The Ocular Concern - Sister Cities (2014)

The four-movement suite adds violin, viola, cello and bandoneon, the traditional Argentine tango accordion to the existing instrumentation of Lee Elderton on clarinet, Andrew Oliver on electric piano, Dan Duval on electric guitar, Nathan Beck on vibes and mbira (Zimbabwean thumb piano), and Stephen Pancerev on drums. Though the instrumentation at first glance may seem intentionally bizarre, the nonet blends diverse timbres and styles into a soundscape perfectly suited to Duval and Oliver's wide reaching compositional aesthetic. The suite opens with "Sister Cities," a gospel-tinged tune leading to "Portland in Reverse," featuring the strings in a reflective chamber mood before the introduciton of a Senegalese-inspired beat. "Ghost Town City Council" brings in a western twang and creepy atonal use of the mbira before resolving into the "Island Milonga" with a catchy tango feel to round it out.

The other tracks in the album feature the quintet exploring a variety of grooves from the contemporary odd meters of "The Ocular Concern" and "The Eclectic Piano" to a more Zimbabwean-styled trancey beat of "Lafayette" and the serene, chorale-like "William S. Burroughs, LET'S GO!" Throughout, Stephen Pancerev's intuitive drumming and the interlocking blend of guitar, keyboard, and vibes lays a strong framework for strong and catchy melodic statments, minimalist textures, and Lee Elderton's spontaneous and brilliant clarinet improvisations.

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PJCE Records is a grassroots recording label documenting the wide variety of original music being created by Portland area jazz composers and improvisers. We aim to provide an outlet to encourage the dissemination of new music in the area as well as fostering community within the jazz and improvised music scene in Portland. The label is operated by the Portland Jazz Composers’ Ensemble and all rights to the music remain with the individual artists.

Tracks 2, 4, 6, 9 by Dan Duval
Tracks 3, 5, 8 by Andrew Oliver
Tracks 1, 7 by Andrew Oliver and Dan Duval

Dan Duval, electric guitar, toy piano
Andrew Oliver, electric piano, percussion
Stephen Pancerev, drums
Lee Elderton, clarinet
Nathan Beck, vibraphone, mbira (4, 8)

with:
Erin Furbee, violin (2-5)
Brian Quincey, viola (2-5)
Justin Kagan, cello (2-5)
Alex Krebs, bandoneon (2-5)