Excerpt from PEK Liner Notes 

“…When the core unit has a very successful set with a particular guest or set of guests, I often repeat that configuration so we can see how that ensemble variation grows over time.  30 years have passed since these three players performed in MHS.  In that time, each of us has significantly advanced our mature improvisation language and the context of the performances has changed with the current massive Evil Clown Arsenal of instruments…” 

PEK Liner Notes 

Leap of Faith is the core duet of the Leap of Faith Orchestra (LOFO) comprised of PEK on clarinets, saxophones, double reeds & flutes, and Glynis Lomon on cello, aquasonic & voice.  The ensemble is based in Boston and dates back to the early 90s.  We utilize a huge arsenal of additional Evil Clown instruments to improvise long works featuring transformations across highly varied sonorities.   At times, the core unit has been a trio or even a quartet.  The longest running core unit was comprised of PEK, Glynis and drummer Yuri Zbitnov, who played for the last couple of years of the archival period and the first 5 years of the reboot starting in 2015.  The ensemble has always been highly modular, and our many recordings (well over 100) feature the core unit in dozens of configurations with a huge list of guests and occasionally as only the core unit with no guests.  Currently, the core unit is the duet of PEK and Lomon and we are regularly presenting LIVESTREAMs to YouTube from Evil Clown Headquarters with other guest performers.

I met Glynis originally when we both played in the Masashi Harada Sextet…  A few months after I arrived in Boston to attend Berklee, I saw Masashi perform with Joe and Matt Maneri and introduced myself afterwards, and the Sextet started soon after.  I was a bit older (at 25) than most Berklee students and I had spent the 5 years prior studying jazz and classical saxophone in California.  I also played in rock bands, and with some of those musicians (Jim Smith, Mike Grialou, and David Murray), we made some very experimental music.  Although I had a great deal of instrumental technique, I had not played with the level of seasoned free-improvisation specialists that were in this band and generally part of the Boston Improvisation scene.  Therefore, the MHS was a critically important band for me in entering the initial phase of my mature improvisation style.

Also in the MHS, was John Fugarino, who played a trumpet with both valves and a slide, and who had been studying microtonal and other composition at New England Conservatory, just down the street from Berklee.  John and I played a fair amount outside of the MHS, including in a quartet with Masashi on drums and the amazing George Garzone with whom I was studying with at Berklee.  As happens with many bands, the MHS was short-lived, folding after a few years…  Following the dissolution of the MHS, Glynis and I formed our first trio, Leaping Water Trio, which morphed into the first Leap of Faith lineup a few years later.  We both, however lost track of John at this time.

A few months back, I ran into John on Facebook.  He is currently teaching music at the Elementary School level and also performs regularly, although not much free improvisation.  I encouraged him to come and join in on Evil Clown Livestreaming performances and he made his initial appearance on a large format Turbulence Orchestra session (Wind Shear) in April.  Since then John has performed on a second Turbulence Orchestra set (Dynamos) and this is his second appearance with Leap of Faith following Coherent Alternatives from June.  In addition to the valve-slide trumpet he also brought a regular trumpet, a flugelhorn, and a trombone; and he also played a bunch of the percussion instruments that are always available to the players at a session at Evil Clown Headquarters…

This set demonstrates a key concept of Leap of Faith – the growth of a core unit into a repeating variation of an ensemble.  When the core unit has a very successful set with a particular guest or set of guests, I often repeat that configuration so we can see how that ensemble variation grows over time.  30 years have passed since these three players performed in MHS.  In that time, each of us has significantly advanced our mature improvisation language and the context of the performances has changed with the current massive Evil Clown Arsenal of instruments.  The first trio set with John was excellent, and this second outing is perhaps even better.  Look for more trio sets by this recuring trio lineup of Leap of Faith!!

I like this Set and I bet you will too.  Check it out!

PEK,  7/30/2022