TOKYO 77-Thomas Newman,George Budd,Rick Cox, Chas Smith

RICK COX : e l e c t r i c g u i t a r , a l t o s a x o p h o n e ,c o n t r a - a l t o c l a r i n e t

Tokyo 77 survey an electro-acoustic terrain haunted by a dark beauty. Exploring the intersections of New Music and Free Improvisation, they come armed with a complex assortment of instruments both conventional - piano, violin, alto sax and unconventional - Budd Box (a melange of wood and metal pieces attached to a resonator), prepared guitar (an electric guitar whose strings are braided with metal strips and then played with sponges and glass slides), as well as the Pez-eater and Guitarzilla (unique, hand-crafted sound generators fabricated by master instrument maker Chas Smith). Collectively and in real-time, Tokyo 77 take us on a journey through a soundscape of fleeting sonic images, of shifting textures and densities, of half-remembered thoughts, of mysterious voices speaking to us in tongues we cannot recognize yet whose meaning we grasp. Intriguingly matrixed by a hushed stillness at its core, Tokyo 77 present us with a music which is a provocative,introspective, and elusive union of opposites.

George Budd studied electronic and contemporary music with David Cope and Gordon Mumma, and gamelan with Undang Sumarna. He has been a member of various improvisational ensembles such as the Avi-tron Art Ensemble, and released his own works on the Rastascan and Amoebic label. Rick Cox has performed with Jon Hassell, Ry Cooder and many others live and on recordings, and released his own solo project Maria Falling Away on the Cold Blue label. Academy Award nominee and Grammy Award winner Thomas Newman is the composer of scores for films such as Road To Perdition, American Beauty, Fried Green Tomatoes, The Shawshank Redemption, In The Bedroom, The Horse Whisperer, Desparately Seeking Susan, The Lost Boys,The Rapture and Less Than Zero. Chas Smith studied with Morton Subotnick, Earle Brown, and Harold Budd , and has performed on a huge roster of projects of many genres. He has released 2 solo records on the Cold Blue label, Aluminum Overcast and Nikko Wolverine, prominently featuring his own acclaimed hand-built instruments.