LP – Printed on 140g black vinyl and housed in a matte varnished tip on sleeve with artwork by Bill Nace.

For his last solo record Through a Room, Bill Nace shifted his usual saturated guitar sound and added tapes, hurdy gurdy, doughnut pipe, bird calls and the mysterious Japanese taishgoto. Setting up for the final night of his three day residency at OTO with only the taishgoto soundchecked, Nace hoped that Parker would arrive with his small soprano as its opposite. Ive been interested in state change, you know, playing until theres a shift in time. Known for his development of multiphonics to produce a constantly shifting pattern, Evan Parker has evolved an instantly recognisable sound – his work the soprano most distinct. Happily, it was the soprano Evan brought with him and as soon as the two start to play they entwine – taking off in a double helix of keys and reed primed for endless reconfiguration. Space warps under the velocity of playing, the pitch rising unrelentingly. It felt like unending lift off in the room, sheer energy until the last note makes remember your feet have been on the floor the whole time. Total time bending shredding.

“This sound world of Bills two-stringed taishgoto on this Caf OTO night worked beautifully with Evan Parkers improvisatory saxophone conceptions. The duology achieved instant lift off at ground zero only to find its eventual finale as if it were organically ordained. Time seemingly morphed from its ancient human construct of control, rendered inconsequential to the torrential transcendence of the room wildly activated by the magic resonance of the multi-directional pan-spatial sonance of the music as if it were some beatific blessing. It was one of those nights where art as a liberating force of spirit gifted the listeners with an offering of exaltation and joy. It was entirely mystical and mind blowing. A night of Total Music.”

– Thurston Moore, London, 2025

Evan Parker is a legend of the UK’s Free Jazz / Improv scene. He has recorded or performed with Peter Brtzmann, Michael Nyman, Derek Bailey, Scott Walker, Joe McPhee, Anthony Braxton, Cecil Taylor, John Zorn, Fred Frith, Bill Laswell, Ikue Mori, Thurston Moore, Milford Graves, and many others.

Bill Nace is a member of Body/Head with Kim Gordon and has performed and recorded with Joe McPhee, Steve Gunn, Thurston Moore, Yoko Ono, Okkyung Lee.

Tracklist:

A. Branches

B. Branches