Interviews:
*Jazz Right Now / Cisco Bradley: https://jazzrightnow.com/2017/05/16/may-artist-feature-michael-foster/
*Heathen Harvest / Thomas Boettner's profile on queer noise artists: https://heathenharvest.org/2017/05/14/giving-voice-velvet-rage-expressions-queer-identity-noise/
*Soundfly / Max Alper
http://flypaper.soundfly.com/editorial/boys-club-conversations-diversity-inclusion-experimental-music/
REVIEWS
Concert Review: Michael Foster Solo at 65Fen, December 7, 2015Tenor saxophonist Michael Foster performed a stunning solo set last night at the 65Fen music series held at Delroy’s Wine Bar & Cafe. It was one of the most intimate and gripping performances I have seen in quite some time. As part of a series of short sets included in the series’ first anniversary show, Foster played for no more than 10 minutes, but delivered a visceral statement in a concise piece that developed quickly and confidently. Quick sonic movements, vocalization (climaxing at a roar), and sensual oral gestures provided sexual undertones to the work. With eyes closed, he also moved with cat-like agility towards various audience members, as if flirting with their affections in a playful, light-hearted manner. It seems that this solo set was just the latest new twist from this daring artist
-Cisco Bradley
Twenty-six-year-old, Brooklyn-based Foster is one of the hottest avant-sax players and improvising multi-instrumentalists on the scene, his sound and extended techniques falling somewhere between John Butcher and Evan Parker. He is young, fresh (in both senses of the word), and very much alive. He was born on the Lower East Side, then moved to L.A., then back again to finish school in 2007. Foster works, as he puts it, “within […] improvisation, composition (both graphic and notated), jazz, noise, punk, industrial music, and video.” Since moving back to New York, he’s gigged with Weasel Walter, Steve Swell, Pascal Niggenkemper, Psychic TV, Chris Corsano, Kid Millions, Nate Wooley, Han Bennink, Marina Rosenfeld, and many others. His current working ensembles include: Foster, Michael Evans, and Niggenkemper; the Andrew Barker Trio; While We Still Have Bodies; a trio consisting of Foster, David Grollman, and Ohio-based Ben Bennett; plus a weird and wild duo with Bennett, the son of neo-fluxist, experimental, mail artist/poets Catherine Mehrl Bennett and John M. Bennett.
Bennett and Foster began playing with drummer Grollman, and their crazy improvisations landed somewhere between music and performance art. Their duo project resulted from their strong musical affinity, something that needs to be seen (as well as heard) to be believed, pushing the sonic boundaries of the drums/sax duo over the edge. At times their vocabularies overlap, so one is barely able to distinguish one voice from the other, Foster becoming compellingly percussive on the sax, while Bennett, who also makes his own instruments, blows on what I learned were membranes, like reeds—I recently caught them at drummer Andrew Drury’s salon series Soup and Sound. Their experimentation in sound, both together and separately, causes a dynamic shift and expansion of the sonic palette, plus a tense, vulnerable unpredictability. My bet is on these guys for adding to the healthy, solid future of improvised music.
-Steve Dalachinsky, Brooklyn Rail
MICHAEL FOSTER/TED BYRNES - Astringent (Self-Produced; USA) Featuring Michael Foster on reeds and Ted Byrnes on percussion. Young saxist Michael Foster has played here at DMG on several occasions with different collaborators each time. Last Sunday (6/28/15) Mr. Foster played a fine duo with Aaron Zarzutzki on electronics. Foster left us with copies of his new duo disc with a percussionist named Ted Byrnes that I hadn't heard of before this. Turns out that Mr. Byrnes lives in L.A. and went to Berklee College in Boston. In the true spirit of Downtown improv, Mr. Foster uses a variety of extended techniques on his sax, like using pieces of metal as a mute. This is an impressive sounding duo although it is hard to tell what is exactly going on at times. Odd sax noises, toys or some type of exotic percussion, scrapes, rubbed surfaces, brushes, a mutant soprano sax (?), warped tenor sax, screeches, blasts, high hat groove short & sweet, whistle and an unnamed reed that I can't quite describe. Strange scenes from the sonic gold none continue.
- Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
Last Sunday (6/28/15) a duo of Michael Foster on sax and Aaron Zarzutzki on synth played here at DMG and performed an impressive set of odd extended improv. I hadn't heard Mr. Zarzutzki live before this but I was quite impressed nonetheless. Noisier and somewhat more abrupt in places than the usual disc on Erstwhile, this duo is most impressive at coaxing odd sounds out of their instruments. Hard to tell who is doing what. There is a good deal of lower case-like silence or space or ultra-subtle sounds here. I had to turn off the fan in my kitchen in order to hear all of the sounds and space involved in this highly charged particle network of microscopic sounds.
- Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
GALM QUARTET – TRASH IS THE FUTURE (LP by Another Shape Records)
Galm Quartet is an international improvising ensemble: George Hadow (UK, drums), Andreas Fulgosi (IT, baritone guitar), Laurens van der Wee (NL, no-input mixer), Michael Foster (US, saxophones). Let me introduce the musicians: Michael Foster is a Brooklyn based saxophonist, improvisor, and multi-instrumentalist. George Hadow set his first steps in the music scene in South Devon before moving to Amsterdam in 2012 to plunge into the Dutch improv scene. His Dutch companion however in this unit, Laurens van der Wee, has a background in electronic music with a special interest in autonomous works on the edge of composition and performance. Andreas Fulgosi studied at the Montreux Jazz School and the Bern Jazz School, with Mick Goodrick, John Scofield and Wolfgang Muthspiel. What I learn from his biography is that he has a special interest in the African jazz and improv scene, and played a lot on this continent. Very different backgrounds, but they make a fantastic tight unit.
Their well-recorded debut album is recorded in Vilnius by Tomas Verbaitis and mixed in New York by Jason LaFarge. Why not. The album has the complete set played on October 10th 2013. The album opens with a high energy battle. They continue with another loud, noisy improvisation before showing other faces, and play open improvisations as well of different dynamics. Weird interludes from van der Wee, Foster blowing his soul out, distorted riffs and motives by Fulgosi and great drumwork by Hadow. They built their structures with a sense of urgence, and they sound together, fresh and very eager. They really go for it, and you can compare them a bit with Cactus Truck and The Ex-related outfits, who also deal in rough, full power improvisations. Excellent work! (DM)
-vitalweekly.com
Zombi Jazz - Foreclosure
self-released 2012
On Foreclosure, Zombi Jazz utilizes a wide spectrum of improvisatory and compositional techniques and textures featuring Michael Foster on sax, bass clarinet, and radio, Alex Hood on trumpet, trombone, and voice, Eric Silberberg on bass and violin, and Dan Stern on percussion. At times, the group bursts into what sounds like a free-form freakout (in the best sense of the phrase), when the quartet is more aggressive, the sounds produced are more staccato, jumpy, scattered, especially the sax and the drums. They are all able to go full throttle, yet they still remain controlled, together, and attentive, maintaining a constant cohesiveness as a group. Also, the group always builds to these moments, through solo, through melody, etc. Hood’s vocals remind me of an album by Alan Watts called “This Is It". Really expressive, playful, syllabic/textural and a kind of haunted intensity. And when the group transitions into its “softer” moments, the silence is really able to shine. Those are the moments that I really enjoyed listening to in this album. The longer-form, more languid, expansive journeys really feature each member of the group quite well. Legato trombone tones, harmonics on the strings, deep bass drones, high pitched sax sounds, and jangly, chime-like percussion. It’s also nice that all the members at different times throughout the album are comfortable with dropping out while one, two, or three of the other members are playing. Overall, if you pay close attention and listen carefully, you’ll hear a great exploration of sound and technique on this record, making for a very deep, dynamic listening experience.
