Jazz Articles
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Evan Woodle: Nth
by Dave Wayne
An integral part of the fecund and fascinating Pacific Northwest jazz scene, percussionist Evan Woodle is a charter member of several of the region's most innovative bands: Heatwarmer, Chemical Clock, and Operation ID to name a few. Each of these groups plays a sort of hybrid music that's difficult to describe without using hyphens and multiple catchphrases. Chemical Clock mixes high energy jazz- rock fusion with electronica and contemporary classical music. Operation ID has a rawer sound, coming off a ...
read moreChemical Clock: Bad Habitat
by Dave Wayne
Here's another example of music that's devilishly complex, a bit bizarre and full of diverse influences (avant-classical, IDM / electronica, jazz-rock, video game music, and disco-funk, just for starters) which manages to come across as a really warm, human, celebratory listening experience. It's been a couple of years since Chemical Clock issued their eponymous debut album, and though these guys are among Seattle's busiest young musicians, Bad Habitat's monumental heaviness shows that they haven't glossed over or sacrificed any aspect ...
read moreOperation ID: Legs
by Dave Wayne
The cover art for Operation ID's debut CD recalls the work of Raymond Pettibon. whose indelible images burst forth from the covers of LPs by Black Flag, Minutemen, and Saccharine Trust on the iconoclastic SST label, back in the 1980s. Though it's directed toward a different end result, the music on Legs has a relentless energy and DIY attitude that's allied to the SST ethos. These are guys who will do anything to get their music across, and while they ...
read moreChemical Clock: Chemical Clock
by Dave Wayne
Yet another band arising from Seattle's embarrassment of avant-jazz riches, Chemical Clock is an aggressive and determined young band with a lot of good ideas and more than enough chops to pull them off. Led by keyboardist and composer Cameron Sharif, the quartet's self-titled debut CD EP is a brief and refreshing blast of post- everything avant fusion. Keep in mind that the word “fusion" is a bit loaded. Fusion, to Sharif and his colleagues, means something very different than ...
read moreNeil Welch: Boxwork
by Bruce Lindsay
Adjectives like “extraordinary" or “stunning" are overused epithets these days, their currency diminished. Such a shame, because Boxwork, from Washington State saxophonist Neil Welch, is stunning and extraordinary--not in the devalued contemporary sense of “quite interesting" but in the good, old-fashioned sense. From its beautifully handcrafted packaging to Welch's handwritten notes to the music itself, Boxwork is a lovingly produced artifact, a truly creative mix of artistic endeavors.The album's genesis is itself extraordinary. In mid-2009, Welch and his ...
read moreBad Luck: Bloodroot
by Dave Wayne
Available as a download only, Bad Luck's Bloodroot is a fine example of the extremely powerful and virtuosic, cutting-edge music coming out of Seattle these days. Sure, drummer Chris Icasiano and saxophonist Neil Welch make an unholy racket for much of the track's generous twenty-plus minutes duration, yet a determined sense of focus is quite palpable: this is freely improvised music with a strong sense of direction.Welch possesses a raw, cavernous, unforgiving tenor sound that brings both Peter ...
read moreAndy Clausen: The Wishbone Suite
by Dan McClenaghan
Nineteen year old trombonist Andy Clausen started his music studies at The Julliard School in the fall of 2010. He did not wait to finish his studies before releasing, in March of 2012, his debut CD, The Wishbone Suite. Apparently the music was in him and it had to be recorded.The music on The Wishbone Suite is, in Clausen's words, “a collection of simple melodies, themes and chord structures that chronicle a childish romance I had in the ...
read moreBad Luck: Two
by Jerry D'Souza
When Bad Luck comes in the shape of drummer Christopher Icasiano and saxophonist Neil Welch, it can be a pretty good thing. They met at the University of Washington and, driven by an interest in improvised music, began a musical partnership. Both are fearless navigators of the unknown and communicate with an intuitive sense of empathy. Their music takes them across a wide panorama, over which they forge acoustic unions or use electronics to expand the dimension,all aspects given free ...
read moreAgogic: Agogic
by Jerry D'Souza
Table and Chairs music is a new label dedicated to harnessing Seattle's rich music legacy. Its first release, Agogic, is the eponymous debut featuring trumpeter Cuong Vu and saxophonist Andrew D'Angelo. D'Angelo cast his dye as an alto saxophonist in Seattle before moving to New York, and has played with Kurt Rosenwinkel and Erik Friedlander, among others. Vu has made an indelible impression as a thoughtful and resourceful musician, one who is never afraid to forge ahead and create new ...
read moreAGOGIC: AGOGIC
by Troy Collins
Defined as “accenting a musical note by extending it slightly beyond its normal time value," AGOGIC is the evocative name adopted by the seasoned front-line of multi-instrumentalist Andrew D'Angelo (alto saxophone, bass clarinet) and trumpet player Cuong Vu for a multi-generational collective featuring electric bassist Luke Bergman and drummer Evan Woodle, two of Seattle's most promising young upstarts. Longstanding veterans of the vibrant 1990's Brooklyn scene, D'Angelo and Vu recently moved back to the Emerald City, their childhood home. Their ...
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