Bios

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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

An Evil Clown and a Leap of Faith by Karl Ackermann

Evil Clown

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Evil Clown ensembles are highly modular, with different players and instrumental resources for different sessions. Some of the bands have core units which are always present along with different guests. Some of the bands have had recurring configurations over several albums. Leap of Faith dates back to the early 1990s as a collaboration between PEK and Glynis Lomon. There have been a number of core configurations over the years. PEK took a long hiatus through the 00's and then rebooted Leap of Faith and Evil Clown in 2015. The period following 2015 is the Contemporary Period and before 2002 is the Archival Period. Following are the core line-ups and frequent guests of the Contemporary Period Ensembles, the Contemporary Period Roster, and the Archival Period Roster along with hyperlinks to the performer bio pages.

Evil Clown Bios

On Transformation Focused Improvisation - The History
and Grand Aesthetic of the Evil Clown Record Label

PEK & his Grand Aesthetic Challenge

PEK Artist Profile on JazzRightNow.com

Current and Former

Leap of Faith Core Members

As of 2020, the Core Unit of the Leap of Faith Orchestra is a

duet comprised of PEK and Glynis Lomon - LOF is highly modular

and has played in dozens of configurations from duet to orchestra

with many guests
PEK - clarinets, saxophones, double reeds, flutes, percussion, electronics
Glynis Lomon - cello, aquasonic, voice

Former core members of Leap of Faith
Yuri Zbitnov, Steve Norton, Mark McGrain, Craig Schildhauer,
Yedidyah Syd Smart, James Coleman

Metal Chaos Ensemble
Metal Chaos Ensemble started as the extended percussion section of the

Leap of Faith Orchestra which uses the percussion equipment along

with many guests and instruments of kinds to make highly varied long form

improvisations. Gradually it evolved into the most rock oriented Evil Clown

Ensemble with deep grooves from the electric bass and drums along with horns,

percussion & electronics. The current sextet lineup is:

PEK - clarinets, saxophones, double reeds, flutes, percussion, electronics, voice

Bob Moores - space trumpet, guitar, electronics

Michael Caglianone - saxophones

Eric Woods - analog synthesis

Mike Gruen - electric bass

Steve Niemitz - drums, percussion

Joel Simches - real time mix and signal processing

Frequent guests of Metal Chaos Ensemble
Yuri Zbitnov (founding member), Andria Nicodemou, Kevin Dacey,

Reverend Grant Beale, Joe Hartigan, Albey onBass

Turbulence

Turbulence is the extend horn section of the Leap of Faith Orhcestra.

PEK is the only player on all of the Turbulence sessions, but there have been

several configurations with multiple sessions and a number of frequent guests
PEK - clarinets, saxophones, double reeds, metal, voice

Frequent guests of Turbulence
Steve Norton, Charlie Kohlhase, Dan O'Brien, Zach Bartolomei ,
Bob Moores , David Harris, John Baylies, Steve Proviser,

Eric Dahlman, Jim Warshauer, Michael Caglianone, Duane Reed,

Melanie Howell-Brooks, Kat Dobbins, Yuri Zbitnov, Jared Holiday,

Vance Provey, Ellwood Epps, Dennis Livingston, John Fugarino

Expanse

Expanse is the quiet dynamic Evil Clown project. The core duet is

PEK and Michael Knoblach. Like the other ensembles, the sets feature

different guests including a mash up set with Mike's ensemble, the JMDE

quartet.

PEK - clarinets, saxophones, double reeds, flutes, percussion, electronics

Michael Knoblach - percussion, objects

Guests of Expanse

Michael Caglianone, Jimmy Zhao, Eric Dahlman, David Welans

Simulacrum

Simulacrum is a spinoff of Metal Chaos Ensemble with horns plus even more

electronics and without the bass and drums. This is the newest Evil Clown

ensemble, with the first sessions starting in the summer of 2021.

