Bill Noertker and his psychedelic avant-chamber jazz ensemble, Noertker’s Moxie, are back with a three-part suite, Tricycle. In this second installment, Elysium, Noertker takes us to Sidmouth, a sleepy seaside town on England’s Jurassic Coast where he recently spent an idyllic week with a friend, his friend’s family, and their two contrabasses. From the capricious rhythmic ping-pong of Buddhist Isometrics to the hypnagogic chant of Talkin’ to Huddie Ledbetter to the brittle pulsations of Ventricles, Noertker and his stalwart companions engage us with their playful, emotive, and intimate musical conversations.
In 2001, Bill Noertker formed Noertker’s Moxie as a vehicle for his thematic compositions. Since then he has composed over 200 pieces of music and has released thirteen CDs on the Edgetone Records label, including the soundtrack for Curious Worlds: the Art and Imagination of David Beck and the extended suites Sketches of Catalonia; The Blue Rider; and The Druidh.
credits
released April 28, 2020
Annelise Zamula – alto sax, flute
Brett Carson – piano
Bill Noertker – contrabass
Jason Levis – drums
Source material for compositions
Road to Branscombe – a country road in East Devon
Buddhist Isometrics – passion + nonattachment
Talkin’ to Huddie Ledbetter – a line from Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks
Great Haddock Hexation – a visit to Budleigh Fish and Chips
The Byes – a riverside park in Sidmouth
Ventricles – two chambers of the heart & four interconnected cavities of the brain
Mind.the.Gap. (Honiton Station) – a train station in East Devon
49 Days – the amount of time spent in the Bardo state
These are recordings of live performances of Noertker’s Moxie from 2018-2019at the SIMM Series, held bi-monthly at the Musicians’ Union Hall in San Francisco, CA
All tracks recorded live to 2-track by Michael Zelner Mastered by Myles Boisen at The Headless Buddha Mastering Lab on 14 &18 October 2019
Graphic design by Gert Rude Music
Cover art by Jekyll
Produced by Bill Noertker
Executive producer - Rent Romus
Special thanks to Theophilus & Smith & Theophilus
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