The Engines with John Tchicai

It's not that members of The Engines, Dave Rempis, Tim Daisy, Nate McBride, and Jeb Bishop, aren't established members of a free jazz/improvised music scene in their own right.  They gig regularly and lead groups around town, and come together and play each other's tunes in this collaborative group that has been around since 2005.  But that last March their performance included special guest, John Tchicai, Danish free jazz saxophonist who played with all the original masters of free jazz, makes this an extra special replay on this week's Killin' the Vibe.  Tchicai even contributes a couple tunes in this performance from March at the Hungry Brain, and it will soon be released as an album on Not Two records.  Not until warmer months though!  Another reason to tune in: you can go hear them tomorrow night at The Whistler at 10pm, their Tuesday night Relax Attack Jazz series.  No cover, tasty cocktails, and I look forward to seeing how they kill the conversation vibe.

Special MLK live performance

This week: Killin' the superficial MLK celebration vibe - improvised and political sounds on the show with a special performance by the prolific and multifaceted sound artist Jayve Montgomery.  He'll be in studio sampling the unheard speeches of the Rev. Dr. MLK Jr., which, let's be honest, pretty much amounts to anything other than "I have a dream."  I've been curious about the underlying political messages in improvised music, how free music might address issues of freedom, and Jayve is the first improvising artist I've talked to of a younger generation who aims to make his music explicitly about politics, especially unearthing the myths of American history through recorded sound.  I don't expect that he's the only one, and I hope to continue following the path of improvised and political in upcoming shows.  Suggestions are welcome.  Tune in for the music and I'll see about hooking you up to some sources for you to read the texts for yourself.

Debut show featuring Herculaneum

Alright!  It's official. Killin' the Vibe launches this Monday 1/9 at 9:00pm.  The first show will feature Herculaneum, celebrating the release of their record UCHŪ with a show last Wednesday (1/4) at the Hideout.  We will hear my interview with drummer/songwriter, Dylan Ryan, and one set from their performance, recorded live, mid-song banter and all.  Thanks to Herculaneum!

So far Killin' the Vibe is slated to be pretty fresh, but in the upcoming weeks we'll also be playing recordings from the near-but-not-too-distant past from a number of venues.  It's all unreleased, and this is the only place to hear it again, so tune in!