Give the Brummer Some - An Encounter with Ches Smith (by Flake!)
My first feature article, Ceramic Dog on tour and more news from the Zorn orbit!
Sup Lovers?
I have been keeping very busy indeed with my newest writing pursuits at Free Jazz Collective, and today I am most excited to announce my very first feature article! That’s right, I am a full-blown, legit music journalist now, and I am covering all the hottest SHIT. Today marks the release of a super-fire feature article about the Brummer himself - Ches Smith! I have to say, I am proud as punch
After the Ceramic Dog show in Prague, I secured an interview and two weeks later it was off to… Gschwend, wherever that was supposed to be. (It’s in Germany). Shahzad Ismaily had flown to LA for the Grammys and was being substituted by the incredible Reza Askari, who did a seamless job of filling in. For the record, there was a wonderful chemistry between the band and Marc Ribot seemed very impressed to have him on board in the meantime.
Meanwhile, during both shows, I was secretly relaying an live ticker via text message to Shahzad, (upon request) with all the latest updates: “Marc changed his strings today but didn’t have time to trim the ends - they are flying around all over the place… Ches’s Hi-Hat is trying to escape the building… Reza is killing it on your Moog!”
Funny to think that only moments later he was about to hit the red carpet with Arooj Aftab and Vijay Iyer …
All the Ceramic shows were a total blast, and I had the time of my life at every performance. A massive thank you to the band and everyone who tolerated me hanging around in the background, making notes, and living my “Almost Famous” dreams.
Other random news includes this wicked homemade “Naked City” shirt gifted to me by Days of Zorn cover designer Michael “Immi” Imhof, along with a kickass little “fig 2 – Jazz Wanking” postcard! Absolutely adorable - love it so much!! Immy hosted a Pop-up store in Bonn where Days of Zorn and Zappa Every Day were on sale, and this shirt was a gift to say thanks for being involved. I should be thanking HIM! How cool is it!!
Days of Zorn II is still coming along at a steady pace. They call it the “difficult second album” for a reason - there have been setbacks (from almost everyone on the team!!) due to personal/health issues, lack of inspiration, technical screws ups, you name it - BUT… we will persevere! The editing is well under way, and the layouting has begun. The gears are in motion. We can do this, and we are making slow progress with every day. Be patient with us. It will be so worth it. We are working as hard as we possibly can.
Fans and friends, if you would like to submit a photo to the fanzine, we are shouting out a call for submissions right now - please send them to the address below. If we use your photo, you get a free contributors copy of the zine :-)
Finally as a last little bit of promo, I have a small teaser for you from my upcoming review of Christian Lillinger / Elias Stemeseder’s “ANTUMBRA”, appearing on Free Jazz Collective on 29.02.24. I had a *lot* to say about this record, and although Lilli and Stemmy aren’t exactly Zorn ajacent, I can absolutely recommend diving into their virtuosic, experimental worlds. It’s remarkable stuff…
Here’s just a sample:
ANTUMBRA (Plaist, 2024)
“Through acoustic instrumentation (gayageum, banjo and lautenwerk) together with creative sampling and sound curation, Lillinger and Stemeseder have elevated the production in ways previously unimaginable. It’s so far from an incoherent mish-mash; rather, a meticulously selected mosaic, deeply intense, for those prepared to open their hearts. Not to downplay the original, but “ANTUMBRA” is sonically and conceptually so well executed, it makes the former innovations of part one (PENUMBRA) sound like mere jam sessions in comparison.”
FULL REVIEW COMING FEB 29
freejazzblog.org
So that’s all the news for now from Fladik land. Things are chugging along! :-)
Seeya when i’m lookin’ atcha lovers,
Love,
Flake
CEO Fladik