I first caught wind of Robert Walter around 1998 at a late night show at the Maple Leaf in New Orleans during jazz fest. Now fast forward 26 years. Two months ago Walter joined forces with Dave Harrington, Spencer Zahn and Kosta Galanopoulos for a heady Tuesday night of free improv space jazz/funk at Gold Diggers in East Hollywood, Los Angeles. Spread over the course of two sets, shit got real as the audience played witness to something new, something primal. Thankfully there was a taper in the house.
Category: Spencer Zahn
Spencer Zahn :: Statues I & II
Multi-instrumentalist Spencer Zahn’s latest is a minimalist marvel. Statues I features Zahn alone at the piano, dreaming up a series of Harold Budd-esque reveries. The melodies and playing are meditative and inviting, but not without a certain restlessness that holds your attention. Statues II is one of the best so-called “ambient jazz” recordings of the year, with Spencer adding synths, saxes and woodwinds to the mix. While some of it has a Jon Hassell / Fourth World flavor, it drifts very nicely into its own unique zones. In spite of the title, these pieces are anything but static; they breathe and morph into new and unexpected shapes.
Diversions :: Spencer Zahn On Keith Jarrett
We recently caught up with Spencer Zahn whose new album, Pale Horizon, dropped last week via Cascine. A multi-instrumentalist whose varied output touches on jazz and piano-based works, for this installment of Diversions Zahn dives deep into the works of fellow traveler, Keith Jarrett.