in preparation: Paul Dunmall, Han-earl Park and Mark Sanders (Birmingham, 02–15–11)

Update: This recording has been rereleased! The new edition adds the option to download the recording in multiple formats including lossless. [Listen, download and more…]
artwork for Paul Dunmall, Han-earl Park and Mark Sanders: Dunmall-Park-Sanders (Birmingham, 02-15-11)
Next download release will be the recording of the February 15, 2011 performance by Paul Dunmall (saxophones and bagpipes), Han-earl Park (guitar) and Mark Sanders (drums). Beautifully recorded by Chris Trent, the performance was presented by Mike Hurley/Fizzle and Improvisation Birmingham.

This’ll be the final release in the current series, after which I plan to take a little break. A rerelease of a recording originally put out in December 2011, this new version will be available in a variety of formats (including lossless), and as a ‘name your price’ album.

More info to follow…

Also available for download…

Murray Campbell, Randy McKean with Han-earl Park, plus Gino Robair and Scott R. Looney: Gargantius Effect +1 +2 +3 (Nor Cal, 08-2011)

Gargantius Effect +1 +2 +3 (Nor Cal, 08-2011) [details…]

Performers: Murray Campbell (violins, oboe and cor anglais), Randy McKean (saxophone, clarinets and flutes) with Han-earl Park (guitar), plus Gino Robair (energized surfaces, voltage made audible) and Scott R. Looney (hyperpiano).

(cc) 2012 Murray Campbell/Randy McKean/Han-earl Park/Gino Robair/Scott R. Looney.

Han-earl Park plus Marian Murray: Park+Murray (Cork, 07-29-10)

Park+Murray (Cork, 07-29-10) [details…]

Performers: Han-earl Park (guitar) plus Marian Murray (violin).

(cc) 2012 Han-earl Park/Marian Murray.

Jin Sangtae, Han-earl Park and Jeffrey Weeter: Jin-Park-Weeter (Cork, 01–24–11)

Jin-Park-Weeter (Cork, 01-24-11) [details…]

Performers: Jin Sangtae (electronics), Han-earl Park (guitar) and Jeffrey Weeter (drums and electronics).

(cc) 2012 Jin Sangtae/Han-earl Park/Jeffrey Weeter.

Han-earl Park and Franziska Schroeder: Park-Schroeder (Cork, 03-26-09)

Park-Schroeder (Cork, 03-26-09) [details…]

Performers: Han-earl Park (guitar) and Franziska Schroeder (saxophone).

(cc) 2012 Han-earl Park/Franziska Schroeder.

Catherine Sikora, Ian Smith and Han-earl Park: Sikora-Smith-Park (Cork, 04-04-11)

Sikora-Smith-Park (Cork, 04-04-11) [details…]

Performers: Catherine Sikora (saxophone), Ian Smith (trumpet) and Han-earl Park (guitar).

(cc) 2012 Catherine Sikora/Ian Smith/Han-earl Park.

updates

01–12–13: new edition released! [Listen, download and more…]

Downtown Music Gallery is back!

My favorite record store, Downtown Music Gallery, is back up and running after Hurricane Sandy, and they need your support. Not just a record store, DMG is an institution that supports left-field, creative music. I am privileged to have had their support over the years. The following of my CDs are available from DMG. [CDs by Han-earl Park from DMG…]

available from Downtown Music Gallery

‘io 0.0.1 beta++ (SLAMCD 531) CD cover (copyright 2011, Han-earl Park)

io 0.0.1 beta++ (SLAMCD 531) [details…] [Get it from DMG…]

Performers: io 0.0.1 beta++ (itself), Han-earl Park (guitar), Bruce Coates (alto and sopranino saxophones) and Franziska Schroeder (soprano saxophone).

© 2011 Han-earl Park.
℗ 2011 SLAM Productions.

‘Mathilde 253’ (SLAMCD 528) CD cover (copyright 2010, Han-earl Park)

Mathilde 253 (SLAMCD 528) [details…] [Get it from DMG…]

Performers: Charles Hayward (drums, percussion and melodica), Han-earl Park (guitar) and Ian Smith (trumpet and flugelhorn) plus Lol Coxhill (saxophone).

© 2010 Han-earl Park.
℗ 2010 SLAM Productions.

Paul Dunmall and Han-earl Park: Boolean Transforms (DLE-067) CD cover (copyright 2010, DUNS Limited Edition)

Boolean Transforms (DLE-067) [details…] [Get it from DMG…]

Performers: Paul Dunmall (saxophone and bagpipes) and Han-earl Park (guitar).

© 2010 DUNS Limited Edition.
℗ 2010 Paul Dunmall/Han-earl Park.

