Sam Andreae alto saxophone +DIY electronics
David Birchall electric guitar
Toshimaru Nakamura no-input mixing board
Otto Willberg double bass
"This quartet first met in April 2017 when Sam, Otto and I were touring in Japan (collectively known after this trip as the Bathing Trio due to our complete and total engagement in Japanese bathing culture; please see the cover of our 'Live in Beppu' CD if you want to see us steaming in a stone bathtub full of natural hot spring water at 43 degrees)
davidbirchall.bandcamp.com/album/live-in-beppu
We made the visit to Japan alongside artist Mio Ebisu who provides the cover painting for this release. On that initial meeting in Tokyo we had a day long recording session with Toshi in a concrete apartment/come recording studio loaned by a doctor friend of Toshi’s who we met afterwards over some excellent udon noodles.
This was followed the next day by a concert at the Ftarri record store.
I think we had steamed rice and vegetables at Mio’s mums that day. The recording from the Ftarri gig later appeared as the 'Live at Ftarri' CD on the Raw Tonk label.
rawtonkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-ftarri
The recordings that make up this release were made on tour in the UK during December 2019.
The London track is the second set played at Café OTO on the very first night of the tour. I’m almost sure I went to the Ethiopian place on Kingsland Road on this occasion.
The next day we tried to fit three people, a double bass and a lot of luggage inside an old Toyota Corolla and drive from Peckham to Brighton. The Huddersfield set is from five days later, a recording made at Small Seeds where the concert was organised by AME.
We had pizza upstairs from Bar Maroc and the organiser Ryoko told me I looked much more clean cut than the rest of the band."
[David Birchall]
"The only thing I have to add is that on the night of the OTO gig we went to Peppers&Spice and had Jamaican Patties; I remember because Toshi had not had that kind of food before and was very impressed by the level of chilli."
[Otto Willberg]
released November 22, 2021
London recorded 04 December 2019 at Café OTO by James Dunn
Huddersfield recorded 09 December 2019 at Small Seeds by Ben Gwilliam [part of the ame series "UNspellable #3"]
mastered by Jim McEwan
@bark_bark_dog_studios
artwork by Mio Ebisu "Wave" [acrylic on canvas 2013]
mioebisu.neocities.org
watch live at Ftarri here
vimeo.com/222215022