{"title":"Peace Flag Ensemble","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"astral-plains","title":"Astral Plains","description":"\u003cp\u003ePeace Flag Ensemble are a free jazz collective from Saskatchewan, Canada Their second LP, Astral Plains, arrives on via We Are Busy Bodies. While the group's 2021 debut Noteland was described as \"akin to getting stuck in a sensory deprivation tank with Keith Jarrett\", in itself by no means a bad scenario, by contrast Astral Plains opens up, offering spacious and blue- sky arrangements and production. Perhaps it's closer to laying in a prairie feld looking for animals in the clouds with Mark Hollis.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"We Are Busy Bodies","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50393221923147,"sku":"2046935","price":34.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/0634457134614_d69a70f8_thumbnail_4096.webp?v=1726414132"},{"product_id":"noteland","title":"Noteland","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eNoteland\u003c\/i\u003e is an exercise in pure collaboration. Built around Jon Neher’s piano improvisations, it is free flowing in form and meter. Each member contributed freely but also remained open to having their playing completely recontextualized. Travis Packer’s electric bass is tightly moored to the piano while Dalton Lam and Paul Gutheil, trumpet and saxophone respectively, drift between melodic passages and textural elements. The album was produced by ambient artist Michael Scott Dawson, who also contributes electronics, guitars, and field recordings to the collective. The result is a pastiche of improvisation, composition, and collage that cycles through quiet moments of imperfection and discomfort followed by peaceful resolutions. It draws from such influences as Keith Jarrett and Mark Hollis. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Peace Flag Ensemble is the sum of its parts. Everyone leaned into their own intuition and inspiration. I think that kept us from limiting possibilities.” Dawson shares. “Sometimes that means a saxophone is reduced to just the crackle of a spit valve, sometimes it’s blurred into pastoral ambiance, and sometimes… well, sometimes it’s just a saxophone.” \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe genesis of the project is unlikely to be included in a canon of debaucherous music myths. Neher and Dawson connected at a book club. Bonding over 70s ECM, contemporary minimalists, and Musique concrete the two began to discuss collaborating. Somewhere between reading \u003ci\u003eHer Body and Other Stories \u003c\/i\u003eby Carmen Maria Machado and Murakami’s\u003ci\u003e Killing Commendatore\u003c\/i\u003e, their ambitions morphed into a jazz collective. Reflecting on the outcome, Neher states “This record really allowed us to explore so many kinds of spontaneity while still crafting and polishing a finished work; that is a rare treat in improvised music.” \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"We Are Busy Bodies","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50464155271499,"sku":"1126472","price":32.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/2f1c2ed4-1354-4bcb-b4ce-f719729695b3_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727271156"},{"product_id":"everything-is-possible","title":"Everything Is Possible","description":"\u003cp\u003ePeace Flag Ensemble’s third LP, \u003ci\u003eEverything Is Possible,\u003c\/i\u003e features a sharper focus and wider sound. The ambient free jazz collective expands their range, with each member taking a more prominent role. Pianist Jon Neher steps forward with more melodic and virtuosic moments, while flugelhornist Dalton Lam and saxophonist Paul Gutheil engage in lyrical, conversational exchanges. Drummer Mike Thievin’s intricate yet restrained rhythms anchor Travis Packer’s wandering electric bass. Produced by Michael Scott Dawson, the album blends atmospheric electronics with a human touch, drawing influences from Tortoise and Keith Jarrett.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"We Are Busy Bodies","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50900273267019,"sku":"2234502","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50900272906571,"sku":"2234501","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Everything_Is_Possible_8ac23607_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1732731335"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/de\/collections\/peace-flag-ensemble.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}