Berlin
 
After playing a few festivals in Europe with Fred Frith in 2014, I decided to travel a little on my own. First I was in Rotterdam, and then I spent some time in Berlin as well. The airbnb I stayed in had a baby grand propped up on books, and I was warned not to play it too hard. I skipped it altogether and ended up writing a very gestural piece using mostly extended techniques for an acoustic improvising ensemble.
credits
released October 18, 2019

Aaron Novik- bass clarinet
Kyle Bruckmann- oboe, english horn
Crystal Pascucci- cello
Lisa Mezzacappa- bass
Jordan Glenn- found object percussion

recorded by John Finkbeiner at New, Improved
mixed by John Finkbeiner at New, Improved
mastered by Eli Crews at Figure 8
 
OTOT
 
O+O+ is a suite of music inspired by the old 5 song Impulse! records that fueled my love of jazz. Albums like John Coltrane's Cresent and A Love Supreme, where each song is a movement within a larger piece.

Having just moved to New York, I decided to try something new, and swing based jazz was a style I had never fully embraced before. I wanted to do things differently, so the style I ended up with is a sort of "Minimalist Atonal Dixieland": a series of loosely repeated angular phrases, layered and constantly shifting and evolving over swinging grooves.

The first place I lived in Brooklyn was an empty house a friend had just bought that was undergoing serious construction. I ended up holed up all winter by myself trying to find some new sounds. I was inspired by youtube videos of Marsallis shit talking regarding swing and new music, and decided to tackle writing some music that "swung" but wasn't necessarily steeped in jazz harmony. I also decided to shake things up by focusing on the b flat clarinet exclusively, instead of my usual axe which is the bass clarinet."

The result is a 5 movement suite that both pays homage to and upends cliches of jazz music in a way that is both unique and satisfying.
credits
released November 15, 2019

Aaron Novik- clarinet
Matt Nelson- tenor sax
Evan Francis- flute
Mark Clifford- vibraphone
Lisa Mezzacappa- bass
Tim Bulkley- drums

w/ Michael Coleman- piano

Recorded by John Finkbeiner and Eli Crews
Mixed by Eli Crews
Mastered by John Cors