“As a guitarist and musician, I strive to achieve an auditory dialogue between the bounds of sound quantifying music and its navigation through an emotive landscape of one’s personal experience. I pursue concepts of transcendence above convention, inward contemplation of outer experience, and the struggle of defining one’s authentic-self by disarming projected roles of patriarchal society. By exploring these spheres, I continually develop a hybrid musical language with my instrument; drawing on the influences of Black American Music and avant-garde improvisers, as well as the culture of the thriving New York City rock and noise scenes. This language is expressed across intuitive and designful musical situations, either as a collaborator or soloist. Through the guitar, I continually explore the degrees of separation between natural sound and treated amplification, as well as acoustical noise and conventional melody. Through performance, I attempt to create musical structure between intuition and preconception; engaging listeners through the dualism of spontaneity and composition with each unique encounter I present them.”
HOME | My Site 1 (jessicaackerley.com)
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SSWAN: Invisibility is an Unnatural Disaster by Jessica Ackerley, Patrick Shiroishi, Chris Williams, Luke Stewart, Jason Nazary, 577 Records, 2022 on #neuguitars #blog #JessicaAckerley
Catalog — 577 Records & Forward Festival
SSWAN presents their first outing “Invisibility is an unnatural disaster” a raucous jaunt of free jazz on the premiere fire music label 577 Records. The music is rooted in the Black American art form of jazz, stemming into the branches of free improvisation, noise, and experimentalism while pushing to the edges of each idiom. The idiosyncratic playing of guitarist Jessica Ackerley starts off the album’s title track and jumps headfirst into a Hendrix-tinged duo with drummer Jason Nazary. Patrick Shiroishi quickly joins in to take the energy up a notch with soprano sax wailing in both mimicry and opposition to Ackerley’s phrasing. Just as the wall of sound is beginning to crack an abrupt halt shifts the energy and Luke Stewart’s crawls dialogue with the smearing spattering trumpet solo from trumpeter Chris Williams.
SSWAN is an ensemble that consistently augments sonic themes and pushes the bounds of standard quintet instrumentation while simultaneously executing a unique musical language that is elevated through strong group chemistry. ‘Pattern Phases’ takes the listener on a tour of the various sound worlds accessible to each group member. Communication exists on the level of sound and velocity rather than pitch and harmonic information.
577 Records is an independent record label
based in Brooklyn, New York
operating since 2001
577 Records
Brooklyn, New York
www.577records.com
NeuGuitars 