Turbulence
Flow Across Scales
Excerpt from Bruce Lee Gallanter Review
“…In the first section, the horns all swirl together in a dream-like, somber way. Mr Zbitnov’s drums are central and keep things focused while the six horns swirl in and out of each others stream/flow. Things slowly get more dense as they unfold. The following section features a number of long, inspired solos for soprano sax, flute, trumpet(s), other reeds and/or double-reeds. Instead of going to a movie or a concert, Dave PEK does a fine job of gathering dozens of like-minded improvisers from the Boston area and organizing concerts and studio sessions, several times a month. And recording each and every one, as well as releasing every one as well. How does he maintain such a strong batting average? Well over 100 releases by now – early March of 2019. Another solid effort and with little or no vocal weirdness.”
Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
A larger than previous Boston collective’s Turbulence ensemble with 6 of the regular horn players from Leap of Faith Orchestra, performing multi-reedist and instrumentalist PEK’s extended framework, with drummer percussionist Yui Zbitnoff; the ensembe breaks down to three duos and guest saxophonist Bob O’Brien, captured live at Outpost 186, in Cambridge, MA in August 2018.
Squidco Staff
Excerpt From Liner Notes by PEK
“… This show is the first larger Turbulence ensemble bringing together these players. With a septet at Outpost 186, we were more cramped for space than usual, consequently we all traveled (relatively) light without many of the percussion and auxiliary instruments we often bring. So, this improvisation focuses on the sounds of all of the wind instruments in their various combinations.…”
Flow Across Scales:
Turbulence
Outpost 186, Cambridge MA – 18 August 2018
1) Flow Across Scales – 1:10:28
PEK – bamboo soprano, tenor & bass saxophones, clarinet & contralto clarinet, English horn. tarota, contrabassoon, alto flute, sheng, wind siren
Dan O’Brien – alto & tenor saxophones, clarinet & bass clarinet, flute, piccolo
Zach Bartolomei – alto & soprano saxophones, clarinet, flute, piano
Jim Warshauer – curved soprano & alto saxophones, whistles
Eric Dahlman – trumpet & pocket trumpet, flugelhorn, game calls, recorder, overtone voice
Bob Moores – trumpet, shofar, voice
Yuri Zbitnov – drums, Tibetan bowls, gong
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Bruce Lee Gallanter Review
TURBULENCE with PEK / DAN O’BRIEN / ZACK BARTHOLOMEI / JIM WARSHAUER / ERIC DAHLMAN / BOB MOORES / YURI ZBITNOV – Flow Across Scales (Evil Clown 9189; USA) Turbulence features PEK on saxes, bamboo soprano, clarinets, double reeds, sheng, etc; Dan O’Brien alto & tenor saxes, clarinets & flutes; Zack Bartholomej on alto & soprano saxes, clarinet & flute; Jim Warshauer on curved soprano & alto saxes, Eric Dahlman on trumpets, flugel & game calls; Bob Moores on trumpet & shofar and Yuri Zbitnov on drums & percussion. Turbulence is one of the half dozen Leap of faith offshoot bands, it has just two constant members: PEK and Yuri Zbitnov, both longtime members of Leap of Faith. The instrumentation here consists mainly of four reeds players, two trumpeters and a drummer. As usual, everyone switches between a variety of reed & brass instruments & other oddities. In the first section, the horns all swirl together in a dream-like, somber way. Mr/ Zbitnov’s drums are central and keep things focused while the six horns swirl in and out of each others stream/flow. Things slowly get more dense as they unfold. The following section features a number of long, inspired solos for soprano sax, flute, trumpet(s), other reeds and/or double-reeds. Instead of going to a movie or a concert, Dave PEK does a fine job of gathering dozens of like-minded improvisers from the Boston area and organizing concerts and studio sessions, several times a month. And recording each and every one, as well as releasing every one as well. How does he maintain such a strong batting average? Well over 100 releases by now – early March of 2019. Another solid effort and with little or no vocal weirdness.
Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
Liner Notes by PEK
I formed Turbulence in 2015 as I started to assemble players for the Leap of Faith Orchestra. Turbulence, the extended horn section for the Orchestra (along with guests on other instruments), also records and performs as an independent unit. As if this writing in May of 2018, we have had about 20 albums on Evil Clown with greatly varied ensembles. The only musician on all of them is myself. The sessions range from an early duet with Steve Norton and Myself (Vortex Generation Mechanisms) to a 5 horn band with bass and two percussionists (Encryption Schemes) to four albums by the side project Turbulence Doom Choir which feature myself, multiple tubas, percussion, electronics and signal processing.
Zack Bartolomei and Dan O’Brien joined the Evil Clown roster a while back and have played with Leap of Faith, Leap of Faith Orchestra, and other projects. They go way back with each other. I love it when I find a group of improvisers who have long history with each other who are eager to participate since the whole ensemble benefits from the prior experience of the previously established sub-units.
Buoyancy is the third set by this trio version of Turbulence and is very tight due to the number of Evil Clown sessions with all three of us performing as part of the ensemble. In July 2017, we recorded the first of these trio sets, Agitation, and then in March 2018 we recorded the second, Incompressible Flow. This is a highly effective trio version of Turbulence that we plan do again in the future.
Jim Warshauer and Eric Dahlman also came to EC with a lot of previous mutual experience. Their first set with us, Vorticity, was a quartet with myself and Yuri on the drums at Evil Clown Headquarters. They have since then been on a quintet Leap of Faith session with the core trio (myself, Yuri and cellist Glynis Lomon) and the performance by the Leap of Faith Orchestra of PEKs graphic frame notation score Cosmological Horizons.
This show is the first larger Turbulence ensemble bringing together these players. With a septet at Outpost 186, we were more cramped for space than usual, consequently we all traveled (relatively) light without many of the percussion and auxiliary instruments we often bring. So, this improvisation focuses on the sounds of all of the wind instruments in their various combinations.
PEK – 2/19/2018
Raffi Photos
