Abacus shall riseth…
October 8, 2010
My most recent musical baby. Abacus is a project that plays my through composed heavy metal inflected chamber free jazz [...]
October 8, 2010
My most recent musical baby. Abacus is a project that plays my through composed heavy metal inflected chamber free jazz [...]
Abacus performing my composition Etude #2 @ Barbes December 3rd 2008
Abacus, a Brooklyn-based project of Michael Kammers, released their first album this past April 29. Kammers wanted an outlet outside of his fourteen piece big band, so he put together a tidy little five-piece unit that consists of Kammers (saxophone, keyboards), Greg Chudzig (bass), JP Gilbert (guitar), Alex Hills (keyboards) and Tim Monoghan (drums). Kammers also wrote all of the tunes.
Abacus calls itself “thrash/jazz/chamber/prog” which is way of trying to identify the hard-to-identify. But it does come close to the vibe one gets from King Crimson’s Red, if you chop up most of the tracks into mostly bite-sized pieces and take away the occasional vocals. And since Red was such a great groove-prog record, that’s meant as a high compliment. Songs are performed like algebra, setting up complex equations and solving for “x.” And despite the scientific underpinnings, the boys get to stretch out, like on the extended composition “2 AM Jam,” for instance. But textures, grooves and tonality get most of the emphasis, and the self-titled debut does a commendable job mixing up moods and tempos to craft a record full of unexpected turns that never veers off course.
No shows booked at the moment.
Brooklyn-based thrash/jazz/chamber/prog band Abacus independently released its debut album on April 29, 2010. Available on vinyl and as a digital download, the album includes ten songs composed by Michael Kammers and recorded by Trevor Williams (Datus, Pep Rally) at the Rad Pad in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
“I formed Abacus to give voice to a music that is a confluence of certain paradigms, techniques and textures that are typically prohibitive, and that consists of as few compromises as possible for the performer and listener,” said Kammers.
As the band name suggests, the music is mathematical, employing serialism and overlaying complex polyrhythms. The band playfully extends this thematic influence in performance, donning lab coats and goggles and exuding a focus more common to a surgical theater than to a rock show.
Led by Kammers, who also plays saxophone and keyboards, Abacus features Greg Chudzik, bass (David Crowell Ensemble, Signal Ensemble), JP Gilbert, guitar (J.A.C.K., JP and the Gilberts), Alex Hills, keyboards (Datus, Buy My Book, JP and the Gilberts), and Tim Monaghan, drums (J.A.C.K., JP and the Gilberts, Golem).
Abacus is currently playing shows in support of the record release.