Brovold, Bill / Jamie Saft - Serenity Knolls
SKU
28-RRNS76.2
"Jamie Saft has been a significant presence on RareNoiseRecords since the label’s inception: as band leader on New Zion w. Cyro’s ‘Sunshine Seas’ (on piano, analogue keyboards, bass and guitar with percussionist Cyro Baptista) and on The New Standard (on piano and organ with bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Bobby Previte), on celebrated quartet collaborations with Wadada Leo Smith (Red Hill, on piano) and Roswell Rudd (Strength&Power, on piano), as well as on a number of deep free music collaborations involving Joe Morris (Slobber Pup, Plymouth, The Spanish Donkey, on organ and analogue keyboards).
Now, on Serenity Knolls, he stakes out some completely different territory. An intimate duo project with guitarist Bill Brovold, a former member of such New York no-wave bands as the Rhys Chatham Ensemble, the East Village Orchestra and the Zen Vikings, it features Saft alternating between playing dobro and lap steel on a set of 12 ambient type tunes with a distinctive heartland undercurrent to them.
An accomplished keyboardist-composer who has been widely acknowledged for his work with various John Zorn projects, including The Dreamers, Electric Masada and Moonchild, the Queens native and current resident of Kingston in upstate New York has nonetheless has maintained a longstanding relationship with the guitar.
As he explains, “I've played guitar since I was a youth as well as bass guitar, so this isn't something new for me at all. In fact, my guitar playing is featured on many of my albums such as Breadcrumb Sins (Tzadik), Sunshine Seas (RareNoise) and Black Shabbis (Tzadik) as well as being prominently featured in my original score for the Oscar nominated film Murderball."
On Serenity Knolls, Saft is paired with the legendary improviser, woodworker, instrument builder and leader of Larval, an influential Detroit improvising post-rock ensemble. “I met Bill in upstate New York where we both currently live in the Hudson Valley,” says Jamie. “Bill is a beautiful and diverse friend and it's a pleasure to improvise music with him.
“Serenity Knolls is both an ideal state of mind as well as the name of the rehab center where Jerry Garcia died.”"
- LabelRare Noise
- UPC5060197761172