thanks: Gerald Cleaver and Han-earl Park at Douglass Street Music Collective, Brooklyn

Like I said last time, necessity is the mother of invention. Two things sparked this second duo*3 event at DSMC: Gerald Cleaver was going to be available (been trying to corner him with a gig since January), and Viv Corringham had just moved to New York. I then asked Chris Pitsiokos if he’d like to contribute a set after Anna Webber had to drop out (as much as I enjoyed Chris and Philip White’s set, and I wouldn’t substitute it for anything else, would loved to have heard what Anna might have brought to the table—next time). And like the last duo*3 event, because of the performers, the results were unimaginably better than the minimal curatorial hand I played.

So big, big thanks to all the performers at the August 13 event: to Chris and Philip White for their sense of play (and for consistently hitting the resonance frequency of the DSMC buzzer); to Viv and Andrea Parkins for a performance full of humor, and a kind of cargo-cult elegance; and to Gerald for his limitless imagination, for the 45 minute creative, musical and physical workout, and for making the set sound just that much better. And kudos again to Don Mount for the indefatigable work as video documentarist [watch/listen…].

Next up: performances coming up in September with Evan Parker as part of his residency at The Stone, and with Catherine Sikora and Josh Sinton playing Metis 9. See the performance diary for up-to-date info.

reminder: Gerald Cleaver and Han-earl Park at Douglass Street Music Collective, Brooklyn

Tomorrow (Tuesday, August 13, 2013), at 8:00pm (our set is c. 9:00pm): Gerald Cleaver (drums) and Han-earl Park (guitar) perform as part of an evening of duo improvisations. Also performing are Chris Pitsiokos (saxophone) and Philip White (electronics), and Viv Corringham (voice and electronics) and Andrea Parkins (accordion and electronics). The event takes place at Douglass Street Music Collective (295 Douglass Street, Gowanus, Brooklyn, NY 11217) [map and directions…]. $10 suggested donation.

I’m looking forward to, in particular, hearing Viv, who’s recently relocated to NYC, with Andrea, and of course playing with Gerald Cleaver for the first time. If you only come to… two of my gigs this year, make this one of them!

Above video, with Ingrid Laubrock, from the previous duo event at DSMC. Videography by Don Mount.

site update: scrapbook redux

web audio player widget
Just a summary of the updates that have been accumulating in my scrapbook since the last overhaul. Here’s some of the more recent additions. Enjoy! All music and audio recordings © + ℗ their respective owners.

Eris 136199 (Nick Didkovsky: guitar; Han-earl Park: guitar; and Catherine Sikora: saxophones).

Music by Eris 136199.
Recorded live, June 5, 2013 at Douglass Street Music Collective, Brooklyn.
Recorded by Scott Friedlander.

[About this project…]

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

Music by Richard Barrett and Han-earl Park.
Recorded March 10, 2011 at the Institute of Sonology, Den Haag.
Audio clip courtesy of Creative Sources Recordings. ℗ 2012 Creative Sources Recordings.Han-earl Park
Recorded by Richard Barrett and Han-earl Park. Mixed by Richard Barrett.

[About this project…] [Get the CD…]

Ingrid Laubrock (saxophone) and Han-earl Park (guitar).

Music by Ingrid Laubrock and Han-earl Park.
Recorded live, May 16, 2013 at Douglass Street Music Collective, Brooklyn.
Recorded by Don Mount.

Han-earl Park (guitar), Catherine Sikora (saxophones) and Josh Sinton (clarinet and saxophone).

Music by Han-earl Park, Catherine Sikora and Josh Sinton.
Recorded live, March 26, 2013 at Freddy’s Bar, Brooklyn.
Performance presented as part of On The Way Out curated by Michael Evans and Anders Nilsson.
Recorded by Don Mount.

[About this project…]

Michael Evans (drums), Louise Dam Eckardt Jensen (saxophone and flute) and Han-earl Park (guitar).

Music by Michael Evans, Louise Dam Eckardt Jensen and Han-earl Park.
Recorded live, January 20, 2013 at Downtown Music Gallery, New York.
Recorded by Kevin Reilly.

Mark Trayle (electronics), Gascia Ouzounian (violin), Chris Brown (piano), Paul Stapleton (percussion), Dan Goren (trumpet), Don Nichols (percussion), Simon Rose (saxophone), Gustavo Aguilar (percussion), Han-earl Park (guitar), Ulrich Mitzlaff (’cello), Tasos Stamou (zither), Dominic Lash (double bass), Christopher Williams (double bass), Nuno Rebelo (guitar), Richard Scott (synthesizer), Steven Davis (drums), Pedro Rebelo (piano), Justin Yang (saxophone) and Franziska Schroeder (saxophones).

