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Double Double tonight!
Double Double plays tonight at Why Not? Jazz Room in the West Village. 14 Christopher Street. 9 pm.
this is going to be a fun one. roll through!
Breiner - tenor saxophone / clarinet :: Flin van Hemmen - drums / percussion :: Will McEvoy - bass :: Greg Chudzik - also bass
a little reminder:
<a href="http://2x2x.bandcamp.com/album/mileage" data-mce-href="http://2x2x.bandcamp.com/album/mileage">Mileage by Patrick Breiner's Double Double</a>
scope it! great interview of ZnZ by Drew Williams for Wing Walker Music. fun times w/ me, Kenny Warren, Will McEvoy.
ZhirtZ n ZkinZ
In recent months, I've written about and interviewed the saxophonist Patrick Breiner and the trumpeter Kenny Warren, both of whom have recently released some great records under their own names. Yet in both of those conversations (and various others that I've had with those guys), their eyes really lit up whenever the subject of their band--dubbed ZhirtZ n ZkinZ--came up. This is a band comprised of them, bassist Will McEvoy and drummer Flin van Hemmen and is a special group, indeed. This band is really close personally, and that's reflected in the democratic nature of the music and practice of this group--all of the members write tunes, and if the band is in the mood to play them, they do, and if not, they play wholly improvised sets. Yet in the little that I had seen of the band (that is, solely on YouTube and before listening to their recently released, self-titled debut) I was really struck by the fluidity that they had: one member would flirt with a section of a melody and that would be occasion for the rest to join in with him, as all of these melodies are memorized.
As I mentioned, they recorded a record, almost precisely two years ago in a house in Maine and the product is ZhirtZ n ZkinZ, being released on Breiner's Sulde label. Not only can you hear the bands amazing rapport documented throughout, but also unexpected yet charming bird calls and dog barking which were captured by the microphones and seem to blend perfectly.
This Saturday (June 14th) ZhirtZ n ZkinZ will be playing a record release show at Barbes in Park Slope. You shouldn't miss it! You can pre-order a copy of the record here.
I caught up with the guys from Z n Z and asked them some biting questions that really get behind this record.
&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://zhirtznzkinz.bandcamp.com/album/zhirtz-n-zkinz" data-mce-href="http://zhirtznzkinz.bandcamp.com/album/zhirtz-n-zkinz"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Zhirtz n Zkinz by Zhirtz n Zkinz&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;
Patrick Breiner:
Shirts or Skins?
Skins. Always. Clothes are so post-Eden. There are few things I enjoy more than performing regular daily activities in the buff: making breakfast, drinking a beer on the couch, washing dishes, vacuuming the rug, practicing my saxophone, you name it.
Coffee or tea?
I rarely drink coffee. I used to drink a lot of tea. But my Aussie buddy, Jon Crompton, recently got me hooked on flat whites. Now I'm kind of screwed because a flat white is an Aussie beverage, so only the snootiest NYC cafes actually know how to make one. Also, since I hardly ever drink coffee and thus know very little about it, when a barista asks me, "what's a flat white?" I have absolutely no idea what to tell them.
physical or digital?
Are we talking about music here? Or...? Physical. PHYSICAL. Although there's a lot to be said for the immediacy and portability of the digital mediums. Ahem.
Blazers or cardigans?
Cardigans. Clearly.
Ale or stout?
Ale. Year 'round. My favorites, though, are all pretty conservative (in terms of hop content) American Pale Ales. I prefer the balance of these over the west coast super mega ultra double-triple-hopped everything. This is something I seriously miss about living in Wisconsin. Ale Asylum's Hopalicious, Lake Louie's Arena Premium, New Glarus's Moon Man No Coast Pale Ale. Brilliant, beautiful brews.
Miles 1958 or 1985?
Based on a quick Google Image search, my girlfriend chose 1985. "Windbreaker and mustache. It's a Patrick Breiner Special. What? Am I crazy?"
Kenny Warren:
(photo by Peter Gannushkin)
Shirts or Skins?
At the moment shirts. Wait...now skins.
Coffee or tea?
Coffee. Small, strong, black, ethically grown, organic, fresh, funny, graceful, intelligent, with a generous spirit and if it's not asking too much, a job.
Digital or physical?
Let's get digital.
Blazers or Cardigans?
Portland Blazers, St. Louis Cardigans.
Ales or stout?
Ales all the way. Pale Ales. Hops enough to make the seafaring voyage around the cape to India or the refrigerated-truckfaring voyage from Colorado to my Brooklyn bodega.
Miles 1958 or 1985?
I love everything Miles Davis, but this one is kind of obvious.
Will McEvoy:
(photo by Patrick Breiner)
Shirts or Skins?
Skins.
Coffee or tea?
