E L L E R Y E S K E L I N
tenorsaxophonistandcomposer
Eskelin w/Parkins & Black Biography
Ellery Eskelin w/Andrea Parkins & Jim Black
Having searched out Andrea Parkins (accordion & keyboards) and Jim Black (drums & percussion) in order to satisfy a "sound he heard in his head" saxophonist and composer Ellery Eskelin debuted this ensemble on March of 1994 in New York City and the band quickly become Eskelin's main working group described as "one of the finest units in progressive jazz" by Downbeat Magazine.
Over twelve years of obsessing over the composition/improvisation paradigm has resulted in over fifty compositions by Eskelin that exploit the band's egalitarian approach to playing and each musician's ability to change musical roles fluidly and with great agility. In a effort to continually open new interactive pathways between the musicians and give each piece a unique form the group has produced a substantial body of music that has been described as "enjoyably organized madness which needs to be heard to be believed." (Signal to Noise magazine).
The group has been recording regularly for the legendary Swiss label hatHUT which itself has been in existence for thirty years having released many classics of jazz and new music. The group's recorded output consists of "Jazz Trash" (1995), "One Great Day..." (1996), "Kulak 29 & 30" (1997), "Five Other Pieces (+2)" (1998), "Ramifications" (1999), "The Secret Museum" (1999), "12 (+1) Imaginary Views" (2001), "Arcanum Moderne" (2002) and "Ten" (2004). The band tours regularly in the US, Canada and Europe having performed hundreds of concerts in all manner of venues from bars to concert halls from major cities to small towns. This work has resulted in critical acclaim from the international music press, a growing fanbase and an increasing influence on younger musicians.
Eskelin has occasionally invited guest artists to participate in special projects including Erik Friedlander (cello), Joe Daley (tuba), Marc Ribot (guitar), Melvin Gibbs (electric bass), Philippe Gelda (keyboards and voice) and Jessica Constable (voice). Constable, who resides in France, has become a frequent addition to the group on European tours since 2004. Constable and Gelda both appear on "Quiet Music" a 2006 release on Eskelin's "prime source" label. Eskelin also released a video tour diary on DVD titled "On the Road with Ellery Eskelin w/Andrea Parkins & Jim Black" (also on "prime source") containing music and behind the scenes footage described by citizenjazz.com (France) as "original and daring, full of charm" which further documents the creative process of a group that shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.
"From bright, punky melodies to diaphanous ruminations, the leader and his cohorts touch on practically every imaginable musical base - to the point that Eskelin is loath to call his group a jazz band. Certainly, his own playing is steeped in the blues, retaining an affable warmth and lanky swing even at its most abstract. Limbs flying in all directions, Black plays with unorthodox techniques that have yet to be named, let alone described. Sentimental kitsch and disquieting rumble emanate in equal measure from Parkins's bellows. On piano, she girds the band with stately figures; a moment later, she may steer her colleagues into a hall of fun-house mirrors with her sampler, occasionally pitting Eskelin against his own horn in an impromptu duet. Together, the three have taken jazz to previously unexplored areas; their string of hatOLOGY releases is without question one of the signal oeuvres of '90s improv." (Steve Smith, Time Out New York).
QUOTES
"To me, it's just not a satisfying musical year without a document from this band. Thankfully, they're as vital and idiosyncratic, as gorgeously strange as ever."
Dusted Reviews, March 2007
"More than a decade into its collective existence, the trio of tenor saxophonist Ellery Eskelin, accordionist-keyboardist Andrea Parkins and percussionist Jim Black shows no sign of settling into a predictable groove." Time Out New York / November, 2006
"Together, the three have taken jazz to previously unexplored areas; their string of hatOLOGY releases is without question one of the signal oevres of '90s improv.". Time Out New York, May 2004
"Taken as a whole, the seven records on which the trio performs constitute a body of work as consistent as any since the glory days of the Coltrane Quartet's run on the Impulse label..." Signal to Noise.
"...the listener should come to expect the unexpected. It's partly about Eskelin's blustery lines intermixed with Parkins' swirling accordion maneuvers and Black's odd-metered backbeats. At times, the trio moves forward with the semblances of a rumbling freight train, via driving pulses and moments of compositional deconstruction. Nevertheless, the musicians seem equally comfortable when either engaging in a bit of controlled mayhem or executing trance-like choruses and soul-searching lyricism. This is yet another superb effort by one of the best groups in the business". All Music Guide.
