3081 Reasons to Dig Free Improvised Music in Baltimore

3081 @ The Red Room, Baltimore, MD
Saturday, May 17, 2008

Dave Ballou: trumpet, cornet
John Dierker: bass clarinet, tenor saxophone
Michael Formanek: 5-string electric bass
Will Redman: drums

Reason # 3079 - Michael Formanek's irresistible double-bass technique translates well to the electric. He strums, plucks, taps and coaxes an amazing sound with all that amplification. The tight confines of the Red Room added an element of danger as the neck of the instrument swayed within range of Dave Ballou's head.

3081 played two short sets at the Red Room with a focus on deep listening and intensity. This quartet of Baltimore-based musicians with deep jazz roots bring an aggressive, edgy approach to free improvisation that succeeds on the responsiveness between players and a confidence that allows for collaborative, well-formed pieces of variable texture and relatively short durations. These are musicians with serious chops making music without flashy displays of empty showmanship.

Reason #3080 - The percussive brilliance (and whimsy behind the graphic scores of Book) of Will Redman. Dynamic range, extended technique and even an electric toothbrush in the service of spontaneous ideas.

Reason #3081 - These are four of the most consistent voices of Baltimore's growing improvised music scene. Individuals worth seeking out in Micro Kingdom, Quartet Offensive, New Volcanoes, Open Music Ensemble, Science Friction and any number of other projects that have enormous pull for these ears. Knitting these compelling individuals into a single quartet is an enriched human mathematics of sound.

Trio Trio Duo in the Red

Jeff Arnal/Tom Boram/Dan Dechellis/John Dierker/Aaron Dugan/Gary Hassay/Toshi Makihara @ The Red Room, Baltimore, MD
Saturday, October 27, 2007

set one
Dan Dechellis: piano
Gary Hassay: alto saxophone
Toshi Makihara: drums, percussion

set two
Jeff Arnal: drums, percussion
John Dierker: tenor saxophone
Aaron Dugan: guitar

set three
Tom Boram: electronics, amplified helium balloon, tap dancing, guitar
Toshi Makihara: drums, percussion

The elements greeted Dan Dechellis during the first set as the roof of the Red Room sprang a leak just above the intense, improvising pianist and placed him within his own indoor weather system. Undeterred, Dechellis incorporated rhythmic towel swipes along the keyboard as he dried - and simultaneously moved - his instrument in mid-performance. His harmonic language and deft use of widely varied dynamic attacks were a fresh revelation to these ears. Combined in a strongly reactive trio with the playful kinetic energy of drummer Toshi Makahara and the surging tidal waves of alto saxophonist Gary Hassay this set was a welcome blast of creative force.

One can hear John Dierker's ears as he plays. His free improvisational sensibilities continue to impress me with each shifting performance context. This time he sat in with the beautiful chemistry of New Yorkers Jeff Arnal and Aaron Dugan. This trio would playfully drain the tone right out of their instruments over time as Dierker reduced his sound to air exhales through the tenor saxophone against Arnal's soft scrapings along the rims of his drums with metal cans and Dugan's extremely processed (and extended technique heavy) sound. There was a quiet moment with Arnal playing on metal pots and gongs arranged on the floor that was striking. And this set left me with an intense curiosity to hear more of Aaron Dugan's guitar playing.

The final set shifted toward the playful energy and antics of Boran and Makihara. Tom Boran spun out a steady stream of inventive and creative sounds from his unique rig while Toshi Makihara adeptly responded to each curve thrown his way. While much of the sounding energy was enjoyable, the dialogue between performers felt a little one-sided at times. But this was quickly forgotten each time the overall sound would swell into something richly textured.

Dierker Dispenses Therapy

John Dierker (bass clarinet, alto saxophone), Michael Formanek (bass), Devin Gray (drums) @ Koffee Therapy, Baltimore, MD - August 18, 2007

Free jazz at a coffee house? And the coffee is excellent too? It seems too good to be true. I hope that Koffee Therapy continues down this path as this experience appeals to multiple senses.

Devin Gray began this set with some rolling, kinetic work on the cymbals as Dierker calmly listened and found a tasteful moment to enter on the bass clarinet. And as the full trio sound began to emerge with a tasteful bed of free improvisation textures the remarkable musicianship and ear-focused responsive playing became more apparent.

There was a brief moment when Dierker's circular breathing on the bass clarinet began to take on a strong timbral resemblance to the didgeridoo. But that moment was fleeting and I began to crave hearing that kind of sound territory more fully explored in this trio setting. There were several deeply satisfying passages where the sound of Formanek's arco bass seemed to melt with the sound of the bass clarinet.

I was particularly impressed with Devin Gray as he coaxed a world of sound from his small drum kit. The trio also featured one of his original compositions - a groove heavy meter bender with some wide open sections for individual solos to shine.

Artscape/Exotic Hypnotic: John Dierker/Will Redman/Marc Miller

John Dierker/Will Redman/Marc Miller @ Artscape/Exotic Hypnotic, Langsdale Auditorium, July 21, 2007, Baltimore, MD

The trio of John Dierker, Will Redman and Marc Miller - now billing themselves as Micro Kingdom, have come a long way since I last saw them play in February. They've developed into a tight, cohesive improvising trio that deftly navigates a range of sonic textures. Their willingness to both embrace and abandon pulse - without any outward signs of self-consciousness toward groove and anti-groove - makes for some compelling improvisation. They also have the same willingness to pursue both soft and loud textures that adds many different shades to their collective sound. This was easily the best set of today's marathon.