Tag: video recordings

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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.

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video recordings: Brooklyn and New York, April 2013

A audiovisual review of some of the performances in April. Including two contrasting duets with double bassists (Tom Blancarte and Dominic Lash), and a trio with Catherine Sikora (saxophones) and Eric Lyon.

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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.

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

Tuesday, March 26, 2013, at 8:30pm (our set: 10:00pm): a performance of Metis 9 by Han-earl Park (guitar), Catherine Sikora (saxophones) and Josh Sinton (saxophone and clarinet) presented by On The Way Out takes place at The Backroom @ Freddy’s Bar (627 5th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215) [map/directions…]. Also performing: at 8:30pm, Mari Kimura (violin), Nick Didkovsky (guitar), Andrew Drury (drums and percussion) and Michael Lytle (clarinet and analog electronics). $10 suggested donation.

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

details

An orchestrated, real-time, interactive collision between the cyborgism of guitarist Han-earl Park, and the incomparably original melodic and timbral sensibilities of saxophonist Catherine Sikora and saxophonist-clarinetist Josh Sinton. The trio will render into music, Metis 9, a collection of improvisative tactics, and higher-level interactive macros for group improvisation designed, designated and specified by Han-earl Park.

Metis 9 has ‘glorious noise’ or ‘frenzy’ at its root, yet it is not so much structuring the noise as it is a meta-layer of complexity that performers can introduce at will. Metis 9 does not tell the performer what to play, or provide all the details of how to interact, but it is an additional network protocol for interactive possibilities. Group improvisation is always the primary protocol; Metis 9 provides secondary or tertiary tactics that create an additional focused complexity. The decision for each bloop and bleep is still retained by the ensemble. These macros enable specific interactionist schemes to be expressed in an open improvisative context; it is improvisative play channeled by group consent.

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thanks: Eris 136199 (Brecht Forum, NYC) and Evans-Jensen-Park (DMG, NYC)

A somewhat belated set of thanks for the gigs on January 13 and January 20, 2013. Very big, big thanks to fellow performers Nick Didkovsky and Catherine Sikora of Eris 136199 (I’ve been told ours was a fantastic performance, I’m very sorry that, zombified with a virus, I have little recollection of it :-/ ), and to Michael Evans and Louise Dam Eckardt Jensen.

Kudos to Ras Moshe and everyone at The Brecht Forum, and to Bruce Gallanter (hey, it was good to talk and catch up, Bruce!) and Manny Maris of Downtown Music Gallery for hosting and curating the events. (And apologies to Ras and the other performers at The Brecht Forum for not being able to stick around for the other sets.) Thanks again to Kevin Reilly for the video documentation of the DMG performance, and thanks, as always, to all who came to listen and witness music in interaction and in real-time.

By the way, ‘Numbers’ (CS 201 cd), the duo album with Richard Barrett (the one that got selected for Délire actuel’s 2012 Demanding Music Top 30), should now be available from Downtown Music Gallery. [More about this CD…]

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video: Call them Improvisors! at Sonorities 2010

Pedro Rebelo has just posted a video of ‘Call them Improvisors!,’ an Evan Parker-led ensemble performance that took place at the Sonic Arts Research Center, Belfast, November 7, 2010 [details…] [Sonorities page…].

The performers were Mark Trayle (electronics), Gascia Ouzounian (violin), Chris Brown (piano), Paul Stapleton (percussion), Dan Goren (trumpet), Don Nichols (percussion), Simon Rose (saxophone), Gustavo Aguilar (drums), 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 (saxophone). Shortly after the performance, I wrote:

Thanks in to the members of my local trio (as Richard pointed out, it’s very hard not to feel the pull of tribalism), Ulrich Mitzlaff and Gascia Ouzounian; to the emergent section leader of the neighboring trio Pedro Rebelo (with whom, during the rehearsal/trial run, I would share looks when things (creatively) self-destructed); to the Simon Rose-Dan Goren-Paul Stapleton unit which, in the best possible sense, seemed to have an agenda entirely their own; to the two bass players, Dom Lash and Christopher Williams, who entertained my left ear; to the remarkable drummers, Gustavo Aguilar and Steve Davis, who always knew, better than the rest of us put together, how to push/pull such a large ensemble during free play; to Franziska Schroeder for soaring over the group; Chris Brown for the asymmetrical hocket between Pedro, Justin and myself; to the electro-dudes, Mark Trayle and Richard Scott, who always sounded like themselves (especially the bass sample, Richard) and who generously gave visual/physical cues in relation to their performance; to the other guitarist, Nuno Rebelo, who artfully avoided collisions—I think we played well together, even if we rarely played at the same time; and to Justin Yang for creating, with Gustavo, that all too brief Shepp/Sanders moment—a moment of ascension—that helped to remind me what this was all about.

