Very Limited Edition Hand-painted and stamped Compact Disc
Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
Edition of Four (4) CD-rs, home made using paint and block-printed. CDs were burnt using my old iMac from 2008. Cardstock, high quality CD packages painted in black, white, silver and yellow. Discs are stamped and block-printed with the artist name.
Includes unlimited streaming of Trembling Aspen
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
A series of solo improvisations for classical guitar and upright bass.
Tracks 1, 2 and 9 recorded in September 2019 in the Queen Street Jam Space, Kingston ON.
Tracks 3 - 8 recorded at home (The Slow Studio) in March 2020.
I have been working on my improvisation techniques on the open-tuned classical guitar since about 2017 when I left Canada to embark on a 9 month tour with the Caravan Stage Company. The invitation pamphlet told us (first-timers) to not bring a guitar - they had two on board the ship already and had no space for others. 20 or so people lived on the company's 90-foot tall ship all together, so there wasn't a lot of room. As soon as I arrived, I serviced the classical guitar on board - bought new strings, cleaned it up and strung it left-handed. I have fond memories of playing it morning, afternoon and night below decks, on the deck, as we sailed, when we were docked. While setting up the show, and during all those down times. Song forms emerged, but also improvisational techniques.
I see improvisation as one of the most magical acts that I can do. It's like I'm an audience member and the performer at the same time. I let go of my expectations of what a piece is supposed to be and I let myself be surprised by what I hear and by the directions it takes. At the same time I can make choices that send a particular song upward, or downward. It's like flying, I imagine. Not that i know how to fly. But it comes close.
The upright bass playing on tracks 6 and 7 borrow a lot from the four years I spent improvising in the band Fire Moss (2012 - 2016). I learned a lot during those years, which I have documented elsewhere. These tracks are a return to that aesthetic. I feel similarly about the upright bass as I do the guitar, except my techniques on the bass are much more untrained, auto-didactic. I eschew conventional playing simply because I was never taught it, and let myself be guided by the steady, evolving drone of the bowed strings.
These songs are a gift to you. They are also a departure from my singer-songwriter stuff. Thanks for your patience in taking this musical journey with me.
With lots of love,
-David Parker (Slow Man Tofu)
credits
released February 5, 2021
Artwork: Painting by Bree Rappaport (detail).
All tracks written, performed, recorded and produced by David Parker.
Unending thanks and gratitude to:
Jane Kirby, Mom and Dad, family and friends, Jeff Sinibaldi, Del Stephen, Bree Rappaport, Sian Alcorn, Jonathan Davies, Stefan Christoff, Michael Duguay, Liam Fenton, Matt Rogalsky, Paul Clifford, Liam Cole.
Jonathan Davies is an amazingly prolific singer/songwriter with a wealth of experience to write about drawn from a thoughtful life. Check out this album produced by Jonas Bonnetta. David Parker