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Patrick Brennan

New York City based composer, saxophonist & bandleader patrick brennan is a participant in the Blues Continuum who’s pursued a contrarian and independent musical path for over 40 years. He formed his long term, rhythm- section-centric ensemble sonic openings under pressure, in 1979, a project that interfaces flexibly jointed compositional matrices with polyrhythm & collective improvisation. He’s initiated the Sudani Project, a collaboration with Gnawi Ma’alem Najib Soudani of Essaouira, Morocco and U.S. percussionist and singer Nirankar Khalsa. He further explores his multilinear orchestral conceptions via the solo saxophone project rōnin phasing and sustains a modularly organized large ensemble, transparency kestra, now in its 5th year of monthly NYC performances.

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4
Album Review

Patrick Brennan: Tilting Curvaceous

Read "Tilting Curvaceous" reviewed by John Sharpe


In spite of being active on the NYC scene since the mid-'70s, alto saxophonist and composer patrick brennan (he prefers his name spelled entirely in lowercase letters) has a relatively sparse discography, to which tilting curvaceous constitutes a splendid addition. It constitutes the seventh release by his S0nic 0penings band since Introducing S0UP (Deep Dish, 1981), but the first since 2007's Muhheankuntuk (Clean Feed). Bassist Hilliard Greene has been an ever-present since 2002, though trumpeter Brian Groder, drummer Michael TA ...

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Album Review

Patrick Brennan Sonic Openings: Tilting Curvaceous

Read "Tilting Curvaceous" reviewed by Karl Ackermann


The quintet project Tilting Curvaceous is saxophonist/composer Patrick Brennan's sixth leader/co-leader date since the late 1990s. His duo recording Terraphonia (Creative Sources Recordings, 2019) with guitarist Abdul Moimême demonstrated a strong affinity for free improvisation within unconventional settings and uncommon concepts. Brennan is joined by trumpeter and flugelhorn player Brian Groder. The native New Yorker has been a long-time fixture on the NYC jazz scene and has devoted a significant part of his career to the frequent use of free-form ...

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Liner Notes

Patrick Brennan and sOnic Opening: Tilting Curvaceous

Read "Patrick Brennan and sOnic Opening: Tilting Curvaceous" reviewed by Howard Mandel


Tilting Curvaceous is all-of-a-piece, s0nic 0penings' instigator and extraordinary alto saxophonist Patrick Brennan informs us, emerging from a single “meta-groove interface," to be heard whole. That may come naturally to fans of creative improvisation since the breakthroughs of Ornette Coleman, say, and new constructions by composers including Cecil Taylor, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Henry Threadgill and Brennan himself. However, as presented in 14 distinct tracks, this album is also a suite of inter-related movements--separate, comparable, able to ...

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Album Review

Patrick Brennan/Maria do Mar/Ernesto Rodrigues/Miguel Mira/Hernâni Faustino/Abdul Moimême: The Sudden Bird of Waiting

Read "The Sudden Bird of Waiting" reviewed by Karl Ackermann


Portuguese violist Ernesto Rodriques has appeared as a leader/co-leader on almost two-hundred recordings. He has recorded with The Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra, the Luso-Scandinavian Avant Music Orchestra, and several other ensembles. Rodriques was in Lisbon in 2018 when Portuguese native Abdul Moimême and American saxophonist Patrick Brennan were recording their duo venture Terraphonia (Creative Sources Recordings, 2019). At Rodriques' suggestion, the artists launched a project that would pair their experimental skills with an improvising Lisbon string quartet. The resulting album, The ...

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Interview

Patrick Brennan: Rhythms of Passion

Read "Patrick Brennan: Rhythms of Passion" reviewed by Ludwig vanTrikt


Since moving to New York City in 1975, one-time bassist/painter Patrick Brennan has crafted a musical path that is open in its candor and indebtedness to all facets of black music. Much like trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, the alto saxophonist brews a thicket of his own distinct musical language that “unlike much contemporaneous vanguard music is built specifically upon the potentialities of swinging and polyrhythm." For the astute lay person this means moving the expressive expansiveness of ...

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Multiple Reviews

Patrick Brennan: Rapt Circle & The Drum is Honor Enough

Read "Patrick Brennan: Rapt Circle & The Drum is Honor Enough" reviewed by Javier AQ Ortiz


Altoist Patrick Brennan's latest two releases, under the ever-evolving and exploratory guise of Sonic Openings Under Pressure, aren't threaded the same way, even when weaving the same musical material as he does in Rapt Circle. The aforementioned documents live music from two different presentations in 2002. One of them included percussionist Juma Santos Ayantola, the other didn't. Therefore, aside from “Spin (that readily lends itself for a Cuban garabato ensemble if there were any left) and “Covert where ...

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Album Review

Patrick Brennan: Sudani

Read "Sudani" reviewed by Rex  Butters


Blowing in like a hot dry desert wind, Sudani takes you aboard a Moroccan caravansari whose cargo includes soulful New York free alto sax and Mississippi blues. The Sudanis-Njib, Bujmaa, and M'barek-provide the Gnawa, playing hand drums and the guinbri, a low pitched string instrument. Their music provides soundtrack for an ancient night long ecstatic ritual, and jazz musicians from Pharoah Sanders to Maceo Parker have sought to jam with other musicians in the lineage. Here, hard blowing avant jazzer ...

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133

Interview

Saxophonist Patrick Brennan Interviewed at All About Jazz

Saxophonist Patrick Brennan Interviewed at All About Jazz

Source: All About Jazz

Since moving to New York City in 1975, one-time bassist/painter Patrick Brennan has crafted a musical path that is open in its candor and indebtedness to all facets of black music. Much like trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, the alto saxophonist brews a thicket of his own distinct musical language that “unlike much contemporaneous vanguard music is built specifically upon the potentialities of swinging and polyrhythm." For the astute lay person this means moving the expressive expansiveness of trap playing and ...

His sound isn’t easy to file. It’s not totally free, unhinged, but what it’s tethered to is hard to say. It’s not exactly melodic either. His sound is puzzling and inviting. He could hold an audience unaccompanied. — The Other Night at Quinns

A superior musical endeavor featuring a rare musical vision performed at the highest level. — All About Jazz New York

His compositions are fresh and quite original. patrick brennan’s a first class saxophonist and composer. — Cadence

An abstract conception balanced with plenty of wit and soul. — Time Out

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Tilting Curvaceous

Clean Feed Records
2023

buy

The Sudden Bird of...

Creative Sources Recordings
2020

buy

terraphonia

Creative Sources Recordings
2019

buy

muhheankuntuck: river...

Clean Feed Records
2007

buy

rapt circle

Cadence Jazz Records
2004

buy

The Drum Is Honor...

CIMP Records
2004

buy

Tactiludic

From: terraphonia
By Patrick Brennan

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