Balancing act between your body and physics

Jazz North East has just released The Sound of Science documentary by Euan Preston from The Palace of Science / Objectiv Pictures.

There’s this balancing act between your body and the mechanics of elastic collisions, and Newtonian physics, and all those things, and you’re creating music from balancing these things out…. [Watch to the rest…]

Sound of Science took place at Gosforth Civic Theatre in March 2022. If you missed my talk and performance as part of the festival, you can watch the archived livestream.

The word I use sometimes is ‘interface.’ So if you start thinking about creativity as this thing that happens between surfaces, that’s interesting in a way that the idea of the single auteur is much less interesting…. And as an artist you can do interesting things by kind of shifting you position within that boundary. [Watch to the rest…]

Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe

Funded by Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe.

Thanks: Derry, Dublin, Letterkenny, Leeds, London and Newcastle, March 2022

Photo collage: Han-earl Park, Una Lee, rit., Lara Jones and Pat Thomas.
Photos © 2022 Pete Woodman (Han-earl Park), © 2022 Mickey Rooney (Una Lee and rit.), © 2022 Cath Roberts (Han-earl Park, Lara Jones and Pat Thomas), and © 2022 Han-earl Park (backgrounds).

Apologies for the delay in posting these acknowledgements (but no pandemic-era tour would be complete without at least a little drama), but I would like to quickly post a note of thanks to everyone who made my return, after two+ years, to touring.

A warm, heartfelt thanks to everyone who joined me on my travels, to those who worked behind-the-scenes to make the performances happen, to my hosts, to my fellow performers, and to those who came to listen. Thanks to everyone at Gosforth Civic Theatre, Hyde Park Book Club, Unit 44/Kirkos Ensemble, Regional Cultural Centre Letterkenny, and Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin. Special thanks to Fielding, Shaun and Conal at Cafe OTO, and to Laura, Pete, Oli and Chris at Fusebox. Shoutouts to Johnny Hunter and his Pale Blue Dot ensemble, to Crawler’s Kyra, and to Corey and Graeme, and I’m grateful to have shared the stage with Lara and Pat, and with rit. and Una.

And finally I would like to thank Wesley Stephenson at Jazz North East, and Peter O’Doherty of Northern Lights Project for their enthusiasm, hard work, genuine love of the music, and care for the artists who make it. In Wesley and Peter, I know two of the greatest supporters of creative musicians and adventurous listeners. Thank you so very much.

I am truly grateful to everyone’s support. Despite the difficulties of traveling and performing in the present-day condition, it has been a pleasure to bring my music to you.

Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe

Funded by Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe.

Out now on NEWJAiM Recordings

cover art (copyright 2021 NEWJAiM)

Of Life, Recombinant (NEWJAiM9) [details…]

Personnel: Han-earl Park (guitar) with Anne Wellmer (voice on track 4).

Track listing: Game: Mutation (5:38); Naught Opportune (≥ 10:42); Are Variant (≥ 8:06); Of Life, Recombinant (≥ 29:22). Total duration ≥ 53:48.

© 2021 NEWJAiM Recordings.
℗ 2021 Han-earl Park.

Bodies, agency, ‘the material,’ automata, cyborgs and improvisation

“Once I have those parameters, I can reconfigure the body and the instrument so it kind of runs itself….

“The word I use sometimes is ‘interface.’ So if you start thinking about creativity as this thing that happens between surfaces, that’s interesting in a way that the idea of the single auteur is much less interesting…. And as an artist you can do interesting things by kind of shifting you position within that boundary.” [Listen to the rest…]

Tonight

Tuesday, March 22, 2022, at 8:00pm: Han-earl Park performs at Hyde Park Book Club (27–29 Headingley Lane, Leeds LS6 1BL).

Also coming up

Han-earl Park is also performing with rit. and Una Lee, in Dublin (24), Letterkenny (25), Derry (26) and Belfast (27). See the performance diary for details.

Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe

Funded by Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe.

