brooklyn, NY - 8/15/2015
2) Manifolds - 32:29
Lily Pad, Cambridge, MA - 8/4/2015
PEK - clarinets, saxophones, double reeds, aquasonic, metal, voice
Glynis Lomon - cello, aquasonic, voice
Steve Norton - clarinets, saxophones, metal
Yuri Zbitnov - drums, metal, voice
5/22/2015 - Metal Chaos Ensemble
- Supercooling
On this Friday, after movie night, Yuri and I wanted to do a session much later at night than usual. For that reason, I didn't use any horns and we kept the session as a lower dynamic throughout, so we wouldn't disturb my neighbors. This is the first of several Chill titles in the MCE catalog...
10/27/2015 - Leap of Faith Orchestra
- Flow Regimes - Volume 1 & 2
The next Lilypad show debuted Turbulence (the extended horn section) with Leap of Faith in our usual three sets by two bands program. The newcomers here are Charlie Kohlhase on saxes who I played with several times 25 years ago and Bob Moores on trumpet who had done one previous MCE set at ECH. This is the second release where LOFO is credited as the ensemble...
Excerpt from Bruce Lee Gallanter Review of Volume 2:
"Considering that there are some eight musicians involved in the set, there is some spiritual glue that keeps things focused and not completely chaotic. After a somewhat calm intro, the turbulence starts to get more dense when Ms. Lomon's voice kicks things into the next level. The tuba plays a low drone at the bottom as the other horns and percussion play connected layers above. The music is well-balanced and often sounds directed, organically evolving from section to section. I found this set pretty mesmerizing, never too dense or disturbing. About 51 minutes long and consistently fascinating."
- Bruce Lee Gallanter
Audio CD Evil Clown 9082
Metal Chaos Ensemble - Excavation
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1) Excavation - 54:39
Evil Clown Headquarters ‐ 10/21/2015
PEK - clarinet, contra-alto clarinet, piccolo oboe, alto sax, tenor sax, siren,
goat horn korg ms-20, aquasonic, theremin, metal, whistles, game calls,
hulusi, boomwhackers, voice
Andria Nicodemou - vibes, metal, boomwhackers
Marc Drinkwater - guitar, metal, boomwhackers
Kevin Dacey - metal, drums, korg ms-20, theremin, whistles , jaw harp,
boomwhackers
Yuri Zbitnov - metal, drums, aquasonic, boomwhackers, voice
Waltham Water and Sewer Construction Workers
- excavation equipment, voices
9/12/2015 - Leap of Faith Orchestra
- Hyperbolic Spirals - Volume 1 & 2
By this time I had the concept of the Leap of Faith Orchestra fully realized in my head and this is the first release to bear that name in the band title. Ultimately LOFO will be comprised of the core LOF + MCE + Turbulence (the extended horn section) + String Theory (the extended string section) + New Language Collaborative. To prepare for this very large ensemble we are doing performances with LOF + each of these other subgroups. This concert with Leap of Faith and Metal Chaos Ensemble is the first to occur in the Clarendon Church Nave Series in Somerville where the next series of smaller orchestra sessions will occur between now and June and three full orchestra performances will take place in June, July & August. This show also marks the arrival of the amazing vibraphonist Andria Nicodemou to the Evil Clown Family on vibes...
Excerpt from Paul Acquaro's review:
"Scrapes and clangs of metal, a hybrid cry of rooster and human, fill the opening sequence to Hyperbolic Spirals Vol 2 with a palpable tension. The first 20 minutes is all texture and a diffused soundscape. However a culmination of chimes around the 10 minute mark seems to signal a new movement: the mood lightens, the clouds lift, and the pulse quickens. It takes a while for a somewhat anticipated buildup of the wind instruments to occur, but when it does, it's huge. Mixing with the chimes and splashes of sound from the metal, it's really quite moving when it reaches its zenith."
