Nmperign

Nmperign is an experimental improvisational jazz group formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1998¹.

Nmperign is an experimental improvisational jazz group formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1998. ==The BSC== The BSC was formed in 2000¹ by Bhob Rainey as a way to explore the dynamics of large group improvisation. The group also includes his nmperign partner Greg Kelley on trumpet, Mike Bullock on double bass, James Coleman on theremin, Chris Cooper on prepared guitar, Vic Rawlings on cello & electronics, Howard Stelzer on tapes, and Liz Tonne on voice. The group has released one CD on Grob entitled Good (2003¹) and has collaborated a number of times with pianist Steve Drury and his Callithumpian Consort (performing graphic scores by Stockhausen, Cardew and Christian Wolff), as well as with composer Christian Wolff in a realization of his graphic score, Edges. In 2010, the group released 23% Bicycle and/or Ribbons of the Natural Order, a download-only release which was made available by posting a tweet or "liking" it on Facebook. ==Damon and Naomi== In 2004, Damon and Naomi, via their mutual friends at Twisted Village, invited nmperign to play on a bill with them and subsequently to play on their new album, which would be the first on their own 20|20|20 label. Rainey and Kelley appeared on a number of tracks on their 2005 album The Earth is Blue and also began performing live with the duo and guitarist Michio Kurihara. Rainey became a touring member of the group and has performed with them throughout the United States, Europe and Japan. Both Kelley and Rainey have appeared on subsequent recordings with Rainey handling all the string and horn arrangements on their 2007 album Within These Walls. ==Salt Peanuts== A seeming anomaly in the discography of nmperign is the 2003 CDr release Salt Peanuts released on American Tapes. Released in an edition of 80, the recording showcases 12 maniacal takes of the "head" section of the title standard as well 12 takes of the "head" of Donna Lee. Apparently the result of some good-natured heckling by John Olson and Aaron Dilloway of Wolf Eyes at the 2003 De Stijl/Freedom From Festival in Minneapolis, the recording showcases nmperign's sense of humor and conceptual rigorousness. ==Points of reference== Despite the fact that the title of their first album was not a reference to John Cage (but simply the total time of the album divided by the number of tracks), nmperign has used a number of literary and other references in their titles, ranging from Marguerite Duras' The Malady of Death and Four Novels, Georges Bataille's Poems, Zen Master Eihei Dogen, a book of interviews with Jean-Luc Godard, Herman Melville's Pierre; Or, the Ambiguities, a box of Chinese tea, The Doors and micromosaic artist Henry Dalton. The name nmperign itself is derived from the Latin phrase "igNotuM PER IGNotius," meaning "the unknown through the more unknown." ==2009 -== In 2009, Rainey moved out of Boston to New Orleans. This move was ironically timed with a renewed spate of activity from the band with the release of Ommatidia (their first duo recording since 2004's double LP We Devote Every Effort To Offer You The Best That You Deserve To Have For Your Enjoyment) on Intransitive Recordings and a 1-sided collaborative LP with percussionist Jake Meginsky on Rel Records entitled Selected Occasions of Handsome Deceit. The group's only performance as nmperign since Rainey's move was at the 2010 Neon Marshmallow Festival in Chicago, as a trio with Jason Lescalleet. Further concerts with Lescalleet are planned for 2011. ===Current=== Bhob Rainey – soprano saxophone (1998–present) Greg Kelley – trumpet (1998–present) ===Adjunct=== Jason Lescalleet – tape loops, electronics (1999–present) Jake Meginsky – percussion (2008–present) Le Quan Ninh – percussion (2002–present) Yukiko Nakamura – dance (2002–present) ===Former=== Tatsuya Nakatani – percussion (1998) ==Festival appearances== Autumn Uprising Festival, Cambridge Massachusetts 1999 East Bay Creative Music Festival, Oakland California 1999 Festival Densités, Verdun France 2001 Superfici Sonore, Florence Italy 2001 Improvised and Otherwise Festival, Brooklyn New York 2002 Fruits De Mhere, Mhere France 2002 Festival des Musiques Innovatrices, St. Etienne France 2002 Musique Action, Nancy France 2002, 2004 AMPLIFY New York New York 2003 The De Stijl/Freedom From Festival, Minneapolis Minnesota 2003 No Fun Fest, New York New York 2004 Erstquake 2, New York New York 2005 Music Lovers' Field Companion, Gateshead England 2005 The End Times Festival, Minneapolis Minnesota 2006 Instal, Glasgow Scotland 2006 Courtisane Festival, Ghent Belgium 2007 Brainwaves 2008, Arlington Massachusetts 2008 Neon Marshmallow Festival, Chicago Illinois 2010 ==Discography== 44′38″/5 CD (Twisted Village, US) 1998 Recycled cassette (RRRecords, US) 1999 This Is Nmperign’s Second CD CD (Twisted Village, US) 1999 In Which The Silent Partner-Director Can No Longer Make His Point To The Industrial Dreamer CD w/ Jason Lescalleet (Intransitive Recordings, US) 1999 Bhob Rainey/Greg Kelley: nmperign CD (Selektion, Germany) 2001 Nmperign + Dörner, Beins LP (Twisted Village, US) 2002 More Gloom, More Light CD w/ Günter Müller (Rossbin, Italy) 2003 Salt Peanuts CDr (American Tapes, US) 2003 We Devote Every Effort To Offer You The Best That You Deserve To Have For Your Enjoyment 2LP (Siwa, US) 2004 Thanks, Cash CD w/ Axel Dörner & Andrea Neumann (Sedimental, US) 2004 Love Me Two Times 2CD w/ Jason Lescalleet (Intransitive Recordings, US) 2006 Marvin/Live 1978 Split 7″ w/ Skeletons Out (Absurd, Greece) 2009 Ommatidia CD (Intransitive Recordings, US) 2009 Selected Occasions of Handsome Deceit 1-sided LP w/ Jake Meginsky (Rel Records, US) 2010 with The BSC Good CD (Grob, Germany) 2003 23% Bicycle and/or Ribbons of the Natural Order download-only 2010 with Damon & Naomi The Earth is Blue CD, LP (20|20|20) Within These Walls CD (20|20|20) ==Sources== Todd S. Jenkins: Free Jazz and Free Improvisation, Vol. 1, 2; Greenwood Press, 2004; , Aden Evens: Sound Ideas: Music, Machines, and Experience (Theory Out Of Bounds); Univ Of Minnesota Press, 2005; Brian Marley, Mark Wastell: Blocks of Consciousness and the Unbroken Continuum; Sound 323, 2005; Richard Cook, Brian Morton: The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings: Ninth Edition; Penguin (Non-Classics), 2008; ==External links== Bhob Rainey's website Greg Kelley's blog Streaming and digital downloads Interview for the Stylus Magazine Interview for Foxy Digitalis Interview with The Boston Phoenix Article on nmperign, Heathen Shame, Major Stars and Twisted Village in The Boston Phoenix

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