Nakatani|Nanna|Schoofs|Woods

The self-titled debut from the Nakatani/Nanna/Schoofs/Woods Quartet. This ensemble is comprised of four accomplished improvisers who are masters of the form in their respective contexts: Tatsuya Nakatani is a renowned solo percussionist who also heads up the Nakatani Gong Orchestra; Peter Woods runs the FTAM label and is a highly-regarded performance and noise artist; Jason Nanna is the group’s resident synth wizard and former collaborator with Full Spectrum’s own Andrew Weathers; and, finally, Amanda Schoofs is a Mills College alum and avant-garde vocalist. 

The material for this release was captured in Milwaukee during an impromptu post-gig recording session. After sharing a bill together, the performers realized they were keyed into something special and seized the opportunity to capture it properly. The tracks presented here are edited down from those initial sessions, working as brief views into their creative storm. 

This is pure, free music – rooted in the specific schools of each of the ensemble’s respective members. Elements of jazz, power electronics and vocal performance all find their way to the center, before being fractured to bits and pushed back to the outer edges. At times, it can resemble Oren Ambarchi’s more outré live experiments, or a particularly adventurous variant of Aethenor. At others, it approaches the bleak vocal acrobatics of Stine Janvine Motland, or the latter-period experiments from the late Pauline Oliveros and her partner, Ione.   – Full Spectrum

Released July 15, 2017

“The album was recorded after a show in Milwaukee, apparently unplanned. You’d never know it. The material was edited down and this number-by-number release was the very fortunate result. Think electroacoustic music performed with a jazz ensemble sensibility, complete with a vocal performance that owes much to the great Meredith Monk.” – Kevin Press (Baddpress Music for Modernists)