Evil Clown
2
Photos by Bruce Lee Gallanter & Marc Edwards
Audio CD Evil Clown 9138
Leap of Faith - Infinite Perimeters
streaming, downloads and CD mail Order
1) Luminous (20:17)
Opening set for Leap of Faith Orchestra - Supernovae
Somerville Armory, Somerville MA - 19 November 2016
PEK - clarinet, contraalto clarinet, tenor saxophone, oboe,
bass tromboon, aquasonic, metal
Glynis Lomon - cello, aquasonic, voice, wood
Mimi Rabson - violin
Yuri Zbitnov - drum set, wood, metal
Kevin Dacey - drum set, vibes, metal, wood
Leap of Faith - Infinite Perimeters
Somerville Armory, Somerville MA - 19 November 2016
Downtown Music Gallery, New York NY - 18 March 2017
2) Fractal Dimension (48:35)
Downtown Music Gallery, New York NY - 2 April 2017
PEK - bass saxophone, clarinet & contra-alto clarinet, dulzaina,
tarota, guanzi, mussette, melodica, wind siren, fog horn, hand
chimes, aquasonic, wood block, rachet, metal
Glynis Lomon - cello, aquasonic, voice, hand chimes
Yuri Zbitnov - drum set, metal
Dan O’Brien - tenor saxophone, clarinet & bass clarinet, flute,
hand chimes
Zach Bartolomei - soprano & alto saxophones, clarinet, hand chimes
Bruce Lee Gallanter Photo tweak by PEK
On Metal Chaos Ensemble: "... using unique strategies to yield densely active and eerily surreal music, an incredible excursion through experimental improvisation." - Squidco website staff
Composer and multi-instrumentalist, PEK, set his sights on something bigger with the Leap of Faith Orchestra's Supernovae. The previous incarnation of the LOFO expands from the fifteen musicians on The Expanding Universe (Evil Clown, 2016) to twenty-one players on this new outing. Another noteworthy element of this project is PEK's use of Frame Notation where the score is seen in written descriptions and straight-forward symbols within Duration Bars. The system provides the musicians with immediate understanding of their own parts and the higher-level arrangement of the music.
Supernovae consists of a single track composition running just under eighty minutes. The digital download includes a bonus track. Though the extended piece is not broken out by formal movements, there are clear delineations within the score. PEK's ensemble—not surprisingly—includes enough non-traditional and weird instruments to compete with a Dr. Seuss orchestra. Though they are not playing in a vacuum, that group of instruments dominates the first ten minutes before strings and reeds make themselves more clearly heard. Forty-five minutes in, we have the first case of prolonged melody, darker and more subdued than the overall tone of the first half.
Supernovae gives way to free improvisation overlaying the melody. Eventually the piece introduces a brilliant percussion passage before it reintroduces the non-traditional music elements, but here in a more refined manner. As with all of PEK's compositions, there is—behind the scenes—a painstaking amount of organization that is not always evident in the listening. That is part of the beauty of this album; the non-traditional approach to instrumentation and the lack of adherence to Western structure continue to make the various iterations of Leap of Faith consistently interesting. And interesting look at the written score can be viewed at http://www.evilclown.rocks/lofo-supernovae-score.html.
On Leap of Faith: "Alien yet familiar, bizarre yet completely fascinating. Expanding, contracting, erupting, settling down, always as one force..." - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
Bruce Lee Gallanter gave Leap of Faith high praise indeed with his introduction to our set at Downtown Music Gallery on 4/2/2017.... I am humbled by his words....
"... In the 1960s there was the Mothers of Invention, in the 70s there was Soft Machine and Henry Cow, in the 80s there was Naked City and in the 90s there was Masada. In the aughts, we have Leap of Faith who are here with us today... they came down from the Boston area... It's a long trip... this is an underground scene so we're all really lucky to be here hearing the music and hanging out with people who care about the same things we care about"
If you don't know Bruce, he runs Downtown Music Gallery in Manhattan, the premiere free-jazz, improvisation, new-music specialty store and mail order outfit anywhere. He personally knows many of the people who make this music and there is no greater authority. Bruce, we hear your call to action and we will deliver - have no doubt. PEK 4/3/2017
Bruce's Review of the Album...
LEAP OF FAITH - Infinite Perimeters (Evil Clown 9138; USA) Free music legends from the Boston area, Leap of Faith, took their annual sojourn south and played here at DMG on Sunday, April 2nd, less than two weeks ago. In the mail yesterday, we got a package from Dave PEK, leader of Leap of Faith, and lo & behold, we have a new disc of that recent set. There are two sets on this disc, one from the Armory in Sommerville, MA in November of 2016, the other recorded here at DMG. Three core members: Dave PEK on various reeds, Glynis Lomon on cello and Yuri Zbitnov were in each set here, as they often are. This disc features just the first set at DMG that night, which also featured an awesome solo set from Jeremiah Cymerman on clarinet and Leap of Faith with Jeremiah sitting in for the third set. An extraordinary night here at DMG once again for those in attendance. Besides the three aforementioned core members, the first set also featured Mimi Rapson on violin and Kevin Dacey on drums, vibes and metal.
Leap of Faith (LoF) sets/discs are always well-recorded and after checking them out live on three occasions, I know what to expect yet they still surprise me with their focused improv. The first section features a long, impressive solo from Ms. Lomon’s cello along with spirited layers of percussion from both drummers and other members as well. Ms. Lomon is in fine form, her long solo spirited and endlessly inventive. For this set, PEK concentrates on just five reeds, unlike his usual collection of up to 20 assorted reeds & double-reeds.
The opening set from DMG featured two more newer members besides the core three: Dan O’Brien on tenor sax, clarinet & flute and Zach Bartolamei on soprano & alto saxes & clarinet. The music here is ritualistic sounding, kind of like the Art Ensemble of Chicago playing an intimate set here at DMG. Considering that I hadn’t heard of either reeds player before this set, I was greatly impressed by each one. Zach’s soprano is at the center with strong yet sparse cello and drums underneath. PEK starts with the low end grumbles of (contra-alto?) clarinet and then moves to the snake-charming sound of a mussette. The music has a more relaxed sense in the first long section, taking its time to unwind and build. What makes this special is the way these folks play together: tight, intricate dialogue without anyone ever stepping on anyone else’s toes. PEK had a expensive mic placed right up front in the center so it sounds as if we sitting in the middle of the band. It seems hard to believe that this disc was recorded at DMG since it captures Leap of Faith at their best, relaxed yet still cosmic. Start your Leap of Faith collection today with this treasure chest! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG CD $15