Ensemble led by Evan Parker.
Recorded live, November 7, 2010 at the Sonic Arts Research Center, Belfast.
Performance presented as part of Sonorities 2010.

performance: Gerald Cleaver and Han-earl Park at Douglass Street Music Collective, Brooklyn

Tuesday, August 13, 2013, at 8:00pm: another evening of duo improvisations, this time including a performance by Gerald Cleaver and Han-earl Park, takes place at Douglass Street Music Collective (295 Douglass Street, Gowanus, Brooklyn, NY 11217) [map and directions…]. $10 suggested donation.

Set order

8:oopm: Chris Pitsiokos (saxophone) and Philip White (electronics).
9:00pm: Gerald Cleaver (drums) and Han-earl Park (guitar).
10:00pm: Viv Corringham (voice and electronics) and Andrea Parkins (accordion and electronics).

See the performance diary for up-to-date info. [DSMC page…] [facebook event…]

Above video, with Ingrid Laubrock, from the previous duo event at DSMC. Videography by Don Mount.

thanks: Swim This (Nick Didkovsky, Gerry Hemingway and Michael Lytle) with Han-earl Park at Douglass Street Music Collective, Brooklyn

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the noise at the July 26 event. I was bowled over by the awesome time-and-motion-studies of Patricia Franceschy and Kate Gentile (Kate’s composition, in particular, was a highlight). I take my hat off to Swim This (Nick Didkovsky, Gerry Hemingway and Michael Lytle) for their playfully raucous set, and for inviting me to join them on stage. Thanks again to Don Mount for the videography. Last but not least, thanks to all who came to witness the noisy bodies in motion!

Next up: an evening of duos, Tuesday, August 13, with Chris Pitsiokos (saxophone) and Philip White (electronics); Gerald Cleaver (drums) and Han-earl Park (guitar); and Viv Corringham (voice and electronics) and Andrea Parkins (accordion and electronics). See the performance diary for up-to-date info.

thanks: Eris 136199 (DSMC, Brooklyn) and Lytle-Park (ABC No Rio, NYC)

Nick Didkovsky: “Wow. That was weird!”

Belated set of thanks for the performances earlier this month (June 5th and 9th). The biggest thanks to Nick Didkovsky and Catherine Sikora who made this Eris 136199’s stragest performance so far, with unexpected and unpredictable turns and juxtapositions; and big thanks to Michael Lytle who invited me to join him for a duo performance at ABC No Rio. Thanks also to Blaise Siwula for organizing and curating COMA: Citizens Ontological Music Agenda, and to the other musicians who shared the bill and both events. In particular, kudos to Ras Moshe, Shayna Dulberger and John Pietaro for stepping up and contributing a fantastic set (plus John said one of the nicest things about my playing after Eris’ set: “You’re the Rashied Ali of the group!”); and to Craig Flanagin and Frank Marino for their great vibe on and off stage. Special thanks to Scott Friedlander for his indefatigable and expert documentation—audio, video and photographic—and a hat tip to Don Mount for helping Eris come up with a title for our first improvisation. Last but not least, thanks to all who came to listen and witness the noise, complexity and play.

Next up: performance in July with Swim This (Nick Didkovsky: guitar; Gerry Hemingway: drums; and Michael Lytle: bass clarinet). See the performance diary for up-to-date info.

live review: Ingrid Laubrock and Han-earl Park at Douglass Street Music Collective, Brooklyn

In Jazz Right Now’s review of the evening of duos that took place on May 16, Kris Davis and Andrew Drury’s performance was a “whirlwinds of sound”, and Catherine Sikora and Stanley Jason Zappa’s improvisation was “intense” and “intertwined”. Regarding Ingrid Laubrock and Han-earl Park’s performance:

The saxophonist [Laubrock] displayed characteristic versatility with her instrument, while the guitarist [Park] played in his unique percussive style. The two had a resonance in their sound immediately, producing a pensive breathiness with foreboding overtones throughout the 40 minute performance. They seemed to cast away vulgar, simplistic attempts at clarity, preferring to open a liminal space between the benign expected and chaotic nothingness: a glimmer of deeper and deeper windows into the unexplained and undefined, all the while delving towards utter truths in their exploration. Laubrock’s percussive intensity that ultimately erupted into brilliant exclamations over Park’s mellower staccato ultimately merged into receding thunder. [Read the rest…]

Above video by Don Mount.

thanks: Ingrid Laubrock and Han-earl Park at Douglass Street Music Collective, Brooklyn

Necessity is the mother of invention. Catherine Sikora initially approached me about a ‘cryptic gig’, saying that Stanley Jason Zappa would be in town. As a last minute event, with little time for organization, I proposed an evening of duos. Pragmatically, if I’d asked for larger ensembles, people would have to check the availability of a larger number of people; something that can be time consuming in this town. So I asked Ingrid Laubrock, who I’d just been talking about playing with when I saw her at Gowanus Company in April, if she’d be interested in a duo. I also asked Andrew Drury if he could put somthing together, and he got Kris Davis onboard. When the dust settled, catching my breath, I looked at the lineup of the evening, and realized what a kick-ass group of musicians we had for the event.

