video: Gowanus Company at Douglass Street Music Collective, Brooklyn

Scott Friedlander has uploaded video recordings of Gowanus Company (November 26, 2013). As I wrote previously:

Big, heart-felt thanks to Kyoko and Josh for organizing the event. I’m touched, and could not have asked for a better send-off. Thanks to everyone who made music, and for creating that welcoming, friendly vibe. (And a particular pleasure to finally perform with Kyoko, Ken and Fay!) And thanks again to Scott Friedlander for the documentation.

From that vocal/guitar chorus (Kyoko, Viv, Fay, Nick and I) to the jazz racket of Ken and I joined by Tom and Ingrid… my spirits have been lifted!

Gowanus Company was curated by Kyoko Kitamura, Josh Sinton and Han-earl Park. Performers were Dan Blake (saxophones), Olie Brice (double bass), Viv Corringham (voice), Nick Didkovsky (guitar), Michael Evans (drums), Ken Filiano (double bass), Christopher Hoffman (’cello), Jason Kao Hwang (violin), Kyoko Kitamura (voice), Ingrid Laubrock (saxophone), Jeremiah Lockwood (voice and guitar), Russ Lossing (piano), Han-earl Park (guitar), Tom Rainey (drums), Josh Sinton (saxophone) and Fay Victor (voice). [Details…]

Happy New Year: 2014

Original images © 2013 Emilio Vavarella; © 2013 Scott Friedlander; © 2013 Don Mount; and © 2013 Han-earl Park.
Original photographs/images © 2013 Emilio Vavarella; © 2013 Scott Friedlander; © 2013 Don Mount; and (cc) 2013 Han-earl Park.

farewell, Brooklyn, it’s been a blast

Let’s start with a kind of personal Top Ten. In no particular order: Han-earl Park with Ingrid Laubrock; with Tim Perkis and Harris Eisenstadt; as part of Eris 136199 with Nick Didkovsky and Catherine Sikora; with Louise Dam Eckardt Jensen and Michael Evans; Gerald Cleaver; Tom Blancarte; Dominic Lash; Catherine Sikora and Josh Sinton; and with Evan Parker, Brooklyn and New York, 2012–2013. Videos by Scott Friedlander, Don Mount and Kevin Reilly.

I moved to Brooklyn back in December 2011, and I’m grateful and privileged to have been part of, even briefly, such a gracious, vibrant, creative, fun and welcoming community.

I’m particularly indebted to Andrew, Jesse, Michael, Adam, Anna and Andrea for introducing me to the (cultural) geography/neighborhood(s); to Bruce, Wadada and Ras who gave me my first few gigs; and to Tim and Evan for offering me sideman gigs. And a very big thanks to Josh, Catherine and Nick for much of the above, and for collaborating on some long-term projects. To everyone, I hope to repay the your generosity (and hope to catch up when I’m back in Brooklyn/NYC).

Now back in Cork, and, for what feel like the first time in a long time, I’m arriving without a gig in town (and, to my surprise, I’m not too unhappy about that). Some plans ahead (solo performance at SARC for starters), fingers crossed, something will work out.

Anyway, as posted earlier, I’m seeking performances for Numbers (Richard Barrett and Han-earl Park), Eris 136199 (Nick Didkovsky, Han-earl Park and Catherine Sikora) and Mathilde 253 (Charles Hayward, Han-earl Park and Ian Smith). Interested promoters, venues, festivals and sponsors, please get in touch! [Details…]

seeking performances (Europe, 2014)

I will be moving back to Cork this month, and I am seeking performances for the following projects/ensembles in Europe, 2014. Interested promoters, venues, festivals and sponsors, please get in touch!

In addition, I (Han-earl Park) will be available for performances in solo or (ad-hoc) ensemble contexts.

Contact me for further information, audio recordings, etc. (some material only available to promoters).

thanks: Gowanus Company at Douglass Street Music Collective, Brooklyn

Ingrid Laubrock, Ken Filiano and Olie Brice (Douglass Street Music Collective, Brooklyn, November 26, 2013)
I’m honored to have been part of a fantastic iteration of Gowanus Company (November 26), and feel enormously blessed to have been welcomed into such an incredible community. Big, heart-felt thanks to Kyoko and Josh for organizing the event. I’m touched, and could not have asked for a better send-off. Thanks to everyone who made music, and for creating that welcoming, friendly vibe. (And a particular pleasure to finally perform with Kyoko, Ken and Fay!) And thanks again to Scott Friedlander for the documentation.

From that vocal/guitar chorus (Kyoko, Viv, Fay, Nick and I) to the jazz racket of Ken and I joined by Tom and Ingrid… my spirits have been lifted!

reminder: Gowanus Company at Douglass Street Music Collective, Brooklyn

Gowanus Company at Douglass Street Music Collective
This Tuesday (November 26, 2013), at 7:00pm: My last gig in Brooklyn before the Big Move!