-Virtual Ritual Blog
The Ghost Reviews
*Cisco Bradley / Jazz Right Now on THE HOLE: https://jazzrightnow.com/2017/02/13/review-michael-fosters-the-ghost-the-hole/
*Cisco Bradley / Jazz Right Now on THERE'S A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING https://jazzrightnow.com/2017/01/30/review-michael-fosters-the-ghost-theres-a-first-time-for-everything/
*Tristan Bath / The Quietus: http://thequietus.com/articles/20776-spools-out-cassette-review-opal-tapes-21st-century-wolf-wei-zhongle-konstrukt
The New York Review of Cocksucking... reviews
Bedford & Bowery/Nicole Disser on NYRoCS & Queer Trash: http://bedfordandbowery.com/tag/the-new-york-review-of-cocksucking/
"The New York Review of Cocksucking is sort of a misnomer. Instead of satisfying the urge for a full-on, max-volume onslaught of the kind that we’re used to getting from noise, this two-piece act (Michael Foster and Richard Kamerman) practices a form of sonic tease and denial. Methodical minimalism and a delicate build-up leads to interspersed moments of intense release that are maddeningly brief, only to return to even more subtle tick-tock-like progressions."
Jazz Right Now / Clifford Allen: https://jazzrightnow.com/2017/03/09/new-york-review-of-cocksucking-double-review/
Barker Trio Reviews
Barker Trio’s gripping yet subtle self-titled debut record is one of the more thought-provoking records to be released in 2015. The band has developed and evolved over the past two and a half years, putting on a string of riveting performances in clubs around New York City, while showing a great amount of versatility and flexibility in how they have presented their music. Led by vastly under-appreciated percussionist Andrew Barker, the record features an interesting synthesis of sounds, styles, and influences brought together adeptly by the trio. Barker, a mainstay on the Brooklyn/NYC free jazz, avant rock, and experimental music scenes since the late 1990s, he is perhaps best known for his work with the Gold Sparkle Band, ensembles led by William Parker, and many collaborations with Charles Waters, Daniel Carter, and other musicians. The Barker Trio also includes up-and-coming saxophonist Michael Foster and bassist Tim Dahl, the latter best known for his noise-rock group Child Abuse. Each of the three brings a tenacity and daring that elevates the visceral experience of the music.
The sounds of the record range from subtle strands and tidbits of sound that gradually form a rising coherence all the way to fierce burning free jazz reminiscent of some of the great tenor-led groups from earlier decades. The emotional range of Foster’s playing–from his subtlest moments to the most powerful climaxes–helps shape much of the music. Unlike so many saxophonists, Foster does not overplay, nor does he get caught up in advertising technique just for the sake of it. Instead, he does a lot with subtle sounds, short licks, and plays with space in a way that achieves aesthetic unity with the other band members. He also takes center stage at key moments, surging from the dark edges of the pieces to burn across the canvas and then recede. Dahl has an interesting resonance on bass and creates space of his own, at times, while connecting throughout the record with Barker’s multi-faceted drum work. Barker is also an amazingly subtle player, though also bold when he wishes to be so. He manages to create intricate webs of percussive sound that fall tightly upon the contributions of the other players. Both rhythm players have a way of shifting about on either side of the saxophone, sometimes propelling from within, while at other times adding all manner of accents in front of, beside, and behind the lead voice. Through this, the trio achieves a rare balance of voices.
“You are a Real _____” is a nice introduction to what the band is capable of and presents each player–as is often the case throughout the record–in even proportions. Barker’s beats fall like a multitude of raindrops, individual in their impact but part of the grander storm. “Scarface Pajamas” begins with Foster stretching his tenor sound like a piece of hide over the face of a drum with rhythms soon springing up and then Foster surging ahead with rhythms propelling on all sides. “Failed States” saunters along with Dahl and Barker taking turns in dictating its off-kilter pace with Foster’s sax exclaiming over the top. “A Teeming Portal” is the most conceptually complex piece on the record with all three players beginning with small sounds like the pulsing yet unpredictable gathering of nighttime fireflies building in number towards a great apex. The piece evolves quickly, like most of the tracks, keeping the music riveting. “Inner Vortex” is the emotional climax of the record with burning tenor and bass. “New Wolves, Old Bones” shows off Foster’s abilities on soprano over buoyant rhythms. “Invalid Request” then distills all of the best parts of the record into a fitting and uplifting conclusion.
This band is a must-see for anyone who has the opportunity to witness them play live. Catch them if you can and be prepared to wear this record out–I keep discovering a new layer to it with each spin.