Han-earl Park, Paul Dunmall, Mark Sanders and Jamie Smith: Live at the Glucksman gallery, Cork (owlcd002) CD cover (copyright 2012, Owlhouse Recordings)

Live at the Glucksman gallery, Cork (owlcd002) [details…] [Get it from DMG…]

Performers: Han-earl Park (guitar), Paul Dunmall (saxophone), Mark Sanders (drums) and Jamie Smith (guitar).

© 2009 by Owlhouse Recordings.
℗ 2009 Han-earl Park/Paul Dunmall/Mark Sanders/Jamie Smith.

audio recordings: Gargantius Effect +1 +2 +3 (Nor Cal, 08–2011)

artwork for Murray Campbell, Randy McKean with Han-earl Park, plus Gino Robair and Scott R. Looney: Gargantius Effect +1 +2 +3 (Nor Cal, 08-2011)
The recording of Gargantius Effect (Murray Campbell: violins, oboe and cor anglais; and Randy McKean: saxophone, clarinets and flutes) with Han-earl Park (guitar), plus Gino Robair (energized surfaces, voltage made audible) and Scott R. Looney (hyperpiano) is now available for download. The album was recorded during the August 2011 tour of Northern California, and features tracks recorded at The Tin House (Grass Valley) on August 25th, at Studio 1510 (Oakland) on August 30th. [Bandcamp page…] [Download now…]

Recommended price: €8+

In line with the current series of download releases (Park+Murray (Cork, 07–29–10), Jin-Park-Weeter (Cork, 01-24-11), Park-Schroeder (Cork, 03-26-09) and Sikora-Smith-Park (Cork, 04–04–11)), this record is hosted at Bandcamp, and available as a ‘name your price’ album. Although you can download the recording for free (name €0 as your price) with certain restrictions, please consider paying at least the recommended price. Your generosity will help support the performers and their work.

Special thanks to Randy McKean for organizing the tour, Ken Schumacher of Live Vibes Recording for the engineering, and to Corey Mwamba for feedback during the mastering process.

description

Gargantius Effect +1: Murray Campbell, Randy McKean and Han-earl Park (The Tin House, Grass Valley, August 25, 2011). Photo copyright 2011 Ken Schumacher.
Gargantius Effect +1: Murray Campbell, Randy McKean and Han-earl Park (The Tin House, Grass Valley, August 25, 2011). Photo © 2011 Ken Schumacher.

In front of a small but appreciative audience, the California-based Gargantius Effect, including [Han-earl] Park, Murray Campbell, Randy McKean, Scott Looney and Gino Robair, slip in and out of something approaching Webern-ian counterpoint on Nor Cal 8-2011. Looney and Robair join in later on this disc of various tour dates, leaving the other three to explore the outer limits of timbre, especially on the epic “Old Robots Never Rust”. Campbell’s violin slides are an excellent foil to the more vocal qualities in Park’s improvising, not to mention similar devices used by multi-reedist Randy McKean as the trio converge and diverge in pitch space. When Robair and Looney appear, electronics and hyperpiano are difficult to distinguish, but first-rate audio keeps everything in proper perspective and the improv is always edge-of-seat energetic.

— Marc Medwin (The New York City Jazz Record)

“Han [Han-earl Park] is a very old friend of mine. We’ve done a lot of strange things in various parts of Europe. He’s somewhat responsible for me ending up in Nevada County. About ten years ago he was studying at CalArts, and I came over to play in his graduation show. Part of that trip was my first visit to Nevada County, where many things spinned out from that.

“Also finding this gentleman [Randy McKean] here in Grass Valley; finding not only a great improvising player, but one that plays bass clarinet, was a huge thing that helped me stay. It was a complete leap in the dark to move out here. I was raised in a rural area, I always known that that was the thing to do, but leaving a metropolitan zone [The Hague] and coming out here with nothing—no plan—was a shot in the dark, and finding that there were things like this [McKean] in the woods made it a lot easier to stay.

“So these are two of my favorite people to play music with.”

Murray Campbell (introduction to the performance, August 25, 2011)

The Gargantius Effect is the brainchild of Murray Campbell (violins, oboe and cor anglais) and Randy McKean (saxophone, clarinets and flutes). Like the Stanislaw Lem story of the same name, in which armies of warring soldiers are linked together to form a peaceful, blissfully-aware omni-mind, so, too, these longtime collaborators and Nevada County natives transform the connections and crossfires of the various genres in which they usually find themselves—the Euro-café of Beacoup Chapeaux, Balkan swing of Chickenbonz, chamber jazz of Bristle—into scintillating bits of free improvisation, compositional constructs and mechanized mayhem.