10/22/2015 - Metal Chaos Ensemble
- Excavation
Throughout 2015 I had intermittent difficulty with the sewer line from ECH to the street.... It backed up several times and on the fourth occurrence of the problem, I go the City of Waltham Water and Sewer Department over to look at it... They identified that the problem was under the street and therefore their responsibility and did a great job of coming out the same day to dig up the street and fix the problem. Well, it just so happened this was the day of the next MCE set. What's a PEK to do you might ask? Well, you put a mic out on the street and add their sounds to the mix, of course! Marc Drinkwater (guitar) is the guest along with the second MCE set for Andria on the vibes. Towards the beginning of the piece, one of the workers came up to the mic and said with a thick Boston accent, "Testing Testing Hammer" several times.... When we heard it on the playback we were delighted!
6/3/2015 - Metal Chaos Ensemble - Prongs
This is the first performance of MCE. Marc Drinkwater was starting up a new event at the Out of the Blue Gallery in Central Square Cambridge called Sonic Osmosis. The night started off with a two hour long set from an enormous number of simultaneous players spread out all over the large gallery space... Later in the night Yuri and I did this short duet performance to an enthusiastic crowd. It is a lot of work to haul an MCE set up for a short performance, but the resulting performance is interesting.... The rate of transformations increased substantially compared to our other MCE sets at our usual duration af about an hour.
1/24/2015 - PEK Solo - Singularities
While working up my chops after my long break, I did a number of solo sessions at Evil Clown Headquarters. I have selected a few of these for release. I paired this set with a solo performance at the Zeitgeist in Cambridge MA from 3/14/1997.
Audio CD Evil Clown 9046
Leap of Faith ‐ Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica
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1) On the Motion of Bodies ‐ 47:36
Evil Clown Headquarters ‐ 2/17/2015
2) On the System of the World ‐ 26:46
Evil Clown Headquarters ‐ 2/18/2015
PEK ‐ clarinets, tenor Saxophone, double reeds (1)
PEK ‐ alto saxophone (2)
Glynis Lomon ‐ cello, aquasonic, voice (1)
Steve Norton ‐ sopranino saxophone, alto saxophone, contra‐alto clarinet (1)
7/29/2015 - Metal Chaos Ensemble
- Introducing… …Sunshine!!
Raffi finishes the new Sparkles painting! Guests for this set are Greg Grinnell, the mastermind behind Mission Creep and Kenny Maurais on bass who played with Greg and Yuri and long ago with Steve Norton in Debris
Audio CD Evil Clown 9058
Metal Chaos Ensemble ‐ Supercooling
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1) Chill ‐ 54:49
Evil Clown Headquarters ‐ 5/22/2015
PEK ‐ metal, festival drum, aquasonic, theremin, voice
Yuri Zbitnov ‐ metal, festival drum, aquasonic, theremin, voice
8/4 & 15/2015 - Leap of Faith
- Riemann Surfaces
Kevin Reilly introduced us to Cisco Bradley who runs a series from his home in Brooklyn and I arranged to do an in-store at Downtown Music Gallery the following night. I put the middle set from Cisco's together with the Leap of Faith set from Continuums. This disc is a bit of a unique item in the Evil Clown output for the year since both pieces are the core Leap of Faith quartet with no guests...
Excerpt from Bruce Lee Gallanter's review:
"I was at the set in Brooklyn and I recall it very well since it was one of the most intense music experiences I've attended in a long while! This is the regular Leap of Faith quartet with no guests and they are in wonderful form here! ...Things build here to an intense frenzy which is almost too much at times yet is still transcendent its own weird way. Both of the sets here capture Leap of Faith at their best, focused, spirited and likely to blow your minds inside-out! This is my favorite of the dozen or so discs I've reviewed of their so far!"