And of course, thanks to Pedro, Steve and Franziska for hosting, organizing and inviting, and to Evan Parker for taking time to guide us and the music.

I feel privileged to have been part of a large ensemble of improvisers of that caliber… and to have, through necessity and accident, found myself seated in the ideal position on stage (right in the middle—between the two pianos, the two drummers). I’m still thinking through the implications of tactics within such a context (especially in open improvisation), and am itching to do it again. [Original article…]

One for the Scrapbook…

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site update: scrapbook

web audio player widget
I’ve finally updated and reorganized my scrapbook. It’s been a few years since I last made changes to this audio and video archive, so there’s a good few additions, and a few more tracks (with Richard Barrett, Paul Dunmall and Mark Sanders) will be added in the coming weeks. Below is a sample of some of the more recent additions. Enjoy!

All music and audio recordings © + ℗ their respective owners.

Gargantius Effect (Murray Campbell: violin, double reeds; Randy McKean: saxophone, clarinet) with Han-earl Park (guitar) and Gino Robair (energized surfaces, voltage made audible).

Music by Murray Campbell, Randy McKean, Han-earl Park and Gino Robair.
Recorded live August 30, 2011 at Studio 1510, Oakland.
Recorded by Randy McKean. Mastered by Han-earl Park.

[Download complete recording…]

Han-earl Park (guitar) and Richard Scott (electronics).

Music by Han-earl Park and Richard Scott.
Recorded Recorded on October 23, 2010 at Richard Scott’s studio, Berlin.
Recorded and mixed by Richard Scott.

[Download complete recording…]

io 0.0.1 beta++ (itself) and Bruce Coates (saxophone).

Music by Han-earl Park, Bruce Coates and Franziska Schroeder.
Recorded May 25, 2010 at the Ó Riada Hall, UCC Music Building, Cork.
Audio clip courtesy of SLAM Productions. ℗ 2011 SLAM Productions.
Recorded and mixed by Han-earl Park.

[More…] [Get the CD/download…]

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Eris 136199: seeking performances (North America, 2012–2013; Europe, 2013–2014)

Seeking performance opportunities; particularly in North America during 2012–2013; and Europe, late-2013 and 2014 onwards (contact us for other locations and dates): composer, computer artist and guitarist Nick Didkovsky, guitarist, improviser and constructor Han-earl Park, and composer and saxophonist Catherine Sikora (saxophones).

See performance proposal for further information (availability, technical requirements, performers’ biographies, etc.).

overview

Eris 136199 plays on the crossroads of noise, melody, rhythm, space, density, contrast, synchronicity, asymmetry, serendipity and contradiction. Eris 136199 is the noisy, unruly complexity of composer, computer artist and guitarist Nick Didkovsky, the corporeal, cyborg virtuosity of constructor and guitarist Han-earl Park, and the no-nonsense melodic logic of composer and saxophonist Catherine Sikora.

A composer who enjoys blurry boundaries, Nick Didkovsky founded the avant-rock big band Doctor Nerve, and is a member of Swim This with Gerry Hemingway and Michael Lytle. He is a pioneer of small-systems computer music, and has composed music for ensemble including Bang On A Can All-Stars and the California EAR Unit.

Described by Brian Morton as “a musical philosopher… a delightful shape-shifter”, Han-earl Park is drawn to real-time cyborg configurations in which artifacts and bodies collide. He has performed with some of the finest practitioners of improvised music, is part of Mathilde 253 with Charles Hayward and Ian Smith, and Numbers with Richard Barrett.

Catherine Sikora is “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). She has a long-standing duo project with Eric Mingus, and performs as part of ensembles led by Elliott Sharp, François Grillot and Matt Lavelle.

Together, Didkovsky, Park and Sikora forges an improvisative space where melody can be melody, noise can be noise, meter can be meter, metal becomes metal, bluegrass turns to bluegrass, jazz transforms into jazz, all there, all necessary without imploding under idiomatic pressures.