In the spirit of Derek Bailey’s Company week, the evening will feature a series of never-before-seen and never-to-be-seen-again groups. [Read the rest…]

Gowanus Company with Dan Blake (saxophone), Olie Brice (double bass), Viv Corringham (voice and electronics), Nick Didkovsky (guitar), Michael Evans (drums), Ken Filiano (double bass), Christopher Hoffman (’cello), Jason Kao Hwang (violin), Kyoko Kitamura (voice), Ingrid Laubrock (saxophone), Jeremiah Lockwood (voice and guitar), Russ Lossing (piano), Han-earl Park (guitar), Tom Rainey (drums), Josh Sinton (saxophone and clarinet), Fay Victor (voice) and others takes place at Douglass Street Music Collective (295 Douglass Street, Gowanus, Brooklyn, NY 11217) [map and directions…]. $10 suggested donation.

performance: Gowanus Company at Douglass Street Music Collective, Brooklyn

Gowanus Company at Douglass Street Music Collective
Tuesday, November 26, 2013, at 7:00pm: Gowanus Company with Dan Blake (saxophone), Olie Brice (double bass), Viv Corringham (voice and electronics), Nick Didkovsky (guitar), Michael Evans (drums), Ken Filiano (double bass), Christopher Hoffman (’cello), Jason Kao Hwang (violin), Kyoko Kitamura (voice), Ingrid Laubrock (saxophone), Jeremiah Lockwood (voice and guitar), Russ Lossing (piano), Han-earl Park (guitar), Tom Rainey (drums), Josh Sinton (saxophone and clarinet), Fay Victor (voice) and others. Curated by Kyoko Kitamura, Josh Sinton and Han-earl Park, the event takes place at Douglass Street Music Collective (295 Douglass Street, Gowanus, Brooklyn, NY 11217) [map and directions…]. $10 suggested donation.

My last gig in Brooklyn, New York, and, for me, it’s my leaving party. I’m honored to be part of this event instigated by Kyoko and Josh.

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

Crucible Sound: interview with Han-earl Park

Crucible Sound (Pittsburgh, 11-07-13)
Over at Crucible Sound, Anthony Levin-Decanini interviews Han-earl Park about idiom, identity, collaborators, teaching and a-ha moments:

Idiom, tradition, identity, history (personal or collective) are things that I value. I tend not to subscribe to the vanilla notion of a pure, non-idiomatic state. I value the meeting: I want to know who you are, who I am, and that fascinating stuff is when those things collide—what we have in common, and what separates us. Border crossings are always fascinating; full of contradictions and (potential) misunderstandings….

…Meetings and border crossings make me think of brief encounters, limited investment, not long-arc relationships. Is that what free improvisers are left with: connecting only in that moment? Is that initial collision potentially more interesting to hear than when musicians get to know each other intimately (and calculate accordingly)?

…I do value the band, of long-term collaborations. It allows for greater complexity of interaction, greater speeds of decision making, more oblique, unexpected, choices. We, Eris 136199, coined a new term—‘weirderation’—after our last performance, to denote something—a set of relationships, decision making process—getting just that little bit weirder with each iteration.

On the other hand, spaces such as Crucible Sound have their own value. I’m not sure ‘brief encounters’ necessarily equates to ‘limited investment’ in those relationships.

[Read the rest…]

On Thursday (November 7, 2013), at 8:00pm (doors: 7:30pm): Han-earl Park will be performing with David Bernabo, Edgar Um Bucholtz, J Wayne Clinton and Lenny Young as part of Crucible Sound at ModernFormations (4919 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15224) [map…]. Suggested donation: $7. [Details…]

thanks: Eris 136199 (DMG, NYC) and Park-Sikora-Sinton (Harvestworks, NYC)

Han-earl Park, Catherine Sikora and Josh Sinton (Harvestworks, NYC, October 29, 2013). Photo copyright 2013 Emilio Vavarella.
Han-earl Park, Catherine Sikora and Josh Sinton (Harvestworks, NYC, October 29, 2013). Photo © 2013 Emilio Vavarella.

Acknowledgments re the, for the time being, final performances of two projects: Eris 136199 on October 27, and Metis 9 on October 29. My hat goes off to my comrades Nick Didkovsky and Catherine Sikora who make Eris 136199 the site of unexpected choices—of twists and turns. We’d thought our previous performance was weird, this one warranted a new term:

weirderation wir-də-ˈrā-shən noun. process that results in something just that little bit weirder with each iteration. [compare examples A and B]

I am greatly indebted to Catherine Sikora and Josh Sinton for doing the heavy lifting, and turning my barebone sketches and speculations into music; for engageing intelligently, adventurously and imaginatively with the context at hand. These past months have been a learning experience for me as tactician, and I couldn’t have asked for better teachers.