This album documents Gargantius Effect’s August 2011 tour of Northern California with special guest and fellow Sonologist Han-earl Park (guitar), who had just returned to the States after years in Europe, teaching, and playing with the likes of Paul Dunmall, Charles Hayward and Franziska Schroeder. In addition to the recording of the performance at The Tin House (Grass Valley) on August 25, 2011, the August 30, 2011 session at Studio 1510 (Oakland) features Bay Area veteran improviser, composer and electronic artist Gino Robair (energized surfaces, voltage made audible), and hyperpianist Scott R. Looney (hyperpiano).
Gargantius Effect +1 | +2 (Northern California, 2011)

personnel

Murray Campbell (violins, oboe and cor anglais), Randy McKean (saxophone, clarinets and flutes) with Han-earl Park (guitar), plus Gino Robair (energized surfaces, voltage made audible) and Scott R. Looney (hyperpiano).

track listing

recording details

All music by Murray Campbell, Randy McKean and Han-earl Park, except ‘Thunderous Accompaniment’ by Murray Campbell, Randy McKean, Han-earl Park and Gino Robair, and ‘While Drums’ by Murray Campbell, Scott R. Looney, Randy McKean, Han-earl Park and Gino Robair.

‘The First Sally’ and ‘Old Robots’ recorded live August 25, 2011 at The Tin House, Grass Valley.
Performance presented as part of Col. MaCaw’s Magical Cure-All Mid-Summer Soporific.
Recorded and mastered by Ken Schumacher.

‘Thunderous Accompaniment’ and ‘While Drums’ recorded live August 30, 2011 at Studio 1510, Oakland.
Recorded by Randy McKean.
Mastered by Han-earl Park.

Artwork by Han-earl Park.

The recordings (The First Sally, Old Robots Never Rust!, Thunderous Accompaniment of Fife and Drum, and While Drums Continued To Roll) and artwork released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. Please attribute the album to Murray Campbell, Randy McKean, Han-earl Park, Gino Robair and Scott R. Looney; attribute the individual tracks to the corresponding performers; and attribute the artwork to Han-earl Park.

about the performers

Gargantius Effect

The Gargantius Effect is the brainchild of Murray Campbell (violin, oboe and electronics) and Randy McKean (reeds). Like the Stanislaw Lem story of the same name, in which armies of warring soldiers are linked together to form a peaceful, blissfully-aware omni-mind, so, too, these long-time collaborators channel their contrarian impulses into synchronized bouts of free improvisation, compositional constructs and mechanized mayhem.

Murray Campbell

Murray Campbell has described himself as a Sonologist ever since it was recommended to him as a more respectable occupation than “musician” for the purposes of immigration control. In this capacity he has worked with Alex Fiennes on an octaphonic spatialisation system un-muted at Dialogues Festival (Edinburgh).

He currently resides in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains in California where he is designing an off-grid solar-powered geodesic wavefront recreation system with the aim of upsetting the bears.

He finds writing about himself in the third person slightly disturbing.

Randy McKean

Randy McKean has burrowed into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada but still wants to blow your mind. Whether his mission is executed by his chamber jazz quartet Bristle, through sideman gigs with the likes of the Euro Café messabouts Beaucoup Chapeaux, or via performances of his pieces for orchestra or string quartet, matters not to him, as long as his objective is achieved. Perhaps one of his CDs—Bristle’s Bulletproof (Edgetone), So Dig This Big Crux (Rastascan), or the Great Circle Saxophone Quartet’s Child King Dictator Fool (New World)—will do the job.

Han-earl Park

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.

Gino Robair

Gino Robair has created music for dance, theater, radio, television, silent film, and gamelan orchestra, and his works have been performed throughout North America, Europe, and Japan. He was composer in residence with the California Shakespeare Festival for five seasons and served as music director for the CBS animated series The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat. His commercial work includes themes for the MTV and Comedy Central cable networks.

Robair is also one of the “25 innovative percussionists” included in the book Percussion Profiles (SoundWorld, 2001). He has recorded with Tom Waits, Anthony Braxton, Terry Riley, Lou Harrison, John Butcher, Derek Bailey, Peter Kowald, Otomo Yoshihide, the ROVA Saxophone Quartet, and Eugene Chadbourne, among many others. In addition, Robair has performed with John Zorn, Nina Hagen, Fred Frith, Eddie Prevost, Thinking Fellers Union Local 282, Myra Melford, Wadada Leo Smith, and the Club Foot Orchestra.

Robair is a founding member of the Splatter Trio and the heavy-metal band, Pink Mountain. In addition, he runs Rastascan Records, a label devoted to creative music.

Also by Murray Campbell and Randy McKean

Bristle, Bulletproof (EDT4124) CD cover (copyright 2012, Bristle)

Bristle: Bulletproof (EDT4124) [details…]

Performers: Randy McKean (saxophone and clarinets), Cory Wright (saxophone, clarinets and flute), Murray Campbell (violins, oboe and cor anglais) and Lisa Mezzacappa (double bass).