PEK - clarinets, saxophones, double reeds, flutes, percussion, electronics

Bob Moores - space trumpet, guitar, electronics

Eric Woods - analog synthesizer

William Middlemiss Jr - guitar, synthesizers, electronics

Reverend Grant Beale - guitar, synthesizers, electronics

Axioms

Axioms is the duet Zen Beats with special guests PEK, Glynis Lomon and Steve Niemitz. Free improvisation with poetry from Jane SpokenWord.
Jane SpokenWord - poetry, spoken word
PEK - saxophones, clarinets, double reeds, flutes, percussion, electronics
Glynis Lomon - cello, aquasonic, voice
Albey onBass - electric upright bass, gongs
Steve Niemitz - drums, percussion
Joel Simches - live to 2 track recording, real time signal processing

Mekaniks (inactive)

Mekaniks is a studio project to explore electronic and real-time

signal processing in a long form improv setting. Has more of a

rock-improvisation feel than most Evil Clown ensembles.
PEK - clarinets, saxophones, double reeds, metal, electronics
Yuri Zbitnov - drums, metal, electronics
Greg Grinell - electronics, trumpet, bass
Bob Moores - trumpet, guitar, electronics

Plus guests

String Theory (inactive)
String Theory is the Extended String Section of the Leap of Faith Orchestra.
PEK and Glynis are the core with many guests on various orchestral strings
and guitar. Since Yuri has retired from Evil Clown, future sessions featuring
the strings will be Leap of Faith.
PEK - clarinets, saxophones, double reeds, daxophone
Glynis Lomon - cello, aquasonic, voice
Frequent guests of String Theory
Mimi Rabson, Tony Leva, Silvain Castellano, Elinor Speirs, Matt Schuchfield, Lucasz Pavlikovsky

Chicxulub (inactive)

Chicxulub is the Space Rock branch of the Evil Clown Universe.

Featuring the powerful bass and drums of Yuri and Jason Adams who

play together in Catherine Capozzi's power trio Axmunkee

PEK - clarinets, saxophones, double reeds, metal, electronics

Jason Adams - electric bass, electric cello, Interstellar grain clouds

Yuri Zbitnov - drums, metal, wood

Leap of Faith Orchestra /

the Contemporary Evil Clown Roster

The LOFO is the large improvisation orchestra made up of all of the

Sub-Units listed above and many others. The Contemporary Evil

Clown Period starts in early 2015 after a long haitus. A list of players in the

current Evil Clown Roster who have played with the orchestra or been

a guest of one or more of the above ensembles follows:

Strings

Glynis Lomon - cello, aquasonic, voice

Tom Swafford - violin

Mimi Rabson - violin, electronics, metal

Elinor Speirs - violin

Clara Kebabian - violin, viola, electronics, metal

Mat Ward - violin
Matt Scutchfield - violin

Jonathan LaMaster - violin

Rob Flax - violin

Sue Buzzard - violin

Abigale Reisman - violin

Jane Wang - cello, space plates

Lucasz Pavlikovsky - cello

Albey onBass - electric bass, electric upright bass

Nate McBride - bass

Zachary Lavine - bass

Tony Leva - bass
Silvain Castellano - bass
Damon Smith - bass

Adrienne Schoenfeld - bass

Kirsten Lamb - bass
Kit Demos - bass

Mike Gruen - bass

Horns

PEK - clarinets, saxophones, double reeds, metal, voice

Steve Norton - clarinets, saxophones, metal

Michael Caglionone - saxophones +

Charlie Kohlhase - saxophones

Matt Samolis - flute, flax, game calls, bowed metal, metal

Dan O'Brien - flutes, clarinets and saxophones
Zach Bartolomei - clarinets and saxophones
Bob Moores - trumpet, electronics
David Harris - trombone, tuba, electronics
John Baylies - tuba, electronics

Duane Reed - baritone horn, bass trombone
Kat Dobbins - trombone
Steve Proviser - trumpet, baritone horn, voice, percussion
Zack Grass - tuba, bass trombone
Eric Goode - tuba, euphonium
Eric Dahlman - trumpet
Jim Warshauer - saxophones, clarinets
Duane Reed - baritone horn