Review of "Triangulation" and Interview with Jonathan Matis
From: WAMU Metro Connection, March 28, 2008
Host David Furst
"Somewhere between the worlds of acoustic jazz, punk and the spiky discord of art rock bands like King Crimson, members of the DC Improvisers Collective are following their own musical path. April 1st is the official release date for the Collective's new CD, "Triangulation". Guitarist and composer Jonathan Matis joins us to talk about the project."
DC Improvisers Collective
One Track Mind Feature, Review of "Triangulation"
From: Washington City Paper, March 19, 2008
By: Michael J. West
Standout Track: No. 8, "Mourning in America," a slow, quiet free-jazz rumination. Mike Sebastian's tenor sax is the dominant instrument, with guitarist Jonathan Matis and drummer Ben Azzara providing a sparse backdrop. Though the song's title suggests a dirge, the languorous melody could just as easily be a lullaby.
Musical Motivation: To spontaneously create music at the intersection of jazz, classical, and rock. Onstage DCIC might have a template, such as a particular scale, that yields a different product at each performance. In the studio, however, improvisation can actually involve a fair amount of advance planning. "'Mourning in America' was actually a series of overdubs," says Matis. "Mike went in [the studio] first and just played something for a couple of minutes; Ben went in, listened to it, and worked something out on the drums; then I went in with the guitar."
The Makeup: Matis is as accomplished a composer as he is an improviser. He works at combining the two, but results vary with the musicians. "I tend to write for people rather than for instruments," he says. Currently he's writing what he calls a "post-rock" string quartet for musicians with classical and jazz backgrounds; Matis is still trying to decide how much space to leave for improv, since musicians have different levels of comfort with it. As for his own comfort zone, Matis admits that improv lets him disguise his shortcomings. "That's really about my limitations on guitar," he says. "If I were a better player, I'd probably spend less time playing free."
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DC Improvisers Collective
Review of "Triangulation"
From: Cleveland Free Press, April 1, 2008
By: Matt Whelihan
While the DC Improvisers Collective might be best known for working as Fugazi bassist Joe Lally's backing band in 2007, these guys throw down a scattered and shrieking mix of jazz, rock and noise on Triangulation. Fans of improvised music will love the rapport this trio (guitar, drums and reeds) seem to share as disconnected puttering and moaning suddenly locks into a groove before slowly starting to fray at the edges. The issue here seems to be that the boys in DCIC are keeping improv as a fringe genre, and while current fans of the style would want nothing less, it makes accessibility to newcomers or casual listeners very difficult.
Maybe it's the improvised status of the band, or maybe it's a testament to the talented musicians who form its ranks, but Triangulation features an eclectic, albeit often bizarre, set of sounds. See the Arabian Nights soundtrack written by freeform jazz artists sound of "Then Don't Listen," the scratchy, screaming fuzz of artsy rocker "Punk Jazz," and the nightclub shuffle of "Mourning in America," for example. It's the kind of stuff that makes improvisation so exciting in the first place, even if that experimental nature is also what turns so many people away.
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DC Improvisers Collective
Review of "Meme and Variations"
From: Cadence Magazine, June 2007
"No such limitations [on spontaneity] hamper the free
blowing of the DC Improvisers Collective (Ben Azzara,
d, perc; Daniel Barbiero, b; Jonathan Matis, g,
prepared g, electronics; Mike Sebastian, ts, ss, bcl.)
The 57-minute Meme and Variations (Sachimay 31)
presents ample opportunity for everyone to solo, and
this is accomplished with skill and thoughtfulness.
The prepared guitar work is especially noteworthy,
sounding at first like a mixture of Keith Rowe and
Sonny Sharrock but taking on a refreshing life of its
own as the disc proceeds. The four long tracks
(Affinity is as Infinity Does/Four Soliloquies (a) The
Composition of Air (b) Opaque Mirrors (c) A Portrait
of Jerome Horwitz as a Young Man (d) The Unwobbling
Pivot/After Europe After the Rain/Meme & Variations)
veer between modality, swing, and controlled freedom."
