Pianist and composer Anthony Coleman (John Zorn, Marc Ribot, Glenn Branca), teams up with drummer Brian Chase (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Drums and Drones) for their debut duo album, Arcades. These distinguished figures of the avant-garde craft a kaleidoscopic and expressionistic album from start to finish, built upon their synergistic interplay and technical dexterity. The music stands at a cross section of post-jazz improvisation and contemporary classical frameworks, emblematic of the ‘Downtown’ NYC scene of which Coleman and Chase are active participants. At the core of these “stark, compelling improvised duos” (The Wire, April 2022) is the musical dialogue between Coleman and Chase - a spontaneous exchange and counter-exchange resulting of expressive moods and themes, from the euphoric to the introspective. The title 'Arcades' is a reference to philosopher Walter Benjamin's The Arcades Project, a labyrinthine text profiling 19th-century Parisian urban life; the text consists largely of fragments of popular discourse, sociological observations and poetic personal insights.
Regarding the compositional frameworks behind the pieces of Arcades, Chase explains, “Some tracks are energetic and hinge on radical shifts of contrast – like in the lead track ‘Arcades’ - while others are more introspective and take time to explore the sonic color of specific resonances – like in ‘Crepuscule.’” He continues: “Having this breadth of complementary differences was important to us. In our playing together, improvisation is the primary method of composition: emphasis is placed on our dialogue of playing and the unfolding of the music itself as opposed to premeditated structures. The way we interact and respond is essential to the development of the music and hence functions as a key entry point of engagement for the listener. This process is ultimately subservient to the music itself for which we are its devoted shepherds.” This intuitive bond shared by Coleman and Chase is a core component at the heart of Arcades.
Pianist and composer Anthony Coleman has been one of the key figures of New York music for nearly four decades. His work bridges the gap between Composition and Improvisation, Uptown and Downtown, and spans a wide range of genres and practices including Free Improvisation, Jazz, Jewish music (of various types), and Contemporary Chamber Music. He has recorded 20 CDs under his own name and has played on more than 150. The first two records Coleman played on, Glenn Branca’s Lesson No. 1 and John Zorn’s Archery, have become classics of a then-emerging avant-garde. As a composer, Coleman’s works have been commissioned by the Concert Artist Guild, the Jerome Foundation, the Ruhrtriennale, the Festival Banlieues Blues, and the Bang on a Can All-Stars, among others. He has presented his own work at the Sarajevo Jazz Festival (Bosnia), North Sea Jazz Festival (Holland), Saalfelden Festival (Austria), and the Krakow and Vienna Jewish Culture Festivals. He has also toured and recorded with John Zorn, Elliott Sharp, Marc Ribot, Shelley Hirsch, Roy Nathanson, and many others.
Brian Chase is the drummer for Grammy-nominated rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs and NYC’s experimental music community. Performing has taken him across the world to stages ranging from the Sydney Opera House to the independent art spaces of music’s ‘underground’ communities. In 2007, Brian began Drums and Drones, a solo project which applies principles of harmonic resonance to drums and percussion. Drums and Drones: Decade, a triple album with 144 page book (Chaikin Records), was released in 2018; the collection was described in The Wire as “luscious laboratory experiments in listening to stretched skins, wooden vessels and metallic surfaces.” As an educator, Brian was a visiting professor at Bennington College and guest lecturer at So Percussion’s Summer Institute at Princeton University. Essays and writings have appeared in John Zorn’s Arcana series, Modern Drummer magazine, and culture blog Talkhouse. In 2018, Brian started his record label, Chaikin Records, which focuses primarily on the NYC avant-garde arts community.
The piano and drums duo of Anthony Coleman (John Zorn, Glenn Branca, Marc Ribot) and Brian Chase (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Drums and
Drones) brings together two prominent figures of NYC’s avant-garde music community. Their start together came in 2012 from a performance at John Zorn’s legendary venue, The Stone. Releasing in 2022 is their debut album as a duo, Arcades, on Chaikin Records....more
Zeena Parkins is a legend of the avant-garde music world. This album features both Zeena and Brian playing solo sets as well as a duo. Anthony Coleman and Brian Chase
Despite the length and variety offered by this release, a few general techniques or patterns are present throughout. Most notable is the interaction between Thomas and Wright, with the former playing in his signature dense and percussive style while the latter provides bursts of gritty notes on the alto. Wright’s wailing is an unconventional counterpoint to Thomas’s classicism.
https://avantmusicnews.com/2024/04/06/amn-reviews-%d8%a3%d8%ad%d9%85%d8%af-ahmed-giant-beauty-2024-bandcamp/ Michael Borella