"...his group has made the virtually miraculous discovery of playing new jazz that isn't 1) hopelessly traditional or 2) hopelessly experimental...Arcanum Moderne is the eighth release by this trio, and, like its predecessors, is an excellent example of how vibrant jazz can be in a world where rock, hip-hop and electronic music are the dominant forms of artistic music expression." Pitchfork Media
"One of the truly great working bands out there, fast approaching the 10-year mark, this trio continues to create weird, bewitching music at the highest level. Equal parts brains and booty..this album raises the bar yet again." Cadence, October 2003
"The basis for this outing relates to tenor saxophonist Ellery Eskelin's references to
"imaginary" musical works - the bulk of this material is centered upon the trio's improvisational acumen. Few would argue that this ensemble is perhaps one of the finest units in progressive jazz." Downbeat Magazine, July 2002
"Some people will probably criticize this "devious" album but, honestly, it feels like a breath of fresh air and reaffirms Eskelin's position as a true creator."
March, 2001, www.allmusic.com
"Their music has rarely sounded so effortless and straightforward...This is smart, complex music, but it never lacks heart." Down Beat Magazine, May 2001
"The three players have now traveled the same wavelength for so long that they have become part and parcel of the same advanced organism." SIGNAL TO NOISE #22, summer 2001
"Ellery Eskelin is a gifted tenor saxophonist whose bold, pungent tone, remarkable range and uncanny facility on the instrument should naturally rank him right up there with the leading lights of today's jazz scene. And yet, his experimental streak often places him well beyond the walls of the jazz establishment. Hence, Eskelin is an outcast, a Herculean player with an extremely fertile imagination who remains keen on collaborating with musical upstarts who also defy convention. On the adventurous The Secret Museum he has found some real kindred spirits indeed in keyboardist Andrea Parkins and the superb drummer/percussionist Jim Black. "
Jazz Times Magazine, May 2001
"This is some enjoyably organized madness which needs to be heard to be believed." Signal to Noise/issue#12 july aug 1999
"On tenor sax, Eskelin is The Man -- quite possibly one of the two or three best tenors on the scene." Motion - Interactive Services for New Music
"The album's production and sound quality are superb, bringing the organic percussion and saxophone tones together with Parkins' more modern keyboards in a way that, despite sounding a little unusual at first, is ultimately coherent and tastefully done. All in all, Kulak 29 & 20 is an excellent album from one of the more groundbreaking jazz trios of the late '90s." All Music Guide
"...recorded live at Kulak, Berikon, Switzerland, on October 29 and 30, 1997, by the innovative trio... This bravura track shows this trio at their best - both in their imaginative reconstructions and recombinations of generic material, and in their tremendous instrumental ability and appeal...Kulak, 29 & 30 is a fascinating document of one of today's top trios at work. Don't miss it." www.allaboutjazz.com
"Saxophonist Eskelin's longtime working band, which includes accordionist Andrea Parkins and drummer Jim Black , is among the most intensely creative in jazz." San Jose Mercury News, April 2005
"As their numerous Hatology CDs have demonstrated, this is a heady trio, one of the best working groups in improvised music, blending influences from across the contemporary spectrum..." The Village Voice, NYC April 2005
"...he's come up with a startlingly new concept, a new approach to structuring jazz work and stimulating improvisations..." ****1/2 stars DownBeat, January 1997
"Eskelin could get away with murder. That tone is all the alibi he'd need...incarnating the horn's romantic tradition while inking fresh initials on it's tattooed heart." Jazziz, January 1997
"A perfect example of a band that knows how to play simultaneously from the head and the heart, and for whom musical risk-taking has become a way of life." Saturday June 7, 2003 / The Guardian, UK
"Harsh one moment, hushed the next, the unusually configured outfitÐaccordion/sampler, drums, tenorÐhas an elastic attitude that seldom belies its distinct personality. Their collective rapport is phenomenal." Village Voice November 2004
"Coming from Baltimore, Eskelin's compositions have much in common with fellow Baltimorean John Waters' films. They mine the tradition for its contradictions and use those as a place to build something new that can only be marked with an individual signature...This is one of America's truly great offerings to the music of the world."
All Music Guide
"Eskelin's work is completely of the moment: a gorgeous, rocking, diffuse current of improvised sound that is unique even in the progressive jazz world. " Seattle Weekly, October 25, 2000
DISCOGRAPHY
on the prime source label
"QUIET MUSIC"
recorded in 2006
"ON THE ROAD WITH..."
DVD filmed in 2003
on the hatOLOGY label
"ONE GREAT NIGHT...LIVE"
recorded in 2007
"TEN"
recorded in 2004
"ARCANUM MODERNE"
recorded in 2002
"12 (+1) IMAGINARY VIEWS"
recorded 2001
"THE SECRET MUSEUM"
recorded 1999
"RAMIFICATIONS"
recorded 1999
"FIVE OTHER PIECES (+2)"
recorded 1998
"KULAK 29 & 30"
recorded 1997
"ONE GREAT DAY..."
recorded 1996
on the Songlines label
"JAZZ TRASH"
recorded 1995
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Email Address
eskelin@earthlink.net