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 2024, we have recorded over 50 albums on Evil Clown with greatly varied ensembles.  All the smaller Evil Clown bands are really more about a general approach, rather than a specific set of musicians.  A session gets credited to Turbulence when it is mostly horn players and the only musician on all of them is me. The sessions range from an early duet with Steve Norton and me (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 and many other configurations.  

This set was originally going to be Turbulence Orchestra.  I use the Orchestra modifier for a band name when the ensemble size reaches 8 players, and two of the scheduled musicians did not make the set due to late conflicts, so the ensemble size dropped from the planned 9 to 7 and I dropped the modifier.  It still has the vibe of a Turbulence Orchestra set though…  These sessions typically have bass and drums with a large horn section (now 5, instead of 7 horns).  Scott Samenfeld is currently our most frequent bass player, and he tends towards a jazz sound more than most of the Evil Clown bassists.  I had Michael Knoblach, who typically plays traditional and non-traditional percussion, play the drum set instead in line with the schema for this ensemble.  So, we had the usual rhythm section with large horn section…

We had a good balance in the horns with me and Michael Caglianone on reeds, Bob Moores and Eric Dahlman on trumpets and flugelhorns, and Duane Reed on double bell euphonium.  All are regulars at Evil Clown in various ensembles and all are comfortable with doubling the percussion, electronic and electro acoustic auxiliary instruments which adorn the studio.  With a large ensemble of players who all double other instruments, the broad palette aesthetic espoused by Evil Clown ensembles really shines, and this set is no exception.  There are sections that work like a free-ish jazz ensemble and sections that work like electro acoustic improvisation and sections of many other sonorities.  This flexible unit really delivered an excellent performance exhibiting many exciting transformations in sorority over the duration of the work!

Anyway, I like this set and I bet you will too…

PEK – 9/1/2024