Audio CD Evil Clown 9055
Metal Chaos Ensemble ‐ Null Theory
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1) Voids ‐ 55:46
Evil Clown Headquarters ‐ 3/21/2015
PEK ‐ metal, aquasonic, English horn, goat horn, piccolo oboe,
copper piccolo clarinet, copper bass clarinet, nadaswaram,
shenai, slide whistle, game calls, voice
Yuri Zbitnov ‐ metal, aquasonic, voice
1/22/2015 - Leap of Faith - Regenerations
The final early period version of Leap of Faith was a quartet with myself, Glynis Lomon, Yuri Zbitnov and James Coleman. I was playing in 2013 and 2014 with Yuri's band Mission Creep which also included Steve Norton on reeds. Steve had played on my composition Expansions in 1994 and we had also played together in Matt Samolis' project Boston Improvisors' Collective. Steve was a natural choice to join Glynis, Yuri and myself in the reformed Leap of Faith. This first session took place at Yuri's Haus in Jamaica Plain. I paired the recording with some bonus tracks from Linear Combinations and Transformations recorded at Killian Hall, MIT in October 1996. Kevin Reilly, who I met in 2014, encouraged me to come out of retirement with his offer of meaningful assistance. His first act was to introduce me to Paul Acquaro of freejazzblog who wrote an excellent review. We came out hard.
Excerpt from Paul Acquaro's review:
"Their sound is organic, it grows from within, and there is an arc to the track that belies either an uncanny connection or some pre-planned moves as there is an inherent structure and motion to the sound... The track will go from a reflective passage on a low woodwind to a dense thicket of cello double stops to juxtaposed harmonies, and just as quickly, it may delve into percussive textures and spontaneous intertwining melodies. It's this potent mix of instrumental timbers and unexpected changes that make their music so effective."
Full review here: http://www.freejazzblog.org/2015/03/leap-of-faith-regenerations-evil-clown.html
8/15/2015 - Leap of Faith - Factorizations
At the last second, the second band we had invited to Cisco's show at New Revolution Arts was not able to make it. Glynis reached out to the extraordinary Steve Sweel to do a solo set to open the show and then join with us for the third set. Steve was kind enough to allow us to include his participation on the album, including his awesome solo sets which were very well recorded by the Mobil Evil Clown Recording Rig...
Excerpt from Paul Acquaro's review:
"If you're looking for sonic adventure, if you're looking for something you didn't know you needed, and if you think you're ready, then yeah, take the leap of faith. This genuinely nice group of musicians transform into something completely otherworldly as they start digging into the dozens of instruments that festoon the stage."
Audio CD Evil Clown 9078
Black Metal Chaos Ensemble - Corrosion
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1) Oxidation 56:14
Evil Clown Headquarters ‐ 9/6/2015
PEK - tenor & sopranino sax, clarinet, piccolo clarinet, contra-alto clarinet,
piccolo oboe, oboe, theremin, metal, korg ms-20, aquasonic,
electronics, voice
Catherine Axemunkee Capozzi - guitar, metal
Matt Samolis - flute, bowed metal, metal
Kevin Dacey - metal, drums, percussion, Korg MS-20, aquasonic
Yuri Zbitnov - metal, drums, percussion, voice, , electronics
Phil Trembley - black metal drums
6/16/2015 - Leap of Faith
- If and Only If - Volume 1 & 2
The next LOF performance at the Lilypad was meant to be Original Leap of Faith / New Leap of Faith / Both bands. Mark McGrain (trombone), the second horn player for several years in the first LOF, was going to be in town from New Orleans promoting his current band, Plunge. I arranged to get Syd Smart, our most frequent drummer from the early period, on the bill so we could do a legacy band and the the current band as quartets with a sextet for the final set. At the last second, Mark had a conflict and couldn't make it which made us sad, but we found David Harris to sub on trombone and tuba, which made us happy!