© 2012 Bristle.
℗ 2012 McKeanics Publishing, BMI/Corey Wright Publishing, ASCAP.

Also available for download [more…]

‘A Little Brittle Music’ with Han-earl Park, Dominc Lash and Corey Mwamba (artwork copyright 2015, Han-earl Park)

A Little Brittle Music [details…]

Performers: Han-earl Park (guitar), Dominic Lash (double bass) and Corey Mwamba (vibraphone and flute).

© 2015 Han-earl Park. ℗ 2015 Park/Lash/Mwamba.

Paul Dunmall, Han-earl Park and Mark Sanders: Dunmall-Park-Sanders (Birmingham, 02-15-11)

Dunmall-Park-Sanders (Birmingham, 02-15-11) [details…]

Performers: Paul Dunmall (saxophones and bagpipes), Han-earl Park (guitar) and Mark Sanders (drums).

(cc) 2013 Paul Dunmall/Han-earl Park/Mark Sanders.

Han-earl Park plus Marian Murray: Park+Murray (Cork, 07-29-10)

Park+Murray (Cork, 07-29-10) [details…]

Performers: Han-earl Park (guitar) plus Marian Murray (violin).

(cc) 2012 Han-earl Park/Marian Murray.

Jin Sangtae, Han-earl Park and Jeffrey Weeter: Jin-Park-Weeter (Cork, 01–24–11)

Jin-Park-Weeter (Cork, 01-24-11) [details…]

Performers: Jin Sangtae (electronics), Han-earl Park (guitar) and Jeffrey Weeter (drums and electronics).

(cc) 2012 Jin Sangtae/Han-earl Park/Jeffrey Weeter.

Han-earl Park and Franziska Schroeder: Park-Schroeder (Cork, 03-26-09)

Park-Schroeder (Cork, 03-26-09) [details…]

Performers: Han-earl Park (guitar) and Franziska Schroeder (saxophone).

(cc) 2012 Han-earl Park/Franziska Schroeder.

Catherine Sikora, Ian Smith and Han-earl Park: Sikora-Smith-Park (Cork, 04-04-11)

Sikora-Smith-Park (Cork, 04-04-11) [details…]

Performers: Catherine Sikora (saxophone), Ian Smith (trumpet) and Han-earl Park (guitar).

(cc) 2012 Catherine Sikora/Ian Smith/Han-earl Park.

updates

10–24–12: add recommended price.
05–20–13: updated the ‘also available for download’ list, and updated reviews.
11–01–15: add A Little Brittle Music to downloads list, and change currency from USD to EUR.

site update: farewell music.calarts.edu/~hpark

The original home of buster & friends’ d’da, music.calarts.edu/~hpark (originally shoko.calarts.edu/~hpark, latterly adagio.calarts.edu/~hpark) has shut down. That shouldn’t affect the majority of visitors to this site, but some of the older media files stored on adagio (mostly linked via the scrapbook, guitar-guitarist duet pages, and the archived io 0.0.1 beta site) have now been migrated to busterandfriends.com.

That, I think, clears out the final relics of the pre-September 2007 buster & friends’ d’da. Thanks to Clay Chaplin and Tom Erbe for keeping the server(s)/service going all these years.

Revue & Corrigée: Numbers: Richard Barrett + Han-earl Park

CD cover of ‘Numbers’ (CS 201 cd) with Richard Barrett and Han-earl Park (copyright 2012, Creative Sources Recordings)
‘Numbers’ (CS 201 cd) © 2012 Creative Sources

Sporty and dynamic! The September 2012 issue of Revue & Corrigée prints a review of Richard Barrett and Han-earl Park’s ‘Numbers’ (CS 201 cd):

Je connais de nombreuses pièces de Richard Barrett enregistrées, écrites ou improvisées. C’est une figure importante de la musique contemporaine, malheureusement sous-estimée en France. Je vous invite vivement à écouter ce répertoire et vous plonger dans cette solide radicalité: l’écoute de la pièce symphonique Vanity (1996) devrait remettre de nombreuses pendules à l’heure. Lorsqu’il improvise (compose en temps réel), m’avec un dispositif électronique lui autorisant avec souplesse les parcours les plus inattendus.

Nous connaissons déjà plusieurs disques avec Furt, où il intervient avec Paul Obermayer, se jouant lui aussi d’un système électronique.

Je découvre ici sa collaboration avec le guitariste Han-Earl Pak [sic] (un autre créateur plutôt discret sur les scènes hexagonales), qui s’inscrit dans la tradition “post Derek Bailey” avec une saine volonté d’en découdre (cet artiste est aussi concepteur de systèmes interactifi originaux).

Sportif et dynamique.

Thanks to Lê Quan Ninh for helping source the text of the review.