Thanks to Bruce and Manny at the World’s Best Record Store for hosting us, and for their unshakable advocacy of new music. Thanks to Carol Parkinson, Hans Tammen, Kevin Ramsay, Emilio Vavarella and everyone at Harvestworks for hosting our performance, their enthusiasm, and for their support. Thanks again to Kevin Reilly for his video documentation of the DMG performance [watch/listen…], and, as always, thanks to all who came to listen and witness the musicking—real-time and interactive.

Next up: performance in Pittsburgh (November 7) as part of Crucible Sound, then back to New York (November 17) for a duo performance with Viv Corringham [canceled…] back to Brooklyn (November 20) for a duo performance with Anna Webber. See the performance diary for up-to-date info.

reminder: Eris 136199 (Nick Didkovsky, Han-earl Park and Catherine Sikora) at Downtown Music Gallery, New York

This Sunday (October 27, 2013), at 6:00pm: maybe your last chance to hear Nick Didkovsky (guitar), Han-earl Park (guitar), and Catherine Sikora (saxophones), a.k.a. Eris 136199, visit the crossroads of noise, melody, rhythm, space, density, contrast, synchronicity, asymmetry, serendipity and contradiction. Also performing is Samm Bennett. The event takes place at Downtown Music Gallery (13 Monroe Street, New York, NY 10002-7351) [map…]. Free admission.

performance diary 10-23-13 (Brooklyn, New York, Pittsburgh)

upcoming performances
date venue time details
October 27, 2013 Downtown Music Gallery
13 Monroe Street
New York, NY 10002
6:00pm Performance by Eris 136199 (Nick Didkovsky: guitar; Han-earl Park: guitar; and Catherine Sikora: saxophones). Also performing: Samm Bennett. Free admission.
[Details…] [DMG page…]
October 29, 2013 Harvestworks
596 Broadway #602
New York, NY 10012
7:00pm Performance of Metis 9 by Han-earl Park (guitar), Catherine Sikora (saxophones) and Josh Sinton (saxophone and clarinet).
Free admission.
[Details…] [Harvestworks page…]
November 7, 2013 ModernFormations
4919 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15224
8:00pm (doors: 7:30pm) Performance by David Bernabo (guitar), Edgar Um Bucholtz (coronet, trash), J Wayne Clinton (synthesizer, homemade instruments), Han-earl Park (guitar) and Lenny Young (oboe) as part of Crucible Sound.
Suggested donation: $7.
[Details…] [Crucible Sound page…]
November 17, 2013 Downtown Music Gallery
13 Monroe Street
New York, NY 10002
6:00pm Canceled! Performance by Viv Corringham (voice and electronics) and Han-earl Park (guitar). Details to follow…
Free admission.
November 20, 2013 IBeam
168 7th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11215
8:30pm Performance by Anna Webber (saxophone) and Han-earl Park (guitar). Also performing: Joe Moffett (trumpet), Carlo Costa (drums) and Dan Peck (tuba). $10 suggested donation.
[Details…]
November 21, 2013 Andrew Drury’s home
[Contact for location…]
Lefferts Gardens
Brooklyn, NY
7:00pm Soup and Sound House Concert with Jack Wright (saxophones) and Ben Wright (double bass) with Andrew Drury (percussion), Joe Moffett (trumpet), Dan Peck (tuba), Han-earl Park (guitar), Michael Evans (percussion) and others.
Recommended donation: $10.
[Details…]
November 26, 2013 Douglass Street Music Collective
295 Douglass Street
Gowanus
Brooklyn, NY 11217
7:00pm Gowanus Company curated by Kyoko Kitamura, Josh Sinton and Han-earl Park. Performers: Dan Blake (saxophone), Olie Brice (double bass), Viv Corringham (voice and electronics), Nick Didkovsky (guitar), Michael Evans (drums), Ken Filiano (double bass), Christopher Hoffman (’cello), Jason Kao Hwang (violin), Kyoko Kitamura (voice), Ingrid Laubrock (saxophone), Jeremiah Lockwood (voice and guitar), Russ Lossing (piano), Han-earl Park (guitar), Tom Rainey (drums), Josh Sinton (saxophone and clarinet), Fay Victor (voice) and others. Recommended donation: $10.
[Details…] [DSMC page…]
2014– Europe I will be moving back to Europe at the start of 2014, and I am seeking performance opportunities for, in particular, my Europe-based projects including Numbers (with Richard Barrett), Mathilde 253 (with Charles Hayward and Ian Smith), and io 0.0.1 beta++ (with Bruce Coates and Franziska Schroeder). Interested promoters, venues and sponsors, please get in touch!

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