Thanks to all involved in the May 16 event. For the music: Ingrid, Catherine, Andrew, Stanley and Kris; and for pitching the initial idea for the event: Catherine; for the documentation: Don Mount and Kevin Reilly (what we may lack in other resources, we more than make up for in documentation 😉 ; and for the help: Kevin. Thanks for listening: all who came to witness music in real-time!

Next up: performances coming up in June as part of Eris 136199 (Nick Didkovsky, Han-earl Park and Catherine Sikora), and with Michael Lytle. See the performance diary for up-to-date info.

performance: Han-earl Park, Catherine Sikora and Eric Lyon at ABC No Rio, New York

This Sunday (April 21, 2013), at 7:00pm: a performance by Han-earl Park (guitar), Catherine Sikora (saxophones) and Eric Lyon (piano) as part of COMA: Citizens Ontological Music Agenda. Also performing are Elliott Levin and Denis Beuret with Gene Janas. The event takes place at ABC No Rio (156 Rivington Street, New York, NY 10002) [map/directions…], and admission is $5.

See the performance diary for up-to-date info. [ABC No Rio page…]

Above video: last time I performed with Catherine Sikora. With Josh Sinton. Videography by Don Mount.

reminder: Ed Rosenberg, Owen Stewart-Robertson, Han-earl Park and Kate Pittman as part of Out Of Your Head, Brooklyn

This Sunday (April 7, 2013), at 9:30pm (our set: 11:00pm): a performance by Ed Rosenberg (saxophone), Owen Stewart-Robertson (guitar), Han-earl Park (guitar) and Kate Pittman (drums), as part of Out Of Your Head Brooklyn. The event takes place at The Backroom @ Freddy’s Bar (627 5th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215) [map/directions…].[Details…]

Above video: last time I performed as part of Out Of Your Head Brooklyn; with Jonathan Goldberger, Sean Ali and Will McEvoy. Videography by Don Mount.

thanks: Han-earl Park, Catherine Sikora and Josh Sinton at On The Way Out, Brooklyn

Thanks for all involved in the performance on March 26. Thanks to Michael Evans and Anders Nilsson of On The Way Out, and to Freddy’s Bar, for hosting the event; to Michael Lytle’s ensemble (with Mari Kimura, Nick Didkovsky and Andrew Drury) for sharing the bill, and for the imaginary slow-burn cartoon Kafka nightmare music as might be edited by Tex Avery and orchestrated by Carl Stalling; to Don Mount for yet again documenting music in motion (above videography by Don Mount); and to all who came to listen.

And of course a very special thanks to Catherine Sikora and Josh Sinton for their imaginative leaps, surprises, left-field interventions, and for keeping me on my toes. I appreciate your impeccable choices, and the time and effort you’ve put into making music out of the broad tactical sketches that I brought to the rehearsals. Thanks for finding a play-space, and forging a living game.

Some exciting performances coming up in April with Catherine Sikora, Eric Lyon, Piotr Michalowski, Lominic Dash Dominic Lash, Joe Moffett, Andrew Drury, Ed Rosenberg, Owen Stewart-Robertson, Kate Pittman and others. See the performance diary for up-to-date info.

performance: Ed Rosenberg, Owen Stewart-Robertson, Han-earl Park and Kate Pittman as part of Out Of Your Head, Brooklyn

Sunday, April 7, 2013, at 9:30pm (our set: 11:00pm): a performance by Ed Rosenberg (saxophone), Owen Stewart-Robertson (guitar), Han-earl Park (guitar) and Kate Pittman (drums), as part of Out Of Your Head Brooklyn curated by Jesse Stacken. The event takes place at The Backroom @ Freddy’s Bar (627 5th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215) [map/directions…]. Also performing: Jasmine Lovell-Smith (reeds), Kenny Warren (trumpet), Jesse Stacken (keyboards), Adam Hopkins (bass) and Max Jaffe (drums).

See the performance diary for up-to-date info. [Freddy’s page…] [OOYH page…]

Above video: last time I performed as part of Out Of Your Head Brooklyn; with Jonathan Goldberger, Sean Ali and Will McEvoy. Videography by Don Mount.