‘Numbers’ (CS 201 cd) is available from Creative Sources Recordings. [More info…] [All reviews…] [Get the CD…]

in preparation: Gargantius Effect +1 +2 +3 (Nor Cal, 08–2011)

artwork for Murray Campbell, Randy McKean with Han-earl Park, plus Gino Robair and Scott R. Looney: Gargantius Effect +1 +2 +3 (Nor Cal, 08-2011)
Next download release will be of Gargantius Effect (Murray Campbell: violins, oboe and cor anglais; and Randy McKean: saxophones, clarinets and flutes) with Han-earl Park (guitar), plus Gino Robair (energized surfaces, voltage made audible) and Scott R. Looney (hyperpiano). Recorded during a tour of Northern California, August 2011, the album features tracks recorded at The Tin House (Grass Valley) on August 25th, at Studio 1510 (Oakland) on August 30th. The recording will be available in a variety of formats (including lossless), and as a ‘name your price’ album.

Super excited about this one. It has documents a fun tour, and features outstanding playing from some very, very fine musicians. More info to follow…

Also available for download…

Han-earl Park plus Marian Murray (Cork, 07–29–10)
Jin Sangtae, Han-earl Park and Jeffrey Weeter (Cork, 01–24–11)
Han-earl Park and Franziska Schroeder (Cork, 03–26–09)
Catherine Sikora, Ian Smith and Han-earl Park (Cork, 04–04–11)
Paul Dunmall, Han-earl Park and Mark Sanders (Birmingham, 02–15–11)
Han-earl Park and Richard Scott (Berlin, 10–23–10)

audio recordings: downloads and recommendations

download album artwork: Han-earl Park plus Marian Murray (Cork, 07-29-10); Jin Sangtae, Han-earl Park and Jeffrey Weeter (Cork, 01–24–11); Han-earl Park and Franziska Schroeder (Cork, 03-26-09); and Catherine Sikora, Ian Smith and Han-earl Park (Cork, 04-04-11)
A couple of more download releases in the pipeline after which I’m planning to take a short break. The releases so far—all Creative Commons licensed, and free or ‘name your price’—are collated here.

I’ve also listed my recommended Bandcamp albums that have accompanied the releases. There are some very fine, inspiring creative, improvised, experimental music on Bandcamp, but it isn’t always easy to find the recordings. Here’s my small contribution to help people get started. Enjoy, download, share—support creative musicians!

Keywords: improvised music, creative music, jazz, free jazz, free improvisation, experimental music, electronic music, electroacoustic.

Han-earl Park plus Marian Murray

A solo performance by guitarist-constructor Han-earl Park exploring, with feedback and resonant buzzes, the complex, cavernous acoustics of the Lewis Glucksman Gallery, and the interactions between artifact (guitar) and the body (guitarist). For ‘Strokes and Screwballs,’ Park is joined by violinist-improviser Marian Murray for a conversational improvisation. [More info…]

Accompanying Recommended Albums

Jin Sangtae, Han-earl Park and Jeffrey Weeter

A stark, real-time evolution of on-stage relations. The performance took place during Seoul-based experimental electronic musician Jin Sangtae’s European tour. Featuring clanking hard drives, buzzing electronics, noisy guitars and machine gun percussion, this recording captures Jin’s meeting with guitarist-improviser Han-earl Park, and composer, drummer and intermedia artist Jeffrey Weeter. [More info plus the 24-bit edition…]

Recommended Albums

Han-earl Park and Franziska Schroeder

Áine Sheil (from the liner notes): “The Glucksman Gallery is one of the finest buildings to have been built in Ireland in recent times, but it is a tricky space for any musician to negotiate. Sounds reverberate and carry in unexpected ways, and music improvised here runs the risk of losing all definition. That [Han-earl] Park and his co-improviser Franziska Schroeder gracefully avoided this testifies to their alertness, sensitivity and experience working together in other spaces…. Indeed the evening had the feeling of conversation, with the instrumentalists demonstrating the improvisatory give-and-take of a convivial exchange of ideas.” [More info…]

Recommended Albums

Catherine Sikora, Ian Smith and Han-earl Park

This was a rare performance in Ireland by Catherine Sikora (New York-based, originally from West Cork), a saxophonist with a striking, compelling sound. She has been described as “a free-blowing player’s player with a spectacular harmonic imagination and an evolved understanding of the tonal palette of the saxophone” (Chris Elliot, Seacoast Online). Sikora was joined by cofounder of the London Improvisers’ Orchestra, trumpeter Ian Smith (London-based, from Dublin), and guitarist Han-earl Park (then Cork-based, currently Brooklyn-based, from California). Smith and Park had just come off the tour as part of the power-trio Mathilde 253 (with Charles Hayward) with the legendary composer-improviser Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith. [More info…]

Recommended Albums

also available by Han-earl Park

CD cover of ‘Numbers’ (CS 201 cd) with Richard Barrett and Han-earl Park (copyright 2012, Creative Sources Recordings)

‘Numbers’ (CS 201 cd) [details…]

Performers: Richard Barrett (electronics) and Han-earl Park (guitar).

