Gerry Hemingway

Drummer/percussionist Gerry Hemingway is famous for his use the Anthony Braxton Quartet, a challenging and groundbreaking ensemble viewed by some critics seeing that comparable in importance towards the common contemporary jazz quartets led by John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman. Hemingway became a member of the Braxton quartet in 1983 and occupied the drummer’s seat for 12 years, documenting with the music group on various brands and making many membership, concert, and celebration performances internationally. (An British tour is noted in Graham Lock’s 1988 reserve Forces in Movement.) Nevertheless, Hemingway’s account in the Braxton quartet is not the just high watermark in his profession. While still drumming with Braxton through the early ’90s, Hemingway started arriving at prominence being a bandleader in his very own right, proceeding a “transatlantic quintet” including American Tag Dresser in the Braxton quartet on bass aswell as three music artists located in Amsterdam: cellist Ernst Reijseger, trombonist Wolter Wierbos, and saxophonist/clarinetist Michael Moore. Hemingway performed drums and percussion and constructed every one of the quintet’s primary material, which may be noticed on several acclaimed CDs. The ensemble’s recordings consist of Unique Detail (1991), Demon Chaser (1994), as well as the Marmalade Ruler (1995), all for the Hat Artwork label and sadly right now out of printing. Two even more recordings for the German Random Acoustics label are Slamadam (1995) and Ideal Globe (1996). In 1991, the music group — minus cellist Reijseger — also produced a quartet documenting, that was released as Right down to the Cable by Hat Artwork in 1993. Hemingway disbanded the quintet after 12 years, citing the “formidable price” of getting the Netherlands music artists to THE UNITED STATES for trips of america and Canada. Waltzes, Two-Steps & Additional Matters from the Center, the quintet’s obvious final CD documented at live Western times in 1996, premiered by GM Recordings in 1999. In the 1997 NY Jazz Event, Hemingway premiered a fresh quartet having a moving lineup sketching from a primary group of music artists based in america. Quartet music artists included Ray Anderson or Robin Eubanks on trombone, Ellery Eskelin on tenor saxophone, and Tag Dresser or Michael Formanek on bass. While on tour in European countries during November of 1997, this fresh “American quartet ” (with Robin Eubanks on trombone) documented materials for the Compact disc Johnny’s Corner Music, released by Auricle Information in 1998. In a position to prevent the transport costs connected with Western musicians, Hemingway got the new music group on the highway for numerous looks across the USA during 1998 and 1999. Crucial compositions performed on tour during this time period were later documented from the Hemingway quartet (with Anderson on trombone and Dresser on bass) for 2003’s Devils Heaven. Hemingway in addition has made forays in to the globe of contemporary traditional music. He received commissions to create “Contigualis” for string quartet and “The Going to Container” for string quartet plus live consumer electronics. These compositions had been documented in Feb 1999 at Merkin Hall in NEW YORK along with two additional functions (“Aurora” for sextet and “Circus” for quintet), that have been revisions of previously commissions. This program was documented for John Zorn’s Tzadik label and released as the Compact disc Chamber Works later on in 1999. Hemingway in addition has received commissions for any concerto for percussionist and orchestra; a concert-length function for tape and percussion; a quadraphonic digital composition; and a bit for multiple slip projectors, tape, and percussion, among additional chamber and media works. Shows and recordings of single percussion and digital music are also a part of Hemingway’s creative efforts. In 1996, Random Acoustics released Electro-Acoustic Single Functions (1984-1995) and Acoustic Single Works (1983-1994), a set of CDs documenting this element of his profession. Furthermore to his personal projects, Hemingway is a person in ensembles led by bassist Reggie Workman and pianist Anthony Davis. He also participates in a variety of collaborative organizations, including BassDrumBone with Ray Anderson and bassist Tag Helias and a trio with Ernst Reijseger and German pianist Georg Graewe. Furthermore, Hemingway shows up semi-regularly inside a duo with pianist (and Braxton quartet alumnus) Marilyn Crispell; a trio with Crispell and bassist Barry Man; Tambastics with Tag Dresser, flutist Robert Dick, and pianist Denman Maroney; as well as the Iliad Quartet with guitarist Wayne Emery. Other music artists with whom he provides documented and performed consist of Derek Bailey, Leo Smith, Oliver Lake, Frank Gratkowski, Conrad Bauer, John Cale, and Hank Roberts.