Our third release finds us comfortably outside of our long standing quartet, operating in an intimate duo structure. We use a unique variety of woodwinds and percussion and layer blocks of improvisation to form a collage of emotive melodies and textures.

Pre-order LP/CD/Digital here

Full album will release on Woolgathering Records, November 6th, 2020.

All music was recorded during one five-hour session, and all music was improvised. In post production, we combined various sections of our improvisations. There was no overdubbing or looping, only stacking and enhancing of the raw recordings. When you hear multiple instruments come together, these are simply moments of our musical selves holding true over time.

Artwork by Marine Tempels Black

In April of 2019 we embarked on a new vision for the band, this time focusing on the duo setting. Allowing ourselves to be free of any preconceived forms or structures, Artie and I used a multitude of woodwind and percussion instruments to explore new facets of our improvisational chemistry.

After tracking these improvisations at Experimental Sound Studio with engineer Alex Inglizian, we spent several sessions in post-production editing and layering sections of the raw recordings to form a collage of song-like forms and textures.

Experimental Sound Studio in Chicago, IL.

On March 2nd, 2019 we celebrated the release of our new record, “Chant,” on Shifting Paradigm Records. We teamed up with Elastic Arts, visual artist Marine Tempels, and Ebimera Vines founder Nyabweza Itaagi to create Zoetic: a celebration of new aural, visual, and botanic art.

Featured visual installtion: Tempels’ “Lost Effect Cause Found.” More about Marine and her work at her website. The space was also filled with plants by Ebimera Vines (Itaagi’s plant shop) to warm the space. Black Diamond bassist Matt Ulery will prepared a home cooked feast for guests.

This event is especially meaningful to us because of its collaborative nature - we wanted to create an evening that expands beyond the usual format of “record release show.” Izzy Yellen of the Chicago Reader has captured our intent well with this preview.

During the last week of October, we ventured once again from Chicago to Pennsylvania and back on a short tour to play venues that we’ve never been to before. Cliff Bell’s in Detroit reminded us a lot of our favorite club in Chicago, The Green Mill- the art deco wood work and speak-easy decor made us feel right at home in that historic venue.

From Detroit, we headed west to Cleveland to play at The Bop Stop, which is a venue created and operated by the folks of The Music Settlement: a local organization that offers performance, educational programming, and mentorship to young and rising Ohio musicians. The space is extremely well designed and its operator and performance booking manager Gabe Wallace single-handedly created a warm and welcoming environment for us to present our music.

In Butler, PA (Artie’s hometown) we revisited the Butler Little Theatre to play for a packed house of friends, family, and neighbors. We were joined by our good friends and fellow Chicagoans Twin Talk and ended the evening with a collective rendition of the title track from our first record, "Mandala.”

a massive moraine in the woods near the house where Artie grew up

For the last stop on the tour, we caravanned with Twin Talk from PA to South Bend, IN to play at the truly one of a kind venue/piano studio Merriman’s Playhouse. Stephen and Mary Merriman are truly the kindest and most thoughtful venue operators, concert programmers, and music appreciators we have come across. They do so much to support creative music from around the world. If you’re in the area, stop in for a concert and say hello. They have a wonderfully intimate and cozy space and plenty of stories to share.

The “merch-piano” featuring music from Black Diamond, Twin Talk, and all of our collective and individual recordings.

We are looking forward to the next month of writing before our next performance at Constellation (Chicago) on December 5th, supporting the record release of our friend, pianist Andrew Lawrence.

Fresh off of our latest outing, we can say it was truly a treat to spend some time in the beautiful states of Washington and Oregon. Our first two days were filled with very special moments with the students at Whitworth University (Spokane, WA) and Pacific Lutheran University (Tacoma, WA). At both schools we spent time working with music performance majors, discussing the intricacies of improvising over song structures in ways that elevate all performers to an equal plane of contribution.

During our time at PLU, we had the pleasure of being guest lecturers/performers in Dr. Greg Youtz's Ethnomusicology class, which was particularly enjoyable because it prompted us to discuss all of the non-jazz influences on our compositions, and the ways in which we approach using elements of other cultures and musics without appropriation or disrespect. 

Performing in Dr. Youtz's Ethnomusicology Class at Pacific Lutheran University.

The performance segment of the tour started at Tula's Jazz Club in Seattle, which turned out to be a wonderful night of music during which we featured our dear friend and fantastic trumpeter Jared Hall for a special Black Diamond quintet set. After we were finished playing, I (thinking aloud) asked the band the question "how do we collectively get the the next further layers outside of our music?" This is something I think about a lot, particularly in the context of a group that plays music that lends itself to extended improvisations. Our bassist Matt Ulery wisely responded "There is no way of knowing." But over the course of our next four performances, we found out. Each night was exceedingly exploratory, perpetually connective, and always inspired by the environment. Playing together over many consecutive days truly facilitates growth, and over the course of seven days, our music reached new zones of beauty, power, vulnerability, and fearlessness. We all greatly look forward to our next journey.  

Our second set at Tula's Jazz Club in Seattle, featuring trumpeter/composer Jared Hall.