–Cisco Bradley, November 7, 2015
The distinctive, instinctual drummer Andrew Barker has co-founded and participated in many projects on the fringes of jazz or metal, such as Gold Sparkle Band, Acid Birds and Hallux. Another one of his endeavors is a small combo he leads, the Barker Trio, and this sax-bass-drums combo with reedman Michael Foster and bassist Tim Dahl has just issued its first, self-titled set of recordings.
Highly improvisational, Barker Trio draws instant comparisons to another trio record thatinvolved both Barker and Dahl: Luddite, which featured Paul Dunmall’s penetrating, brooding and exposed saxophone. Foster, on the other hand, is more inclined toward the uninhibited, spontaneous and rangy. But like Luddite, just about anything goes, and while some might call this free jazz”, the participants don’t seem to be so concerned about whether it’s jazz so much as it’s freely played.
The Trio strikes wide contrasting moods, not allowing themselves to be limited by a limited number of instruments. “You Are A Real” is widely dispersed, with Barker dwelling on higher timbres and light patters as Foster’s sax strains to get the notes out. They go even further off the abyss for “Scarface Pajamas,” where Foster’s tenor sax is alternately squealing like a pig and honking like a goose. Barker gets the tension maintained with frequent cymbal bombs and both him and Foster make way for Dahl’s ominous bowed bass. Dahl makes slack-stringed wobbles on “Failed States” that Foster and Barker respond to. By contrast, the center of the chaotic “Invalid Request” is hard to locate as the band nonetheless moves through the tumult together.
-S. Victor Aaron, SomethingElse Reviews
In the middle of all this we find the barren soundscape of “A Teeming Portal.” Foster himself makes a percussive effect on his soprano sax that blend with the dispersed drums of Barker and the staggered bass of Dahl. Foster’s tentative puffs soon transform into a volley of notes and Barker frames the choppy ebb and flow of the performance.
-S. Victor Aaron, Something Else Reviews
For this month's installment dubbed "November Momentum," Hillmer has tapped Charles Waters as curator. The local sax/clarinetist vet and William Parker/Matthew Shipp cohort has booked a beaut this evening: Sandwiched between a Waters collaboration with flautist Mary Cherney and rising star Chris Pitsiokos's blistering trio is Waters's Gold Sparkle Band-mate, drummer Andrew Barker and his Trio. Barker and fellow noiseniks--reedsman Michael Foster and bassist Tim Dahl (of Child Abuse and Lydia Lunch Retrovirus)--just dropped their self-titled debut as the Barker Trio, and it's a free-improv metal/jazz bruiser whose sonic explorations drip of relentless clang, clatter and sicko beats action. On hand for the festivities will be bassist James Ilgenfritz who, along with Dahl, also appears on the record and will cameo tonight. Shit's free (save one drink minimum) so no excuses.
-Brad Cohan, Village Voice
Featuring Michael Foster on saxes, Tim Dahl on electric bass & Andrew barker on drums plus James Ilgenfritz added for 1 track. As a longtime fan of the Gold Sparkle Band, which included Mr. Barker & Charles Waters, originally from Atlanta and transplanted to Brooklyn, I keep my eye on whatever Mr. Barker or Mr. Waters does. Both were members of William Parker's Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra and barker involved in many diverse sessions with Daniel Carter, Rob Brown, Virginia Genta (Neo Kharma) and Sonny Simmons.
Mr. Barker recently organized a new trio which includes a couple of younger players: Michael Foster on saxes (from Zombi Jazz) and Tim Dahl on bass (Ava Mendoza Trio, The Gate, Pulverize the Sound & Barr/Shea/Dahl). Over the past couple of years, Mr. Foster has played here at DMG several times, always surprising me with his inventiveness and quirky spirit. I am equally impressed by electric bassist Tim Dahl, whose playing is consistently intense and focused. Although it seems that Mr. Foster is not really a "jazz" player, he is no less inventive on his sax. Mr. Dahl, who plays in the punk rock band Child Abuse as well as in other rock-oriented bands, also comes from a different background but sounds fine playing freely in this trio. Mr. Foster is consistently bending and twisting his notes inside-out, as Mr. Barker and Mr. Dahl match his flights no matter where they go, no matter how far they sail or wail. I caught this trio live at New Revolution Arts in Bushwick earlier this year and knocked out by their performance. This disc does a fine job of capturing their free yet fully infused spirit!
- Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
.
*Jazz Right Now / Cisco Bradley: https://jazzrightnow.com/2017/05/16/may-artist-feature-michael-foster/
*Heathen Harvest / Thomas Boettner's profile on queer noise artists: https://heathenharvest.org/2017/05/14/giving-voice-velvet-rage-expressions-queer-identity-noise/
*Soundfly / Max Alper
http://flypaper.soundfly.com/editorial/boys-club-conversations-diversity-inclusion-experimental-music/
REVIEWS
Concert Review: Michael Foster Solo at 65Fen, December 7, 2015Tenor saxophonist Michael Foster performed a stunning solo set last night at the 65Fen music series held at Delroy’s Wine Bar & Cafe. It was one of the most intimate and gripping performances I have seen in quite some time. As part of a series of short sets included in the series’ first anniversary show, Foster played for no more than 10 minutes, but delivered a visceral statement in a concise piece that developed quickly and confidently. Quick sonic movements, vocalization (climaxing at a roar), and sensual oral gestures provided sexual undertones to the work. With eyes closed, he also moved with cat-like agility towards various audience members, as if flirting with their affections in a playful, light-hearted manner. It seems that this solo set was just the latest new twist from this daring artist
-Cisco Bradley
Twenty-six-year-old, Brooklyn-based Foster is one of the hottest avant-sax players and improvising multi-instrumentalists on the scene, his sound and extended techniques falling somewhere between John Butcher and Evan Parker. He is young, fresh (in both senses of the word), and very much alive. He was born on the Lower East Side, then moved to L.A., then back again to finish school in 2007. Foster works, as he puts it, “within […] improvisation, composition (both graphic and notated), jazz, noise, punk, industrial music, and video.” Since moving back to New York, he’s gigged with Weasel Walter, Steve Swell, Pascal Niggenkemper, Psychic TV, Chris Corsano, Kid Millions, Nate Wooley, Han Bennink, Marina Rosenfeld, and many others. His current working ensembles include: Foster, Michael Evans, and Niggenkemper; the Andrew Barker Trio; While We Still Have Bodies; a trio consisting of Foster, David Grollman, and Ohio-based Ben Bennett; plus a weird and wild duo with Bennett, the son of neo-fluxist, experimental, mail artist/poets Catherine Mehrl Bennett and John M. Bennett.
Bennett and Foster began playing with drummer Grollman, and their crazy improvisations landed somewhere between music and performance art. Their duo project resulted from their strong musical affinity, something that needs to be seen (as well as heard) to be believed, pushing the sonic boundaries of the drums/sax duo over the edge. At times their vocabularies overlap, so one is barely able to distinguish one voice from the other, Foster becoming compellingly percussive on the sax, while Bennett, who also makes his own instruments, blows on what I learned were membranes, like reeds—I recently caught them at drummer Andrew Drury’s salon series Soup and Sound. Their experimentation in sound, both together and separately, causes a dynamic shift and expansion of the sonic palette, plus a tense, vulnerable unpredictability. My bet is on these guys for adding to the healthy, solid future of improvised music.
-Steve Dalachinsky, Brooklyn Rail
MICHAEL FOSTER/TED BYRNES - Astringent (Self-Produced; USA) Featuring Michael Foster on reeds and Ted Byrnes on percussion. Young saxist Michael Foster has played here at DMG on several occasions with different collaborators each time. Last Sunday (6/28/15) Mr. Foster played a fine duo with Aaron Zarzutzki on electronics. Foster left us with copies of his new duo disc with a percussionist named Ted Byrnes that I hadn't heard of before this. Turns out that Mr. Byrnes lives in L.A. and went to Berklee College in Boston. In the true spirit of Downtown improv, Mr. Foster uses a variety of extended techniques on his sax, like using pieces of metal as a mute. This is an impressive sounding duo although it is hard to tell what is exactly going on at times. Odd sax noises, toys or some type of exotic percussion, scrapes, rubbed surfaces, brushes, a mutant soprano sax (?), warped tenor sax, screeches, blasts, high hat groove short & sweet, whistle and an unnamed reed that I can't quite describe. Strange scenes from the sonic gold none continue.
- Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
Last Sunday (6/28/15) a duo of Michael Foster on sax and Aaron Zarzutzki on synth played here at DMG and performed an impressive set of odd extended improv. I hadn't heard Mr. Zarzutzki live before this but I was quite impressed nonetheless. Noisier and somewhat more abrupt in places than the usual disc on Erstwhile, this duo is most impressive at coaxing odd sounds out of their instruments. Hard to tell who is doing what. There is a good deal of lower case-like silence or space or ultra-subtle sounds here. I had to turn off the fan in my kitchen in order to hear all of the sounds and space involved in this highly charged particle network of microscopic sounds.
- Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
GALM QUARTET – TRASH IS THE FUTURE (LP by Another Shape Records)
Galm Quartet is an international improvising ensemble: George Hadow (UK, drums), Andreas Fulgosi (IT, baritone guitar), Laurens van der Wee (NL, no-input mixer), Michael Foster (US, saxophones). Let me introduce the musicians: Michael Foster is a Brooklyn based saxophonist, improvisor, and multi-instrumentalist. George Hadow set his first steps in the music scene in South Devon before moving to Amsterdam in 2012 to plunge into the Dutch improv scene. His Dutch companion however in this unit, Laurens van der Wee, has a background in electronic music with a special interest in autonomous works on the edge of composition and performance. Andreas Fulgosi studied at the Montreux Jazz School and the Bern Jazz School, with Mick Goodrick, John Scofield and Wolfgang Muthspiel. What I learn from his biography is that he has a special interest in the African jazz and improv scene, and played a lot on this continent. Very different backgrounds, but they make a fantastic tight unit.
Their well-recorded debut album is recorded in Vilnius by Tomas Verbaitis and mixed in New York by Jason LaFarge. Why not. The album has the complete set played on October 10th 2013. The album opens with a high energy battle. They continue with another loud, noisy improvisation before showing other faces, and play open improvisations as well of different dynamics. Weird interludes from van der Wee, Foster blowing his soul out, distorted riffs and motives by Fulgosi and great drumwork by Hadow. They built their structures with a sense of urgence, and they sound together, fresh and very eager. They really go for it, and you can compare them a bit with Cactus Truck and The Ex-related outfits, who also deal in rough, full power improvisations. Excellent work! (DM)
-vitalweekly.com
Zombi Jazz - Foreclosure
self-released 2012
On Foreclosure, Zombi Jazz utilizes a wide spectrum of improvisatory and compositional techniques and textures featuring Michael Foster on sax, bass clarinet, and radio, Alex Hood on trumpet, trombone, and voice, Eric Silberberg on bass and violin, and Dan Stern on percussion. At times, the group bursts into what sounds like a free-form freakout (in the best sense of the phrase), when the quartet is more aggressive, the sounds produced are more staccato, jumpy, scattered, especially the sax and the drums. They are all able to go full throttle, yet they still remain controlled, together, and attentive, maintaining a constant cohesiveness as a group. Also, the group always builds to these moments, through solo, through melody, etc. Hood’s vocals remind me of an album by Alan Watts called “This Is It". Really expressive, playful, syllabic/textural and a kind of haunted intensity. And when the group transitions into its “softer” moments, the silence is really able to shine. Those are the moments that I really enjoyed listening to in this album. The longer-form, more languid, expansive journeys really feature each member of the group quite well. Legato trombone tones, harmonics on the strings, deep bass drones, high pitched sax sounds, and jangly, chime-like percussion. It’s also nice that all the members at different times throughout the album are comfortable with dropping out while one, two, or three of the other members are playing. Overall, if you pay close attention and listen carefully, you’ll hear a great exploration of sound and technique on this record, making for a very deep, dynamic listening experience.
