Phillip Greenlief - tenor saxophone

Michael Vatcher - drums, percussion 

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my connection with michael vatcher connects back to my early days of study in humboldt county in the late 1970's, where he was already a legend; an incomparable drummer that had recently left for new york and would eventually become an ex-pat in amsterdam. it wasn't until the early 1990's that we began to play together, connecting in various ad hoc groups in the bay area or europe until more recently when he returned to new york.

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michael is a fantastic musician and a wholly original drummer and percussionist, having worked not only with most of the great european free improvisers, but also dancers and other multi- disciplinary artists. in this way, i think we both come at music from a wider perspective, and it allows us to move from the lyrical and rhythmic to the textural and the microscopic in a heartbeat. we can establish a narrative or destroy it with ease. 

 

there's something really special about reconnecting with michael in this more intimate setting after all these years that is so satisfying. he has a lust for live that few have the courage to attain. it seems he is always finding joy in the moment and that playfulness permeates everything he does as a musician.