These instrumental tunes were so much fun to make and stemmed from lots of playful improv sessions in my studio. It ended up being sort of a quirky brass band with rhythm section where I’m playing all the parts. Also included is an improvisation with the late, great Roswell Rudd.
Nelson Patton is an experimental duo of looped trombone (Dave Nelson) and drums & Moog bass pedals (Marlon Patton). The result is a sound that is greater than the sum of its parts as we continue to layer and develop motifs into elaborate textures and interlocking grooves. Along The Way was recorded in my personal studio in upstate New York over three days and features the amazing Lonnie Holley on vocals. All music and vocals are first-take improvisations.
Pfarmers is an experimental rock trio with Bryan Devendorf (The National) and Danny Seim (Menomena). “Our Puram” is our second studio record, a concept album centered around the Rajneeshpuram cult community in Oregon in the 1980’s.
“The trio’s most engaging element is Nelson’s intricate and often startling trombone, utilized in diverse ways throughout. Whether it’s in the atmospheric gloom on opener “Benthos” or the propulsive, repeating lines of “The Ol’ River Gang”, Nelson emerges as the most exciting contributor to Gunnera.”
THIRTY THOUSAND FEET is another set of improvised music using trombone and analog pedals. Each track is a first take improvisation that starts simply and develops organically into a fully realized composition. This is the first music ever recorded in my studio in upstate New York. Inspired by West African music and classical minimalism, these pieces stretch out and develop a little more slowly than previous works for a more expansive and trance-like feel.
“…the most relevant (and useful) reference I can make here is Brian Eno’s Ambient tetralogy… the minimalism, the looping and effects, the mesmerizing ambiance… it’s all there in all its loveliness. Seriously captivating music.”
According to Danny Seim:
“The record is about a dream I had where I’m reluctantly accepting a fear of drowning by focusing on being reincarnated as a giant Gunnera plant, which thrive on the banks of rivers (specifically the Jordan River i.e. the Biblical promised land) after I paint myself gold and sink to the bottom like the El Dorado of South American folklore.”
IN THIS DAY is a series of improvisations using a trombone and a loop pedal. Each track is a first-take performance — a sort of meditation unto itself. In this day of multi-tracked and digitally manipulated music, I found it liberating to pick up an instrument, hit record, and just see what happens. I did this as often as possible over a period of days and posted my favorites here, warts and all. Thanks for listening!
“It’s the sort of thing that sounds like it could either be brilliant or awful. Thankfully, this is definitely in the former category.”