-Virtual Ritual Blog
The Ghost Reviews
*Cisco Bradley / Jazz Right Now on THE HOLE: https://jazzrightnow.com/2017/02/13/review-michael-fosters-the-ghost-the-hole/
*Cisco Bradley / Jazz Right Now on THERE'S A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING https://jazzrightnow.com/2017/01/30/review-michael-fosters-the-ghost-theres-a-first-time-for-everything/
*Tristan Bath / The Quietus: http://thequietus.com/articles/20776-spools-out-cassette-review-opal-tapes-21st-century-wolf-wei-zhongle-konstrukt
The New York Review of Cocksucking... reviews
Bedford & Bowery/Nicole Disser on NYRoCS & Queer Trash: http://bedfordandbowery.com/tag/the-new-york-review-of-cocksucking/
"The New York Review of Cocksucking is sort of a misnomer. Instead of satisfying the urge for a full-on, max-volume onslaught of the kind that we’re used to getting from noise, this two-piece act (Michael Foster and Richard Kamerman) practices a form of sonic tease and denial. Methodical minimalism and a delicate build-up leads to interspersed moments of intense release that are maddeningly brief, only to return to even more subtle tick-tock-like progressions."
Jazz Right Now / Clifford Allen: https://jazzrightnow.com/2017/03/09/new-york-review-of-cocksucking-double-review/
Barker Trio Reviews
Barker Trio’s gripping yet subtle self-titled debut record is one of the more thought-provoking records to be released in 2015. The band has developed and evolved over the past two and a half years, putting on a string of riveting performances in clubs around New York City, while showing a great amount of versatility and flexibility in how they have presented their music. Led by vastly under-appreciated percussionist Andrew Barker, the record features an interesting synthesis of sounds, styles, and influences brought together adeptly by the trio. Barker, a mainstay on the Brooklyn/NYC free jazz, avant rock, and experimental music scenes since the late 1990s, he is perhaps best known for his work with the Gold Sparkle Band, ensembles led by William Parker, and many collaborations with Charles Waters, Daniel Carter, and other musicians. The Barker Trio also includes up-and-coming saxophonist Michael Foster and bassist Tim Dahl, the latter best known for his noise-rock group Child Abuse. Each of the three brings a tenacity and daring that elevates the visceral experience of the music.
The sounds of the record range from subtle strands and tidbits of sound that gradually form a rising coherence all the way to fierce burning free jazz reminiscent of some of the great tenor-led groups from earlier decades. The emotional range of Foster’s playing–from his subtlest moments to the most powerful climaxes–helps shape much of the music. Unlike so many saxophonists, Foster does not overplay, nor does he get caught up in advertising technique just for the sake of it. Instead, he does a lot with subtle sounds, short licks, and plays with space in a way that achieves aesthetic unity with the other band members. He also takes center stage at key moments, surging from the dark edges of the pieces to burn across the canvas and then recede. Dahl has an interesting resonance on bass and creates space of his own, at times, while connecting throughout the record with Barker’s multi-faceted drum work. Barker is also an amazingly subtle player, though also bold when he wishes to be so. He manages to create intricate webs of percussive sound that fall tightly upon the contributions of the other players. Both rhythm players have a way of shifting about on either side of the saxophone, sometimes propelling from within, while at other times adding all manner of accents in front of, beside, and behind the lead voice. Through this, the trio achieves a rare balance of voices.
“You are a Real _____” is a nice introduction to what the band is capable of and presents each player–as is often the case throughout the record–in even proportions. Barker’s beats fall like a multitude of raindrops, individual in their impact but part of the grander storm. “Scarface Pajamas” begins with Foster stretching his tenor sound like a piece of hide over the face of a drum with rhythms soon springing up and then Foster surging ahead with rhythms propelling on all sides. “Failed States” saunters along with Dahl and Barker taking turns in dictating its off-kilter pace with Foster’s sax exclaiming over the top. “A Teeming Portal” is the most conceptually complex piece on the record with all three players beginning with small sounds like the pulsing yet unpredictable gathering of nighttime fireflies building in number towards a great apex. The piece evolves quickly, like most of the tracks, keeping the music riveting. “Inner Vortex” is the emotional climax of the record with burning tenor and bass. “New Wolves, Old Bones” shows off Foster’s abilities on soprano over buoyant rhythms. “Invalid Request” then distills all of the best parts of the record into a fitting and uplifting conclusion.
This band is a must-see for anyone who has the opportunity to witness them play live. Catch them if you can and be prepared to wear this record out–I keep discovering a new layer to it with each spin.
