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ARTIST: FIRE OF SPACE
Title: Handbasket

Label: 482 Music
Cat. No.: 482-1043

Personnel:
JORDAN McLEAN, trumpet
MICHAEL HERBST, oboe, English horn, tenor saxophone, flute
STUART BOGIE, clarinet, contra-alto clarinet
AARON JOHNSON, trombone
GEOFF MANN, drums
SHOKO NAGAI, organ, pianette, percussion
TOM ABBS, bass
with MARTIN PERNA, baritone saxophone
LEAH PAUL, alto flute

Track Listing:

1. Rampi Rampi
2. Quiet (as the Birds of Fewa)
3. Handbasket
4. Valleys of Jade
5. Children's Voices
6. Asifina Dream
7. Prayer to the Elders

Handbasket delivers Fire of Space orchestrations of musical influence from a variety of cultural locales, including Turkey, Siberia and the Punjab region of India. The band makes use of unusual instrumentation (in the tradition of early swing bands and Sun Ra) featuring double reeds, contra-bass clarinet, c-melody saxophone, accordion, acoustic piano and electric keyboards and effects processors.

Founded by trumpeter and composer Jordan McLean, Fire Of Space features a raucous four-horn front line familiar with fans of the Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra: McLean on trumpet, trombonist Aaron Johnson and reedsmen Stuart Bogie and Michael Herbst; with the rhythm section of keyboardist Shoko Nagai, bassist Tom Abbs and percussionist Geoff Mann, mainstays of the New York City improvised music scene.

Collectively, members of Fire of Space have toured and/or recorded with a wide range of artists, including the Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, William Parker's Little Huey Creative Orchestra, Steven Bernstein's Sex Mob, Cooper-Moore, Ori Kaplan, Borah Bergman, Daniel Carter, Roots Combination, the live drum and bass outfit Droid, Dub Is A Weapon, Fu-Arkist-Ra, and Medeski, Martin & Wood. Inspired by sources ranging from Sun Ra to marching bands to traditional musics from Eastern Europe and India, Fire of Space is no stranger to adventure. A band of high-energy and sometimes unruly improvisers, Fire of Space can turn on a dime and take off in any number of directions.

Fire Of Space is a member of JumpArts, a coalition founded and directed by bassist Tom Abbs. Since its inception, JumpArts has produced more than two hundred and fifty concerts and workshops throughout New York City, and was named "Best Art Collective" by The New York Press in 2002.

"Highly Recommended." - Signal to Noise

"One of our all-time favorites." - Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra

"A much-needed blast of joy! Highly habit-forming..." - The Village Voice

"Great band. See them. Period." - Steven Bernstein, Sex Mob