© + ℗ 2012 Creative Sources Recordings.

‘io 0.0.1 beta++ (SLAMCD 531) CD cover (copyright 2011, Han-earl Park)

io 0.0.1 beta++ (SLAMCD 531) [details…]

Performers: io 0.0.1 beta++ (itself), Han-earl Park (guitar), Bruce Coates (alto and sopranino saxophones) and Franziska Schroeder (soprano saxophone).

© 2011 Han-earl Park.
℗ 2011 SLAM Productions.

‘Mathilde 253’ (SLAMCD 528) CD cover (copyright 2010, Han-earl Park)

Mathilde 253 (SLAMCD 528) [details…]

Performers: Charles Hayward (drums, percussion and melodica), Han-earl Park (guitar) and Ian Smith (trumpet and flugelhorn) plus Lol Coxhill (saxophone).

© 2010 Han-earl Park.
℗ 2010 SLAM Productions.

rerelease: Han-earl Park plus Marian Murray (Cork, 07–29–10)

artwork for Han-earl Park plus Marian Murray: Park+Murray (Cork, 07-29-10)
The complete recording of the July 29, 2010 performance by guitarist, improviser and constructor Han-earl Park plus violinist and improviser Marian Murray, is now available for download via Bandcamp. [Bandcamp page…] [Download now…]

Originally released in December 2010, it was the second of a series of download releases hosted at busterandfriends.com. This bandcamp-hosted edition offers the option to download the recording in multiple formats including lossless.

Recommended price: €5+

Unlike some of the past download releases from busterandfriends.com, this one, like the newer series of downloads (Jin-Park-Weeter (Cork, 01-24-11), Park-Schroeder (Cork, 03-26-09) and Sikora-Smith-Park (Cork, 04–04–11)), is hosted at Bandcamp, and available as a ‘name your price’ album. Although you can download the recording for free (name €0 as your price) with certain restrictions, please consider paying at least the recommended price. Your generosity will help support the performers and their work.

description

Cork 7-29-10, much of it solo, might be the best way into Park’s protean guitar syntax. The space is huge, which allows for exploration of resonance, but the recording is also fairly close, facilitating clarity of detail. The latter proves especially important as Park slams through blocks of sound and these deteriorate into shreds and scraps, punctuated with what can only be described as ululations, which become more prominent as things proceed. Park’s often-distorted fingerwork, much of it conjuring shades of the human voice, also references Derek Bailey’s rapid-fire volume shifts and Joe Morris’ fleet runs while sounding like neither. While violinist Marian Murray does not exactly speak Park’s language, there is certainly a shared interest in brief but pithy phrases and space that keeps communication at a high level.

— Marc Medwin (The New York City Jazz Record)

A solo performance by guitarist-constructor Han-earl Park exploring, with feedback and resonant buzzes, the complex, cavernous acoustics of the Lewis Glucksman Gallery, and the interactions between artifact (guitar) and the body (guitarist). For ‘Strokes and Screwballs,’ Park is joined by violinist-improviser Marian Murray for a conversational improvisation.

personnel

Han-earl Park (guitar) plus Marian Murray (violin).

track listing

Snares, Sympathetic (19:34); Strokes and Screwballs (5:29); Recursion, Closure (10:41). Total duration: 35:45.

recording details

All music by Han-earl Park, except ‘Strokes and Screwballs’ by Marian Murray and Han-earl Park.

Recorded live July 29, 2010 at the Lewis Glucksman Gallery, Cork.
Performance presented by the Lewis Glucksman Gallery.
Recorded and mixed by Han-earl Park.
Artwork by Han-earl Park.

The recordings (Snares, Sympathetic; Strokes and Screwballs; and Recursion, Closure) and artwork released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. Please attribute the album to Han-earl Park plus Marian Murray, ‘Strokes and Screwballs’ to Marian Murray and Han-earl Park, ‘Snares, Sympathetic’ and ‘Recursion, Closure’ to Han-earl Park, and the artwork to Han-earl Park.

about the performers

Improviser, guitarist and constructor Han-earl Park has been working within/from/around traditions of fuzzily idiomatic, on occasion experimental, mostly open improvised musics for over fifteen years, sometimes engineering theater, sometimes inventing ritual. He feels the gravitational pull of collaborative, multi-authored contexts, and 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.