Performance diary (Belfast, Derry, Dublin, Letterkenny, Leeds, London, Newcastle) 030622

upcoming performances
date venue time details
March 19, 2022 Gosforth Civic Theatre
Regent Farm Road
Gosforth
Newcastle NE3 3HD
England
7:00pm (doors: 6:30pm) Han-earl Park (guitar). A solo performance, plus a discussion (with Corey Mwamba) as part of The Sound of Science. Also performing and presenting: Johnny Hunter’s Pale Blue Dot with Mark Hanslip, Seth Bennett, Gemma Bass, Aby Vulliamy and Michael Bardon. Presented by Jazz North East.
Free but ticketed.
[Details…]
[Gosforth Civic Theatre page/tickets…]
Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe
March 20, 2022 Cafe OTO
18–22 Ashwin Street
Dalston
London E8 3DL
England
8:00pm Han-earl Park (guitar), Lara Jones (saxophone) and Pat Thomas (keyboards).
£12, £10 advance, £6 members.
[Details…] [OTO page/tickets…]
Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe
March 22, 2022 Hyde Park Book Club
27–29 Headingley Lane
Leeds LS6 1BL
England
8:00pm Han-earl Park (guitar). Also performing: James Banner and Stephanie Lamprea. Presented by Fusebox.
£5 (free to Leeds Conservatoire students).
Details to follow…
Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe
March 24, 2022 Unit 44
44 Prussia Street
Dublin
Ireland
7:00pm Han-earl Park (guitar) plus Una Lee (voice and electronic) and rit. (voice and electronics).
Presented by Northern Lights Project.
[Details…] [Get tickets…]
Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe
March 25, 2022 Regional Cultural Centre
Cove Hill, Port Road
Gortlee
Letterkenny
Ireland
7:00pm Han-earl Park (guitar) plus Una Lee (voice and electronic) and rit. (voice and electronics).
Presented by Northern Lights Project.
[Details…] [Get tickets…]
Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe
March 26, 2022 Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin
37 Great James Street
Derry BT48 7DF
N. Ireland
7:00pm Han-earl Park (guitar) plus Una Lee (voice and electronic) and rit. (voice and electronics).
Presented by Northern Lights Project.
[Details…] [Get tickets…]
Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe
March 27, 2022 The Black Box
8–22 Hill Street
Belfast BT1 2LA
N. Ireland
7:00pm Han-earl Park (guitar) plus Una Lee (voice and electronic) and rit. (voice and electronics).
Presented by Northern Lights Project.
[Details…] [Get tickets…]
Berlin Senate Department for Culture and EuropeEVENT CANCELLED.

Continue reading “Performance diary (Belfast, Derry, Dublin, Letterkenny, Leeds, London, Newcastle) 030622”

Han-earl Park at The Sound of Science, Newcastle

Platinum electron configuration (© 2022 Andrew Delanoy and Wesley Stephenson)
© 2022 Andrew Delanoy and Wesley Stephenson

Saturday, March 19, 2022, at 7:00pm (doors: 6.30pm): Han-earl Park performs as part of The Sound of Science event at Gosforth Civic Theatre (Regent Farm Road, Gosforth, Newcastle NE3 3HD):

Cyborgs, bodies, chaos, simulation and improvisation…

Han-earl Park will visit Newcastle to perform solo, and discuss [with Corey Mwamba and Graeme Wilson] his ongoing interest in chaotic systems, computation, and the collision of physiology and physics in his music, from guitar technique to the construction of musical automata.

Also performing will be Johnny Hunter’s ‘Pale Blue Dot’ Sextet (Johnny Hunter: drums; Mark Hanslip: saxophone; Seth Bennett: bass; Gemma Bass: violin; Aby Vulliamy: viola; and Michael Bardon: ’cello).

Set order
  1. 7.00pm: Han-earl Park (guitar).
  2. 7.40pm: Panel Discussion: Han-earl Park/Corey Mwamba/Graeme Wilson.
  3. 8.15pm: Panel Discussion: Johnny Hunter/Corey Mwamba/Graeme Wilson.
  4. 8.40pm: Johnny Hunter’s ‘Pale Blue Dot.’

The event is free, but advance booking is strongly recommended. [Get tickets…]

See the performance diary for up-to-date info. [Gosforth Civic Theatre page…] [Facebook event…]

The Sound of Science

To celebrate British Science Week 2022 music promoters Jazz North East are proud to present ‘The Sound of Science.’ With additional support from Newcastle University’s Faculty of Science and Gosforth Civic Theatre, audiences are welcomed to experience a series of concerts and discussions drawing connections between science and music.

Programmed events will specifically explore the interplay of chemistry, physics, ecology and biology, and the ways in which these disciplines have been employed by, and communicated through, composers and musicians. We will hear from 28 musicians, artists and scientists across the four day event.

