[back to events page]	BIRTH Jaime Fennelly/Chris Peck/Greg Laman improvised electronic music Patrick B. free-form emotional soundscape September 18, 2002 Doors: 8:30 PM Cover $5.00 "so good that it's scary" -Harvey Pekar          Jazziz This instrumental trio, formed in 1998 in Cleveland, Ohio, has become a mainstay of the creative music scene in the northeast and Midwest United States. Fueled by a youthful subversiveness and a host of stylistic influences, birth's music defies easy categorization by mixing the energy of punk rock with appealing melodies, cohesive improvisation, and diverse aspects of contemporary genres from electronica/jungle music to avant-garde jazz. Often surprising in both intensity and restraint, birth's performances have earned them the reputation as a riveting band to hear live. birth has carved and ever-expanding niche, touring on a circuit of concert clubs, theatres, and art presenters throughout the country. They've performed to glowing responses at many hubs for creative music such as NYC's Knitting Factory and Tonic, the Empty Bottle in Chicago, Hallwalls in Buffalo, the Outpost in Albuquerque, etc. They've also shared bills with some of the top players in creative jazz such as Tim Berne, Chris Speed, Ken Vandermark, and Joe Maneri. birth recently released their 2nd CD on New York multi-instrumentalist Assif Tsahar's Hopscotch label. The record features special guest trumpeter Cuong Vu, of "The Pat Metheny Group," and has already received a fair amount of critical acclaim in publications such as Jazziz, Signal to Noise, and The Revolving Door, among others. birth has also become a favorite on new music college radio programs. Upon its release, "Find" spent several weeks in the top ten of many stations, including WNUR in Chicago. Joshua Smith-saxophones Joshua Smith is a New York City based saxophonist who has played with a who's who of the creative music scene. Aside from regular performances with birth, Joshua has toured with Joe Maneri and Dan Plonsy. He's recently gigged with Assif Tsahar, Trevor Dunn, Scott Amendola, and also with Chris Jonas and their group; Amitosis. Joshua is also heavily involved with other side-projects based in New York: Doppelganged, The Living Sound Ensemble and Superbabies. "(Joshua Smith) already plays jazz soprano, alto and tenor saxophone on a world-class level. An outstanding technician, he articulates very clearly even when playing at blistering speed, and his improvisations are consistently rich in content." -Harvey Pekar Joe Tomino-drums For the past two years, Joe Tomino has been creating a formidable reputation for himself as one of the brightest young drummers in the New York City, peforming in virtually every style, from experimental jazz to world music, to rock. Although a technical virtuoso, his creativity is not overshadowed by facility. With this unique combination of sensitivity and musical prowess, Joe has become a desired side-man for the likes of Cuong Vu, Myra Melford, Chris Dahlgren, David Tronzo, and many others. Aside from regular touring with birth, Joe has recently made music with Joe Maneri, Steven Bernstein, Wayne Krantz, Amitosis, and Actual Proof. "Joe Tomino has a sharp attack that fills the music with punchy life." -Modern Drummer Jeremy Bleich-bass Jeremy Bleich's unique approach to the bass has earned him a reputation as one of the most creative musicians on the scene. His work with birth and his group dhikr have established him as one of the most creative players outside of NYC. He resides in Cleveland, Ohio where he is involved in presenting music, as well as composing and teaching. He holds a degree in music composition from Cleveland State University. Jeremy is also an in-demand sideman. He's recorded for MCA Records with Jason White as well as playing on several independent releases. "Jeremy Bleich's free-jazz shredding and spooky low-string grooves give weight to this fearless bass/drums/sax trio's stream of consciousness explorations." -Bass Player Jaime Fennelly/Chris Peck/Greg Laman Jaime Fennelly is an electronicist, double-bassist and improviser/composer who lives in The Bushwick, Brooklyn. Jaime co-leads his electro-acoustic trio, psi, (with drummer Fritz Welch and el. guitarist Chris Forsyth), and has been collaborating with choreographer/dancer Miguel Gutierrez since the summer of 2001 on several different projects including Sabotage, their improvised duo collaboration. This winter, he will be attending a residency at STEIM (Studio for Electro-Instrumental Music) in Amsterdam. Chris Peck is an electronic musician, composer, and collaborator, working with choreographers, improvising musicians, and visual artists. His numerous ongoing collaborations with dance include a new piece for David Dorfman Dance to be premiered next February at The Kitchen. Greg Laman is a composer and performer whose recent work has focused on improvisational performance using electronics, soundscape recording, and site-specific installations. Current projects include soundscape recording and composition projects in Ann Arbor and Japan as well as performances in Michigan and France with the improvising quartet Cashew (Anders Astrand and Michael Gould - percussion; Peck and Laman - live electronics).