Not going to go there. I like the entire spectrum. I will not drink Redbull et al. Mate- if I have to pick one beverage from the spectrum of caffeinated infusions.
Physical or digital?
Physical. Give me vinyl, wood, gut, dirt, spit, sweat, oil, taste, colors, smells and tedious work over digital debased boredom and ineffectual categorization.
Blazers or Cardigans?
Neither or. What the hell kind of question is this?
Ale or stout?
A SnakeBite. A mysterious mixture of ale, stout, and black currant liquor. I drank more of them in college than I care to remember.
Miles 1958 or 1985?
How many miles of what?
&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://zhirtznzkinz.bandcamp.com/album/zhirtz-n-zkinz" data-mce-href="http://zhirtznzkinz.bandcamp.com/album/zhirtz-n-zkinz"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Zhirtz n Zkinz by Zhirtz n Zkinz&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;
Flin van Hemmen
(photo by John Kelman)
Shirts or Skins?
Great band, wait, I think there called Zhirts n Zkins though, great band.
Coffee or tea?
Tea, Irish tea, packs a punch but more importantly, makes you feel loved, like someone is keeping an eye out for you.
Physical or digital?
physical, I'm old fashioned, I suck at digital downloads, I try sometimes, but it doesn't get easier, as hoped it would. Sorry everyone for not digitally downloading your beautiful music.
Blazers or cardigans?
I don't know what those are, I'm European, we just walk around in the nude. At night we wear a top hat, sometimes.
Ale or stout?
Such a seasonal matter. Cheers.
Miles 1958 or 1985?
Early 80's rather that mid, 58 there is no question.
&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://zhirtznzkinz.bandcamp.com/album/zhirtz-n-zkinz" data-mce-href="http://zhirtznzkinz.bandcamp.com/album/zhirtz-n-zkinz"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Zhirtz n Zkinz by Zhirtz n Zkinz&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;
GO TONIGHT: Tony Malaby's Tuba / Cello Quartet AND Mutasm at Korzo
This week, the Konceptions series at Korzo out does itself once again. Always a double bill, always affordable and always in a close space, Konceptions gives energized creative music a regular home, and there's nothing not great about that.
Working backwards, tenor saxophonist Tony Malaby closes the night with a 10:30pm set, a combination of two of his previous existing trios (tuba trio & cello trio). It will feature Chris Hoffman on cello, Dan Peck on tuba and John Hollenbeck on drums. Malaby is a fierce composer and improviser, highly capable and in control when gorgeous tones are required, but also seemingly always on the verge of a chaotic break, or a swerve into other sound worlds pushed by his instrument. The double-low-combo of cello and tuba on top of Hollenbeck's dexterous drum navigation is going to make this a really really enjoyable show. Guaranteed. See the video below of the tuba trio from the past.
Kicking the night off at 9pm is a group led by bassist Will McEvoy called Mutasm. Though a generation younger than Malaby & company, Mutasm follows in the musical footsteps of the artists following them.
We've posted a streaming track below, off their greatly titled album Labor Of Labor. The composition of the piece is so so strong. The entire composition. The written, the improvised, it all is concocted and executed with preparation and novelty in the moment and it all just comes across as great music. It can get challenging but never forever and there's always a point.
For those afraid of that which is free, I suggest always seeking things with a point. Identify the point for comfort and new risks. These guys know what they're doing and aren't afraid to learn as they go.
in the band: Will McEvoy on bass, Danny Gouker on trumpet, Nathaniel Morgan on alto sax, Patrick Breiner on tenor sax, Dustin Carlson on guitar and Cody Brown on drums.
&amp;lt;a href="http://mutasm.bandcamp.com/album/labor-of-labor" data-mce-href="http://mutasm.bandcamp.com/album/labor-of-labor"&amp;gt;Labor of Labor by will mcevoy's MUTASM&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;
Will: You said the trick was to forgive Mackenzie.
Jack: Yeah.
Will: I actually know that. Intellectually, in my brain, I know Mackenzie deserves to be forgiven. I understood everything you said. I understand she’s taken every punishment I've given her, including having Brian hang around the office and write his story. I understand that she’s completely devoted to the show, I understand mistakes, I understand time has passed. I understand all of that. So why can’t I forgive her?
Jack: Because you weren't rejected, you were betrayed.
Double Double
new sounds from Double Double. 9 February 2013
me - tenor
Adam Hopkins - bass
Will McEvoy - bass
Flin Van Hemmen - drums
Fuck you. You don't know what it's like in my head.
Will McEvoy
Kenny Warren (trumpet) Me (tenor sax) Flin Van Hemmen (drums) and Will McEvoy (bass) at Radio Zero at the Sycamore on 20 August. NAST. We play Will's tune "Rites" toward the end.
Here's Part 2:
