Zoh Amba & Chris Corsano & Bill Orcutt – “What Emptiness Do You Gaze Upon!” & “Sweet One”
The young free jazz saxophonist Zoh Amba is among the hottest things going in experimental music today. On the new album The Flower School, she joins forces with a pair of improvisational music’s veteran masters.
This past February, Amba ended her tour with drummer Chris Corsano in San Francisco, home of guitar genius Bill Orcutt, Corsano’s longtime collaborator. The three of them hit the studio the day after the show, welcoming Amba’s exploratory skronking into the harmonic noise alchemy Orcutt and Corsano have been bringing to life for years. Remarkably, it was the first time Amba and Orcutt had ever played together.
Two songs from The Flower Room are out today ahead of the record’s release next month: the thrillingly chaotic opener “What Emptiness Do You Gaze Upon!” and the surprisingly serene, shimmering “Sweet One,” which sees Amba switching out her tenor sax for acoustic guitar and hits like a killer Yo La Tengo instrumental. Both tracks are brilliant, but if you only make time for one, make it the longform freakout.
Remarkably, there’s even more fresh Corsano and Orcutt music out today. The duo’s live set at Duke University in April 2022 is being released a week before The Flower Room under the title Play At Duke, and the first of its three sonic conjurings is available to hear today. Check out this bounty of experimental music below.
The Flower Room is out 7/21 on Palilalia. Play At Duke is out 7/14, also on Palilalia.