Liner Notes by PEK

Five times a year, a smallish Leap of Faith Orchestra (10 to 15 players) heads over to Third Life Studios in Somerville for an evening of large ensemble improvisation. For the first half of the show, we do four short 15 minute improvisations by different quartet sub-groupings of the orchestra. Then we do a 50 minute improvisation with everyone.

These shows are open to the entire Evil Clown roster of about 50 musicians. So, although we have some steady regulars, the orchestra really is different every time. I assign the sub-units to take advantage of unusual groupings of instruments. I also bring a bunch of auxiliary instruments like wood blocks, hand chimes, bells, slide whistles, sirens, etc., which we distribute though the ensemble to enable players to completely change their sound.

For the longer improvisation with everyone, we have a rule that each player should lay out for roughly a third of the duration of the piece. Together with the broad palate provided by a large ensemble with everyone capable of instrument changes, this rule naturally creates a steady flow of transformation though different sonorities.

This set, performed on 9/1/2018, is on the smaller side for LOFO&SU shows with only 8 performers.  The ensemble is composed entirely of LOFO veterans except for newbie Steve Niemitz subbing for Yuri in the drum chair…  The base instrumentation coincidentally ends up being very similar to what you might find in a modern jazz octet – 4 reeds, 2 brass, guitar, cello, bass and drums – but here the similarities end.  When you add some unusual instruments to the improvisational aesthetic and the combined prowess of this tight orchestra you get a natural steady progression through a broad range of sonorities.

PEK, 7/8/2018