Nick Didkovsky, Han-earl Park and Catherine Sikora are also available for performance/improvisation/composition workshops and talks.

further information

Web: www.busterandfriends.com/eris
Contact: www.busterandfriends.com/contact

Audio recordings, images and other material available on request.

[Full performance proposal…]

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video recordings: YouTube playlist updates

As part of the general house keeping duties, I’ve updated the playlists at my YouTube channel. The ‘Han-earl Park’ playlist, at this time, features performances with Sean Ali, Chris Chafe, Chris Corrigan, Nick Didkovsky, Andrew Drury, Paul Dunmall, Michael Evans, Jonathan Goldberger, Louise Dam Eckardt Jensen, Will McEvoy, Manuela Meier, Jonathan Moritz, Pauline Oliveros, Gascia Ouzounian, Pedro Rebelo, Bradford Reed, Mark Sanders, Franziska Schroeder, Catherine Sikora, Jamie Smith, Doug Van Nort, Ben Wright, Jack Wright and Justin Yang, and videography by Don Mount, Kevin Reilly and John Hough.

And Eris 136199 now has its own playlist.

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thanks: Perkis-Park-Eisenstadt (The Stone, NYC) and Evans-Jensen-Park (DSMC, Brooklyn)

Tim Perkis, Han-earl Park and Harris Eisenstadt (The Stone, NYC, September 7, 2012). Photo copyright 2012 Tom Djll.
Harris Eisenstadt, Han-earl Park and Tim Perkis (The Stone, NYC, September 7, 2012). Photo © 2012 Tom Djll.

Big thanks to all the performers over the weekend: Harris Eisenstadt, Michael Evans (drums), Louise Dam Eckardt Jensen, and, especially for the initial invite to perform at The Stone, to Tim Perkis, one of the very finest computer performers, and one of the few who understands the nuts’n’bolts of musicianship and performance.

Thanks also to Miguel Frasconi for curating the series at The Stone, and to Josh Sinton and Prom Night Records for putting together Save The Date #8 at the Douglass Street Music Collective; and to Kevin Reilly and Don Mount for the documentation. And, nothing to do with my own performances, but I want to mention Tom Djll who, with Andrew Drury (thanks for the transport back home, Andrew!) and Tim, presented borderline genius deconstructions—diabolical combinations of intelligent critique and humorous pastiche—that followed our set at The Stone.

And, as always, thanks to everyone who came to listen and witness real-time music in motion… including the one person in the audience who really did not dig what I was doing… at all %^}

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Video of the Day at All About Jazz: Eris 136199 (Nick Didkovsky, Han-earl Park and Catherine Sikora)

The video of Eris 136199 (Nick Didkovsky: guitar; Han-earl Park: guitar; and Catherine Sikora: saxophones) is Video of the Day at All About Jazz. The video was captured at the May 27, 2012 performance presented by COMA: Citizens Ontological Music Agenda at ABC No Rio, NYC.

[AAJ page…] [YouTube…]
[About Eris 136199…] [Performance diary entry…] [About this performance…]

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thanks: Eris 136199 (Nick Didkovsky, Han-earl Park and Catherine Sikora) at On The Way Out, Brooklyn

Videography: Don Mount.

Thanks to our hosts Freddy’s and, in particular, Michael Evans of On The Way Out for their generosity in offering us the stage to perform last night (July 24, 2012). Thanks also to Jesse Stacken and Don Mount for the recording and documentation, to Christine Bard’s cast of thousands for sharing the stage, and to all who came to listen.

And of course my thanks to the always creative Nick Didkovsky and endlessly imaginative Catherine Sikora. After the swift, seemingly effortlessness of the first performance by Eris 136199, this was much more of a struggle for me (in the best possible sense), ranging as it did from the loud, heavy machinery noises to the quiet, delicate sounds. Thanks, Nick, Catherine, for pushing and pulling the music into ever more interesting spaces. Really looking forward to the next time we get to play!

Side effects of Eris 136199 may include temporary deafness, involuntary teleportation, spontaneous combustion, and molecular implosion. In addition, lab animals have been shown to dance without skill to the sound of double guitars and saxophone. …But you’ll love what it does to your brain! 😉

updates

02–13–13: updated video: complete performance now available to view.