–Cisco Bradley, November 7, 2015
The distinctive, instinctual drummer Andrew Barker has co-founded and participated in many projects on the fringes of jazz or metal, such as Gold Sparkle Band, Acid Birds and Hallux. Another one of his endeavors is a small combo he leads, the Barker Trio, and this sax-bass-drums combo with reedman Michael Foster and bassist Tim Dahl has just issued its first, self-titled set of recordings.
Highly improvisational, Barker Trio draws instant comparisons to another trio record thatinvolved both Barker and Dahl: Luddite, which featured Paul Dunmall’s penetrating, brooding and exposed saxophone. Foster, on the other hand, is more inclined toward the uninhibited, spontaneous and rangy. But like Luddite, just about anything goes, and while some might call this free jazz”, the participants don’t seem to be so concerned about whether it’s jazz so much as it’s freely played.
The Trio strikes wide contrasting moods, not allowing themselves to be limited by a limited number of instruments. “You Are A Real” is widely dispersed, with Barker dwelling on higher timbres and light patters as Foster’s sax strains to get the notes out. They go even further off the abyss for “Scarface Pajamas,” where Foster’s tenor sax is alternately squealing like a pig and honking like a goose. Barker gets the tension maintained with frequent cymbal bombs and both him and Foster make way for Dahl’s ominous bowed bass. Dahl makes slack-stringed wobbles on “Failed States” that Foster and Barker respond to. By contrast, the center of the chaotic “Invalid Request” is hard to locate as the band nonetheless moves through the tumult together.
-S. Victor Aaron, SomethingElse Reviews
In the middle of all this we find the barren soundscape of “A Teeming Portal.” Foster himself makes a percussive effect on his soprano sax that blend with the dispersed drums of Barker and the staggered bass of Dahl. Foster’s tentative puffs soon transform into a volley of notes and Barker frames the choppy ebb and flow of the performance.
-S. Victor Aaron, Something Else Reviews
For this month's installment dubbed "November Momentum," Hillmer has tapped Charles Waters as curator. The local sax/clarinetist vet and William Parker/Matthew Shipp cohort has booked a beaut this evening: Sandwiched between a Waters collaboration with flautist Mary Cherney and rising star Chris Pitsiokos's blistering trio is Waters's Gold Sparkle Band-mate, drummer Andrew Barker and his Trio. Barker and fellow noiseniks--reedsman Michael Foster and bassist Tim Dahl (of Child Abuse and Lydia Lunch Retrovirus)--just dropped their self-titled debut as the Barker Trio, and it's a free-improv metal/jazz bruiser whose sonic explorations drip of relentless clang, clatter and sicko beats action. On hand for the festivities will be bassist James Ilgenfritz who, along with Dahl, also appears on the record and will cameo tonight. Shit's free (save one drink minimum) so no excuses.
-Brad Cohan, Village Voice
Featuring Michael Foster on saxes, Tim Dahl on electric bass & Andrew barker on drums plus James Ilgenfritz added for 1 track. As a longtime fan of the Gold Sparkle Band, which included Mr. Barker & Charles Waters, originally from Atlanta and transplanted to Brooklyn, I keep my eye on whatever Mr. Barker or Mr. Waters does. Both were members of William Parker's Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra and barker involved in many diverse sessions with Daniel Carter, Rob Brown, Virginia Genta (Neo Kharma) and Sonny Simmons.
Mr. Barker recently organized a new trio which includes a couple of younger players: Michael Foster on saxes (from Zombi Jazz) and Tim Dahl on bass (Ava Mendoza Trio, The Gate, Pulverize the Sound & Barr/Shea/Dahl). Over the past couple of years, Mr. Foster has played here at DMG several times, always surprising me with his inventiveness and quirky spirit. I am equally impressed by electric bassist Tim Dahl, whose playing is consistently intense and focused. Although it seems that Mr. Foster is not really a "jazz" player, he is no less inventive on his sax. Mr. Dahl, who plays in the punk rock band Child Abuse as well as in other rock-oriented bands, also comes from a different background but sounds fine playing freely in this trio. Mr. Foster is consistently bending and twisting his notes inside-out, as Mr. Barker and Mr. Dahl match his flights no matter where they go, no matter how far they sail or wail. I caught this trio live at New Revolution Arts in Bushwick earlier this year and knocked out by their performance. This disc does a fine job of capturing their free yet fully infused spirit!
- Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG
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