Expanse
Vacuum Energy
Excerpt from Darren Bergstein Review
“…In many ways, the threesome have concocted what can best be described as an archaeologically-rescued ‘world’ music, one which navigates throughout a whole host of multi-ethnic and indigenous sonic warrens in the most exploratory fashion imaginable… Call it cerebral ether music, extracted from the air with great forethought and heightened awareness, equally mighty and majestic.”
Darren Bergstein, Downtown Music Gallery
In May of 2021 Evil Clown label leader, multi-reedist and percussionist David Peck re-opened his performance space to fully vaccinated musicians, inviting Michael Caglianone on saxophones, Michael Knoblach on percussion, including rattlesnake drums, baskets of rocks, shakers, &c., recording this extended, rich, ruminative and introspective improvisation.
Squidco Staff
Excerpt From Liner Notes by PEK
“… I invited Michael Caglianone, a woodwinds player who has done about 10 sessions mostly with Metal Chaos Ensemble and Turbulence. Michael and I did two excellent Turbulence sets as a trio with drummer Yuri Zbitnov: The Conception of Sense and Son of Cosmocentric. Vacuum Energy is a continuation of this trio as well as an extension of the first Expanse duo…”
Vacuum Energy:
Expanse
Evil Clown Headquarters, Waltham MA – 21 May 2021
1) Vacuum Energy – 1:07:51
PEK – contrabass clarinet, alto & tenor saxophones, piccolo oboe, alto flute, medieval pipe, sheng, wind siren, gongs, plate gong, brontosaurus & tank bells, almglocken, chimes, woodblocks, temple blocks, orchestral chimes, Tibetan bowls, xylophone, glockenspiel, daiko, flex-a-tone, [d]ronin, spring harp, electric kalimba, empire chime box, telstar, hedgehog chime box, electric chimes, chime rod box, spring boxes, log drums, cow bells, Englephone
Michael Caglianone – soprano, alto & tenor saxophones, seed pod rattles, orchestral chimes, Tibetan bowls, xylophone, glockenspiel, daiko, flex-a-tone
Michael Knoblach – basket of rocks, bowl of leaves, seed pod shakers, African split drums, African bell, shakers and rattles, water filled lobster pot & mason jars, billiards triangle, gypsy and busybox tambourines, abacus, rattlesnake drum, vibratones, frame drum, copper bowl, lp udder, sandpaper blocks, glass furniture leg carpet protector, slinky, horses-ass-a-phone, Christmas ornaments, clock chime, wind siren, egg beater, toys
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Darren Bergstein Review
EXPANSE with PEK / MICHAEL CAGLIANONE / MICHAEL KNOBLACH – Vacuum Energy (Evil Clown 9272; USA) Another slow-burner from the Evil Clown camp, not the first by any stretch, but surely one of the best. Dave PEK’s clutch of 2021 releases thus far has found him in the company of like-minded colleagues, and the merging of their collective muses is birthing some hugely inspired, invigorating, and engaging music. The trio didn’t choose their name lightly: members Dave PEK, Michael Caglianone, and Michael Knoblach cover a wide range of subtly shifting territory. All three equip themselves splendidly on the usual dizzying assortment of woodwinds, hand-helds, and metals. The names of the noisemakers they employ themselves suggest aural textures heretofore unheard and unbreached: hedgehog chime box, horses-ass-a-phone, lp udder, vibratones, abacus, almglocken, etc. These instruments are ceremoniously plucked, rubbed, struck, shaken, disturbed, tossed, and blown through, and their placement within the soundstage is critically chosen and enhanced for maximum effect. In many ways, the threesome have concocted what can best be described as an archaeologically-rescued ‘world’ music, one which navigates throughout a whole host of multi-ethnic and indigenous sonic warrens in the most exploratory fashion imaginable. At roughly forty minutes in, for example, the listener will find themselves lost in a vibrant forest of bent, rusted metallica, awash in a miasma of foghorn callbacks engineered through the performer’s extended techniques and elusive detours, an environment that feels at once questing and probing, where one’s ears have neither lost nor found these exquisite motifs but rather embraces them in unquestioned surrender. Call it cerebral ether music, extracted from the air with great forethought and heightened awareness, equally mighty and majestic.
Darren Bergstein, Downtown Music Gallery
Liner Notes by PEK
The Evil Clown Empire is comprised of the Leap of Faith Orchestra and its core unit, Leap of Faith, along with other ensembles that feature different cross-sections of the Orchestra: Turbulence features the horn players, String Theory features the String Players, Metal Chaos Ensemble features percussion and electronics, PEK Solo features my own playing, etc. The individual bands do not have a fixed set of players, but instead have a central idea which focuses the palate of sounds available. One of the projects (now dormant while I find a venue to replace Third Life Studios), Leap of Faith Orchestra & Sub-Units, features short improvisation by sections from the orchestra followed by an improv with everyone. So, Evil Clown performances are credited to Sub-Unit No. “X” when a small format improvisation occurs by members of the orchestra which are not assignable to one of the regular ensemble names.
Last year, just before the onset of the pandemic, I had a first session with a new percussionist, Michael Knoblach entitled Main Sequence… Although Michael plays the drum set, in recent years he has been focused on percussion. This duet with the Evil Clown percussion arsenal along with instruments from Michael’s huge collection available enabled wonderful new sonority. Michael plays at a quieter mean dynamic than is typical for Evil Clown ensembles. Leap of Faith, in particular, has stretches of this quieter space in nearly every improvisation, but the mean dynamic is much louder. It was very interesting to focus an entire set on my lower volume vocabulary. Following my nomenclature for ensemble names, this first set was released with the band name Sub Unit No.1.
In May of 2021, I opened Evil Clown Headquarters to other fully vaccinated musicians, and the first session of the new age was scheduled to revisit this sound world. Michael and I both enjoyed the auspicious first set and this will be an ongoing Evil Clown project, both as a duet for some sets and as a trio or quartet for others. As an ongoing project, it needed a permanent name, so after some thought I came up with Expanse which evokes space and restraint, key concepts behind this ensemble.
I invited Michael Caglianone, a woodwinds player who has done about 10 sessions mostly with Metal Chaos Ensemble and Turbulence. Michael and I did two excellent Turbulence sets as a trio with drummer Yuri Zbitnov: The Conception of Sense and Son of Cosmocentric. Vacuum Energy is a continuation of this trio as well as an extension of the first Expanse duo…
I was expecting this to be a great session and I was not disappointed. Evil Clown will emerge from the pandemic stronger than ever, so stay tuned for several new releases per month from the various ensembles!!!
PEK, 21 May 2021
Video Screen Grabs