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DC Improvisers Collective
Live review of June 2 performance at the Warehouse
From: Washington Post June 4, 2005
By: Mark Jenkins
Improvisation was the conceptual link between two quite different groups that performed at the Warehouse Next Door on Thursday: the DC Improvisers Collective and Japan's (by way of Seattle) Na. The local quartet drew heavily on jazz's improv tradition, while Na juxtaposed passages derived from rock, classical and even country music. Yet both shared one thing: guitarists who tested the limits of their instruments.
The DCIC, which headlined, was three-quarters of a standard avant-jazz group, dominated by powerhouse saxophonist Mike Sebastian. His bleats and trills usually overpowered the other sounds, including guitarist Jonathan Matis's more conventional playing. Yet Matis took the spotlight twice, first during a Sebastian less passage in which he placed his guitar on a stool and played it like one of John Cage's "prepared" pianos, attacking it with pencils and dulcimer hammers. He also asserted himself during the final piece, making a big noise with fuzz tone, and using slides (one of them actually a vibrator) with both hands. Because closing time was near, the DCIC played only a 30-minute set and seemed to have just begun demonstrating what it can do.
Na is a trio but played Thursday as a duo, singer-guitarist Kazu Nomura explained, because the drummer had to take a class. As Noriaki Watanabe knelt on the floor, playing keyboards and synthesizer, Nomura sang, played and strutted, sometimes dancing right out of his sneakers. The music ranged from rock riffs to madrigal melodies to atonal skittering, interspersed with squeals, crashes and howls, both instrumental and vocal.
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Avant Guardian
preview of the of June 2 performance at the Warehouse
From: Washington Post Express June 2, 2005
By: Mike Kanin
A composer makes and champions improvised sound
MUSIC | Jonathan Morris—who may also be known to D.C. music fans as Jonathan Matis—is a classically trained composer who studied under Noah Zahler at Connecticut College. Since 1995, the D.C.-area native has found his performances trending toward the free improvisation end of the musical spectrum. On June 2, Morris' D.C. Improvisers Collective will preform as part of a program called "Composing Is For Cowards"... Read complete article >>
Review of Here, We Are
From: All About Jazz, May 2003
By: Frank Rubolino
Mysticism abounds when the DC Improvisers Collective (DCIC) holds a musical séance. The
performers delve into remote realms, conjuring up inventive music with sorcerous cunning. This
searching association of experimental artists affords its members the opportunity for open-ended
exploration in various-sized group scenarios.
On this recording, the DCIC features four free spirits. Mike Sebastian awakens the ghosts of
music present and future through his fierce woodwind flights; Jon Ozment offers weighty acoustic
and electric piano brews; Mark Merella executes jarring percussive resonance; and Jonathan Matis
adds bracing stimuli through his guitar. Electronics play an important role as well, with Ozment,
Merella, and Matis each negotiating the amplified terrain for special effects.
The program, as could be expected from the band's name, is fully improvised. These instant
composers thrive on the spontaneity of the moment, allowing their innate sense of adventure to
dictate the direction the music takes. It goes off in multiple streams of consciousness that slide into
hallucinatory states, often through alternating pairings that fold into full quartet activity.
For example, Merella pumps incendiary fuel to drive Sebastian into forceful areas in two duets,
and he supplies more subtle nuances in his matching of ambiance with Ozment. One trio selection
without Sebastian is awash in eerie vibrations. The band rises to its creative best on the full
ensemble tunes that comprise the majority of the recording. With all improvisers interacting as a unit,
the music peaks in waves of otherworldliness.
Each title develops through the probing and suggestion of the players. Sebastian speaks in
multiple tongues, allowing his bass clarinet to supply spirituality or his saxophones to emit eruptive
energy. Merella floods the field with a plethora of exotic percussive tones, injecting rattling, clanking,
and other stimuli into the concoction. Ozment sends a jarring message from his piano or keyboards,
painting a voluminous soundscape in the process. Matis's guitar efforts offer contrasting reactions;
he releases smoldering juices or calming melodiousness into the group context.
While sound in its purest form plays an important role, the pieces display continuity with little
need for silence and space as support. The recording flows in suite-like fashion as one collective
expression.
From jarring abruptness to passive serenity, the DCIC responds to the moment at hand to create
music of unique character and demanding quality. Aided by electronic supplements, it becomes
especially vibrant. Each musician stays in touch with his psyche and responds to the circulating
spirits of the others on this compelling example of unrestrained group meditation.
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