Dan Phillips Trio
“Divergent Flow”
Featuring Dan Phillips, Krzysztof Pabian and Timothy Daisy.
The first release from a Chicago based trio featuring the five compositions by guitarist Dan Phillips and two group improvisations with Krzysztof Pabian on double bass and Timothy Daisy on drums.
The first release from a Chicago-based trio featuring the five compositions by guitarist Dan Phillips and two group improvisations with Timothy Daisy on drums and Krzysztof Pabian on double bass.
Although this is the first release for this unique trio, Krzysztof and Dan have 20 plus year relationship and are also members of Chicago Edge Ensemble which released it’s first recording ”Decaying Orbit” in 2017 also featuring Hamid Drake, Mars Williams and Jeb Bishop. Dan, Tim and Krzysztof also released a Quartet album “Converging Tributaries” in 2017 with trombonist Jeb Bishop.
The album features Dan Phillips’ unique compositional style as well as extended group improvisations of spontaneous compositions, which showcase the musicality and creativity of all the members.
The album begins with the title track “Divergent Flow”, which begins with a composed harmonic line played melodically. This harmonic and melodic material is used as starting point for a group improvisation that leads to and outro melody played by arco bass. The concept of composed melodic material used as an improvisational vehicle is a common theme for the Trio. This is followed by “The Unravelling”, which features a simple melodic theme that is the basis for a rubato improvisation by the group. “Fixed Agenda” is an ostinato that is the jumping off point for Dan and the group to soar. “Extricated From” and “Latitude” are free group improvisations that showcase this Trios improvisational approach that is open, democratic and compositional all at the same time in its approach. “Dip” features minimalist written material with open solo sections for each musician to improvise and then come together for a group improvisation. “Spin Cycle” features a composed melody play over a churning free rhythm by Tim and Krzysztof that gravitates toward a group concept before returning to the melody for the outro.
Musicians
Dan Phillips is an American guitarist, composer educator and band leader who has worked professionally in New York, Chicago, Bangkok and Tokyo as well as touring globally. Dan is the leader of the critically acclaimed Chicago Edge Ensemble, Quartet Next, Dan Phillips Trio, Dan Phillips Quartet. Dan has performed with jazz musicians such as Hamid Drake, Gerald Wilson, Danilo Pérez, Hugo Rasmussen, Avreeayl Ra, Matt Darriau, Jim Black, Michael Zerang, Dave Rempis, Jeb Bishop, Mars Williams, Jim Baker, Ben Street, Chris Speed, Mike Sarin and Ed Thigpen and many more.
Tim Daisy is an American drummer and composer working in the fields of improvised and composed music. Tim moved to Chicago in 1997 and since that time has performed, recorded, and toured with many national and international improvised musicians and ensembles. Some of the musicians he has performed with inclue Dave Rempis, Ken Vandermark,Jeb Bishop, Mars Williams, Steve Swell, Jaimie Branch, Katherine Young, Fred Lonberg-Holm, James Falzone, Russ Johnson, Kyle Bruckmann, Katinka Kleijn, Elizabeth Harnik, Christof Kurzmann, Ikue Mori, Rafael Toral, Mikolaj Trzaska, Per Ake Holmlander, Darren Johnston, Havard Wiik, Jason Stein and Michael Zerang. In 2011 he received the New Music America Composers Assistance Award and in 2011, 2012 and 2017 the ASCAP Plus Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. He has recorded over one hundred and thirty albums as a sideman or leader for labels including Relay, (which he owns and operates), Not Two, Clean Feed, Astral Spirits, Aerophonic, Audiographic, Sonorus, Trost, Utech, New World, and Okka Disk.
Krzysztof Pabian hails from Europe as a classical-trained bassist. He began his music studies at the age of 8 on piano and switched to bass at age 14. Krzysztof moved to the U.S. in 1993 where he studied at Northwestern University to graduate with two Masters degrees in jazz and classical double bass performance. Krzysztof has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Civic Orchestra and worked in an array of ensembles under the direction of Pierre Boulez, Daniel Barenboim, Christopher Eshenbach, Zubin Mehta, George Solti, Lawrence Foster, and Pinchas Zukerman to name a few. In the area of jazz Krzysztof has performed with Danilo Pérez, Judy Roberts, Eddie Henderson, Max Roach, Ron Blake, Hamid Drake, Mars Williams, Jarek Smietana and the Lincoln Center Jazz Sextet. Krzysztof has toured throughout North America and Europe with various groups and configurations.
Awards
- Chicago Edge Ensembles’ “Decaying Orbit” and “Insidious Anthem”
New York City Jazz Records Honorable Mention for album of the year 2017, 2018 - Dan Phillips Quartet “Converging Tributaries” Avant Music News Best of 2017
- Dan Phillips Hamid Drake “Trail of Inevitability” and Dan Phillips Trio “Divergent Flow”
Chicago Edge Ensemble “Insidious Anthem”
Avant Music News Honorable mention 2108 - Chicago Edge Ensembles’ “Decaying Orbit” and Dan Phillips Quartet “Converging Tributaries”
Tom Hulls’ Best of 2017 and 2018