He is part of Mathilde 253 with Charles Hayward and Ian Smith, and is involved in collaborations with Bruce Coates, Franziska Schroeder, Alex Fiennes and Murray Campbell. He has recently performed with Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith, Lol Coxhill, Pat Thomas, Paul Dunmall, Mark Sanders, Matana Roberts, Richard Barrett, Pauline Oliveros, Thomas Buckner and Kato Hideki. Festival appearances include Sonorities (Belfast), Sonic Acts (Amsterdam), dialogues festival (Edinburgh), VAIN Live Art (Oxford), and the Center for Experiments in Art, Information and Technology Festival (California). His recordings have been released by labels including Slam Productions and DUNS Limited Edition.

Park founded Stet Lab, a monthly improvised music space in Cork, Ireland, and taught improvisation at the UCC Department of Music.

“Guitarist Han-earl Park is a musical philosopher…. Expect unexpected things from Park, who is a delightful shape-shifter….”

Brian Morton (Point of Departure)

Marian Murray completed a degree in music at University College Cork. While there she became heavily involved in improvised music within the college and without. Mainly focusing on small group improvisations she has also collaborated with contemporary composers and multimedia artists. She has performed in a variety of settings from the Irish National Concert Hall, to the Cork Opera House, to art galleries, and with musicians such as Han-earl Park, Alexander Hawkins, Bruce Coates, Ian Smith, Murray Campbell and Charles Hayward.

Also available for download [more…]

‘A Little Brittle Music’ with Han-earl Park, Dominc Lash and Corey Mwamba (artwork copyright 2015, Han-earl Park)

A Little Brittle Music [details…]

Performers: Han-earl Park (guitar), Dominic Lash (double bass) and Corey Mwamba (vibraphone and flute).

© 2015 Han-earl Park. ℗ 2015 Park/Lash/Mwamba.

Paul Dunmall, Han-earl Park and Mark Sanders: Dunmall-Park-Sanders (Birmingham, 02-15-11)

Dunmall-Park-Sanders (Birmingham, 02-15-11) [details…]

Performers: Paul Dunmall (saxophones and bagpipes), Han-earl Park (guitar) and Mark Sanders (drums).

(cc) 2013 Paul Dunmall/Han-earl Park/Mark Sanders.

Murray Campbell, Randy McKean with Han-earl Park, plus Gino Robair and Scott R. Looney: Gargantius Effect +1 +2 +3 (Nor Cal, 08-2011)

Gargantius Effect +1 +2 +3 (Nor Cal, 08-2011) [details…]

Performers: Murray Campbell (violins, oboe and cor anglais), Randy McKean (saxophone, clarinets and flutes) with Han-earl Park (guitar), plus Gino Robair (energized surfaces, voltage made audible) and Scott R. Looney (hyperpiano).

(cc) 2012 Murray Campbell/Randy McKean/Han-earl Park/Gino Robair/Scott R. Looney.

Jin Sangtae, Han-earl Park and Jeffrey Weeter: Jin-Park-Weeter (Cork, 01–24–11)

Jin-Park-Weeter (Cork, 01-24-11) [details…]

Performers: Jin Sangtae (electronics), Han-earl Park (guitar) and Jeffrey Weeter (drums and electronics).

(cc) 2012 Jin Sangtae/Han-earl Park/Jeffrey Weeter.

Han-earl Park and Franziska Schroeder: Park-Schroeder (Cork, 03-26-09)

Park-Schroeder (Cork, 03-26-09) [details…]

Performers: Han-earl Park (guitar) and Franziska Schroeder (saxophone).

(cc) 2012 Han-earl Park/Franziska Schroeder.

Catherine Sikora, Ian Smith and Han-earl Park: Sikora-Smith-Park (Cork, 04-04-11)

Sikora-Smith-Park (Cork, 04-04-11) [details…]

Performers: Catherine Sikora (saxophone), Ian Smith (trumpet) and Han-earl Park (guitar).

(cc) 2012 Catherine Sikora/Ian Smith/Han-earl Park.

updates

10–24–12: add recommended price.
05–20–13: updated the ‘also available for download’ list, and updated reviews.
11–01–15: add A Little Brittle Music to downloads list, and change currency from USD to EUR.

Download of the Day at All About Jazz: Catherine Sikora, Ian Smith and Han-earl Park (Cork, 04–04–11)

artwork for Catherine Sikora, Ian Smith and Han-earl Park: Sikora-Smith-Park (Cork, 04-04-11)

A live recording from ‘Saturday The Fringes’ mainstay Han-earl Park. This is quality improv jazz, the kind I often feature on ‘Saturday The Fringes,’ but something about this album, I dunno, just seemed to have crossover appeal. Plus, I’m addicted to the album. So, we’re giving it a weekday slot on the download schedule. The kind of album filled with tunes that reward patience and open-mindedness.

