Squidco Blurb

“… The core duet of the Boston-based free improvising ensemble Leap of Faith Orchestra (LOFO) of David Peck on reeds, winds & an amazing collection of percussive instruments and Glynis Lomon on cello, aquasonic & voice are joined by keyboardist Eric Woods for an extended exploration adding unusual electronics to their typically acoustic sets for unexpected and remarkable sonic journeys.…”

Liner Notes by PEK

Leap of Faith is the core duet of the Leap of Faith Orchestra (LOFO) comprised of PEK on clarinets, saxophones, clarinets & 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 PEK and Lomon and we are regularly presenting LIVESTREAMs to YouTube from Evil Clown Headquarters with other guest performers.

This set was originally going to be a trio Expanse (the Evil Clown Ensemble featuring percussionist Michael Knoblach) set with guest Eric Woods, but Michael was unable to make the date and I asked Glynis to play instead.  According to the Evil Clown Naming Conventions for ensembles, it became a Leap of Faith set.  Eric has played in a bunch of the larger Leap of Faith Orchestra settings, but this is only his fourth appearance in a small LOF setting.  This trio version of LOF debuted in February of 2020 (The Observed Present), right before the virus shut down.  After we restarted the YouTube LIVESTREAMS last May, we did a quartet with drummer Steve Niemitz (Lattice) in June of 2021 and a quartet with guitarist Reverend Grant Beale (Loops of Gravitational Force) in September of 2021.

In the original days of Leap of Faith in the 90s, neither Glynis or I were interested in electronic sounds in improvisation.  However, during the contemporary period, as we have explored large ensembles in the LOFO, Eric and others have brought electronics into a Leap of Faith setting.  Eric has also been a key member Metal Chaos Ensemble which typically had included more rock elements then we ever have in Leap of Faith.  Eric is aware of the early history of electronics in the classical music of Stockhausen and the other European electronics pioneers of the 50s and 60s, so he is prepared to use his considerable skills without relying on the repetitive rhythms that dominate so much of electronic music in the popular realm.  This small format LOF trio blends acoustic and electronic sounds, borrowing from the Metal Chaos Ensemble aesthetic.

This is a strong set as I expected, since everyone is still very excited to be able to play music again with others.  Stay tuned for a steady stream of new sets over the next few months from Leap of Faith and all the other active Evil Clown ensembles.

PEK 1/16/2022