“From climate change to vaccines, the importance of science to the way we live has never been clearer. Its relationship to music however is rarely explored and it is for that reason we have assembled those working in and between these two seemingly disparate fields. Our events shine a spotlight on the role of science within music composition and improvisation, with a view to inspiring audiences new to one or both subjects.

“Presented and discussed through music making practice, this project aims to increase understanding of science and its social implications, and build audience confidence in discussing these issues. Inviting all ages and every level of expertise, the festival will spark new ideas around how science and music can be communicated and combined.” — Wesley Stephenson (Festival Producer)

Acknowledgements and Thanks

Jazz North East gratefully acknowledges and thanks the support of Arts Council England, Golsoncott Foundation, Scops Arts Trust, the Royal Society of Chemistry, Newcastle University Faculty of Science, British Science Association, Soapbox Science, Euan Preston and Palace of Science, Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe, Fonds Podium Kunsten Performing Arts Fund NL, Jazz North, Sound and Music, Sunderland Culture, New Jazz and Improvised Music Recordings and Gosforth Civic Theatre.

Also in March 2022

Han-earl Park is also performing in and Leeds, and in London with Lara Jones and Pat Thomas, and, with rit. and Una Lee, in Dublin, Letterkenny, Derry and Belfast. See the performance diary for details.

Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe

Funded by Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe.

Performance diary (Belfast, Berlin, Derry, Dublin, Letterkenny, Leeds, London, Newcastle, Wiesbaden) 121621

upcoming performances
date venue time details
January 6, 2022 Sowieso
Weisestraße 24
12049 Berlin
Germany
8:30pm (doors: 8:00pm) QLH (Quentin Tolimieri: organ; Luca Marini: drums; and Han-earl Park: guitar) with Louise Dam Eckardt Jensen (saxophone).
[Details…] [Reserve seat…]
Musikfonds / Neustart Kultur
January 7, 2022 Secret Location*
Berlin
Germany * Contact me for details.
9:00pm (doors: 8:00pm) QLH (Quentin Tolimieri: organ; Luca Marini: drums; and Han-earl Park: guitar) with Louise Dam Eckardt Jensen (saxophone). Also performing: Dirar Kalash. [Details…]
Musikfonds / Neustart Kultur
January 13, 2022 Au Topsi Pohl
Pohlstraße 64
10785 Berlin
Germany
8:00pm QLH (Quentin Tolimieri: organ; Luca Marini: drums; and Han-earl Park: guitar). Also performing: Jasper Stadhouders (guitar) and Christian Marien (drums). [Au Topsi program…]
Musikfonds / Neustart Kultur
January 14, 2022 Petersburg Art Space
Kaiserin Augusta Allee 101
10553 Berlin
Germany
8:00pm QLH (Quentin Tolimieri: organ; Luca Marini: drums; and Han-earl Park: guitar) with Catherine Sikora John Dikeman (saxophone). Also performing: Deep Turtle (Conor Cunningham, Alessandro and Joey Gavin). [PAS program…]
Musikfonds / Neustart Kultur
January 15, 2022 TBA
Wiesbaden
Germany
TBA QLH (Quentin Tolimieri: organ; Luca Marini: drums; and Han-earl Park: guitar).
Details to follow…
March 19, 2022 Gosforth Civic Theatre
Regent Farm Road
Gosforth
Newcastle NE3 3HD
England
7:00pm (doors: 6:30pm) Han-earl Park (guitar). A solo performance, plus a discussion (with Corey Mwamba) as part of The Sound of Science. Also performing and presenting: Johnny Hunter’s Pale Blue Dot with Mark Hanslip, Seth Bennett, Gemma Bass, Aby Vulliamy and Michael Bardon. Presented by Jazz North East.
Free but ticketed.
[Details…]
[Gosforth Civic Theatre page/tickets…]
Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe
March 20, 2022 Cafe OTO
18–22 Ashwin Street
Dalston
London E8 3DL
England
8:00pm Han-earl Park (guitar), Lara Jones (saxophone) and Pat Thomas (keyboards).
£12, £10 advance, £6 members.
[Details…] [OTO page/tickets…]
Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe
March 22, 2022 Hyde Park Book Club
27–29 Headingley Lane
Leeds LS6 1BL
England
8:00pm Han-earl Park (guitar). Also performing: James Banner and Stephanie Lamprea. Presented by Fusebox.
£5 (free to Leeds Conservatoire students).
Details to follow…
Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe
March 24, 2022 Unit 44
44 Prussia Street
Dublin
Ireland
7:00pm Han-earl Park (guitar) plus Una Lee (voice and electronic) and rit. (voice and electronics).
Presented by Northern Lights Project.
[Details…] [Get tickets…]
Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe
March 25, 2022 Regional Cultural Centre
Cove Hill, Port Road
Gortlee
Letterkenny
Ireland
7:00pm Han-earl Park (guitar) plus Una Lee (voice and electronic) and rit. (voice and electronics).
Presented by Northern Lights Project.
[Details…] [Get tickets…]
Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe
March 26, 2022 Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin
37 Great James Street
Derry BT48 7DF
N. Ireland
7:00pm Han-earl Park (guitar) plus Una Lee (voice and electronic) and rit. (voice and electronics).
Presented by Northern Lights Project.
[Details…] [Get tickets…]
Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe
March 27, 2022 The Black Box
8–22 Hill Street
Belfast BT1 2LA
N. Ireland
7:00pm Han-earl Park (guitar) plus Una Lee (voice and electronic) and rit. (voice and electronics).
Presented by Northern Lights Project.
[Details…] [Get tickets…]
Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe

Continue reading “Performance diary (Belfast, Berlin, Derry, Dublin, Letterkenny, Leeds, London, Newcastle, Wiesbaden) 121621”

improvisation, animation, sociality, tradition and politics (a Jazz Noise: 7 Questions)

Want to know what and who I’ve been listening to? or what I’ve got planned (hint: see video above)? read my take on the late-capitalist (spotified, airbnbified, uberized) bootleg economy? or how about my non-musical influences:

Politics.

Even in these so-called cynical times I find politics (in, for example, the interactions between basement-level activism, and the, to quote Zappa, ‘entertainment division of the military-industrial complex’; in the friction between good, sometimes great, journalism, and the for-profit-lubricated popularity-contest we call publishing) inspiring.

Other things…?

Animators whose subject matter are things like movement, weight, physics, physiology, intent, volition, presence, personality, empathy, when their materials, in many respects, are working against those expressions. It helps to remind those of us who work in practices where it is too easy to take those same things—movement, weight, physics, physiology, etc.—for granted because they are so effortlessly part of the form. [Read the rest…]

Over at a Jazz Noise, you can read my answers to Dave Foxall’s 7 Questions such as my take on collaboration or what I seek in collaborators:

Imagination, skill and reliability. In that order.

Probably.

Someone who has a levelheaded understanding (consciously or not) of their niche within the transnational improvised music ecology….

I gravitate towards improvisers who are always prepared for that which is, in a way, unforeseeable.

Also people who can patch the holes and weaknesses in my musical skill-set. So, thinking about those three-quarters of Sirene 1009, I think: Dom Lash’s assured, steady-handed control of his technique and sound-making; Mark Sanders’ range, seemingly boundless imagination, ability anticipate anything and everything, and ability to make sense musically regardless of what surrounds him; and Caroline Pugh’s handle and knowledge of genre, and how she seemingly can just jump in regardless of context. I think the various ways we move—our bodies and their relationship with the instruments, say—complement each other.

(I’ve said this before, but getting a group together is a kind of composition.) [Read the rest…]

Plus, the “opening track [from ‘Sirene 1009’ (BAF000)]—Psychohistory III (very Asimov!)—[is] exclusively available to a Jazz Noise readers (hear it here and nowhere else, folks) for this interview.” [Listen/read the rest…].

selected discography

Cover of ‘Sirene 1009’ (BAF000) with Han-earl Park, Dominic Lash, Mark Sanders and Caroline Pugh (artwork copyright 2017, Han-earl Park)

Sirene 1009 (BAF000) [details…]

Personnel: Han-earl Park (guitar), Dominic Lash (double bass), Mark Sanders (drums) and Caroline Pugh (voice and tape recorder).

© + ℗ 2017 Han-earl Park.

CD cover of ‘Anomic Aphasia’ (SLAMCD 559) with Han-earl Park, Catherine Sikora, Nick Didkovsky and Josh Sinton (artwork copyright 2015, Han-earl Park)

Anomic Aphasia (SLAMCD 559) [details…]

Performers: Han-earl Park (guitar), Catherine Sikora (tenor and soprano saxophones), Nick Didkovsky (guitar), and Josh Sinton (baritone saxophone and bass clarinet).

© 2015 Han-earl Park.
℗ 2015 SLAM Productions.