All About Jazz

‘바르트’ by Catherine Sikora, Ian Smith and Han-earl Park is today’s featured download at All About Jazz! Thanks to AAJ downloads editor Dave Sumner for selecting the recording.

[Track at AAJ…] [Download full performance and album info…]

Previous All About Jazz featured downloads

Paul Dunmall, Han-earl Park and Mark Sanders: ‘shoapnxoe gutair dmurs a.ii’
Han-earl Park and Richard Scott: ‘Carrier’
Han-earl Park and Franziska Schroeder: ‘Chorale’

Also available for download…

Jin Sangtae, Han-earl Park and Jeffrey Weeter (Cork, 01–24–11)
Han-earl Park and Franziska Schroeder (Cork, 03–26–09)
Paul Dunmall, Han-earl Park and Mark Sanders (Birmingham, 02–15–11)
Han-earl Park and Richard Scott (Berlin, 10–23–10)
Han-earl Park plus Marian Murray (Cork, 07–29–10)

SLAM Productions featured in The New York City Jazz Record

SLAM Productions featured in The New York City Jazz Record, 08-2012. Copyright 2012 The New York City Jazz Record.
© 2012 The New York City Jazz Record (click to view PDF…)

This month, The New York City Jazz Record puts a spotlight on the record label SLAM Productions. In the article, Ken Waxman quotes label owner and curator George Haslam as saying:

When a recording is offered to me, I listen to it and consider, is SLAM the right place for it? I don’t have a style template to which the music must fit. The SLAM slogan has always been ‘Freedom of Music’. I remember years ago playing a concert with Lol [Coxhill]. He was asked to play a solo piece and was going to play ‘Autumn Leaves”. “But this is a free gig, Lol” someone said. “So,” said Lol “Am I free to play what I want?” What ties the SLAM catalogue together is the objective of preserving music that may otherwise be lost and making this music available to a listening public. To try to ‘educate’ or lead a public would be counterproductive but the music is there to be discovered. [Read the rest…]

It’s really great to see George Haslam and his label get some well deserved recognition, and I am honored that a couple of my recordings are available on SLAM. Thanks, George, for your support over the years, and especially for taking a gamble with a recording of a machine improviser! (And, incidentally, Paul Dunmall, who initially recommended SLAM to me, and the late Lol Coxhill, who guested on my first recording on SLAM, also make appearances in the article.)

Available from SLAM Productions…

‘io 0.0.1 beta++ (SLAMCD 531) CD cover (copyright 2011, Han-earl Park)

io 0.0.1 beta++ (SLAMCD 531) [details…]

Performers: io 0.0.1 beta++ (itself), Han-earl Park (guitar), Bruce Coates (alto and sopranino saxophones) and Franziska Schroeder (soprano saxophone).

© 2011 Han-earl Park.
℗ 2011 SLAM Productions.

‘Mathilde 253’ (SLAMCD 528) CD cover (copyright 2010, Han-earl Park)

Mathilde 253 (SLAMCD 528) is available from SLAM Productions [details…]

Performers: Charles Hayward (drums, percussion and melodica), Han-earl Park (guitar) and Ian Smith (trumpet and flugelhorn) plus Lol Coxhill (saxophone).

© 2010 Han-earl Park.
℗ 2010 SLAM Productions.

audio clip: Mark Hanslip, Dominic Lash, Phillip Marks and Han-earl Park at The Oxford, London

The Oxford (London) 05-07-12: “LIVE JAZZ This Way”
Mark Hanslip has posted up an audio excerpt from the May 7, 2012 performance by Mark Hanslip (saxophone), Dominic Lash (double bass), Phillip Marks (drums) and Han-earl Park (guitar) which took place at The Oxford, London, presented by Jazz @ The Oxford.

[SoundCloud page…]
[Performance diary entry…] [About this performance…] [Jazz @ Oxford page…]

in preparation: Han-earl Park plus Marian Murray (Cork, 07–29–10)

artwork for Han-earl Park plus Marian Murray: Park+Murray (Cork, 07-29-10)
Next download release will be the recording of the July 29, 2010 (two years ago!) performance by Han-earl Park (guitar) plus Marian Murray (violin) at the the Lewis Glucksman Gallery, Cork. A rerelease of a recording originally put out in December 2010, this new version will be available in a variety of formats (including lossless), and available as a ‘name your price’ album.

More info to follow…

Also available for download…

Jin Sangtae, Han-earl Park and Jeffrey Weeter (Cork, 01–24–11)
Han-earl Park and Franziska Schroeder (Cork, 03–26–09)
Catherine Sikora, Ian Smith and Han-earl Park (Cork, 04–04–11)
Paul Dunmall, Han-earl Park and Mark Sanders (Birmingham, 02–15–11)
Han-earl Park and Richard Scott (Berlin, 10–23–10)