Audio CD Evil Clown 9067
If and Only If: Neccesary and Sufficient Conditions - Volume I
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1) If: Sufficient Conditions - 33:51
2) Only If: Neccesary Conditions
Lily Pad, Cambridge MA - 6/16/2015
PEK - clarinets, saxophones, double reeds, aquasonic, metal, games calls, voice (V1:1,2,V2)
Glynis Lomon - cello, aquasonic, voice (V1:1,2,V2)
Steve Norton - clarinets, saxophones, metal (V1:2,V2)
Yuri Zbitnov - drums, metal, voice (V1:2,V2)
Sydney Smart - drums, metal (V1:1,V2)
David Harris - trombone, tuba (V1:1,V2)
CD Evil Clown 9086
Metal Chaos Ensemble - Torque
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1) SproKets - 51:15
Evil Clown Headquarters - 11/25/2015
2) Gears 15:14
Sonic Osmosis IV
Out of the Blue Gallery ‐ 11/4/2015
PEK - contra-alto clarinet, contra-bass clarinet, piccolo oboe, tenor sax,
alto sax, clarinet, alto clarinet, guanzi, sheng, shenai, korg ms-20,
aquasonic, theremin, metal, game calls, whistles, voice, electronics (1,2)
Kevin Dacey - metal, siren (2)
Yuri Zbitnov - metal, drums, Daiko, Indian festival, aquasonic, voice (1,2)
Audio CD Evil Clown 9083
Leap of Faith / Turbulence ‐ Flow Regime Volume 1
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Turbulence
1) Low Momentum Diffusion- 35:25
Leap of Faith
2) High Momentum Convection- 35:26
Leap of Faith Orchestra (Leap of Faith + Turbulence)
1) Non-Zero Vorticity - 50:53
Lily Pad, Cambridge MA
10/27/2015
PEK ‐ saxophones, clarinets, double reeds, tromboon, tarogato, aquasonic,
game calls, metal, voice (all)
Glynis Lomon ‐ cello, aquasonic, voice (V1:2, V2)
Steve Norton ‐ clarinets, saxophones (all)
Yuri Zbitnov ‐ drums, metal, voice (V1:2, V2)
Andria Nicodemou - vibes, metal (V1:2, V2)
Bob Moores - trumpet (V1:1, V2)
Charlie Kohlhase - saxophones (V1:1, V2)
Dave Harris - tuba, trombone (V1:1, V2)
5/27/2015 - Metal Chaos Ensemble
- Chrononauts
The guest on the next MCE set is the bent circuit wizard Bill T. Miller. Bill is renowned in the Boston area as an electronics genius - he came over with a whole bunch of his gadgets and we had a great time...
Excerpt from Bruce Lee Gallanter review:
"Beginning with spacious, mysterious sounds and building in intensity from there. ... The title here is "Chrononauts" which are time travelers and that seems appropriate for this unit which has that ancient to the future sort of sound plus a time machine-like image on the cover. The electronics and percussion work together here quite well and it is hard to tell them apart at times."
Audio CD Evil Clown 9087
String Theory - Quantum Chromodynamics
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Quantum Chromodynamics - 51:14
Evil Clown Headquarters, Waltham MA
12/9/2015
PEK ‐ clarinet, contrabass clarinet, alto & tenor saxophones, contrabassoon,
piccolo oboe, gaunzi, sheng, goat horn, whistles, game calls, theremin,
aquasonic, electronics, metal, voice
Glynis Lomon ‐ cello, aquasonic, voice
Mimi Rabson - violin, metal
Clara Kebabian - viola, metal
3/21/2015 - Metal Chaos Ensemble -
Null Theory
This session is the birth of Metal Chaos Ensemble. I had started to buy metallic percussion instruments for Leap of Faith to expand the percussion pallet beyond the drum set. The Superalloys session was pending and Yuri and I wanted to try out the new instruments before we took them to Zinman's Haus. It was immediately obvious to us that we were on to a new sound world above and beyond mere expansion of the Leap of Faith pallet - MCE was born on the spot.
Evil Clown