I heard ‘floral and full’ for the first time today. For over nine minutes, I was utterly transported by Brooklyn, NY-based improviser, composer, and percussionist Lesley Mok and her chamber ensemble. The lead track is taken from The Living Collection, a new album that documents her ten-piece improvising chamber ensemble, which will be out May 5, 2023, with American Dreams.
Over lockdown, I found myself drawn more deeply into experimental and free improv music, acquiring a particular fondness for the Chicago-born record label International Anthem and artists like Ben LaMar Gay, Makaya McCraven, Jeff Parker, Angel Bat Dwaid and the late jamie branch who have appeared in my KLOF mix series. Alongside them, one album that made a particularly deep impression was a release on New York’s New Focus Recordings – Invisible Ritual by violinist/composer Jennifer Curtis and multi-instrumentalist/composer Tyshawn Sorey. It was unlike anything I’d heard before, utterly transformative and deeply rewarding.
After hearing ‘floral and full’, I felt the same excitement that I had felt after first hearing Curtis and Sorey; while it’s hard to convey in words, the impact is electrifying and I’m pleased to have been introduced to the world of Lesley Mok this way. The track features string trio Joanna Mattrey, Aliya Ultan, and Florian Herzog. “I wanted to create a space on the record to showcase the timbral range and playfulness of these three dynamic improvisers,” says Mok. “Glass beads roll around in a jar, insects buzz, a fire crackles, and wisps of smoke rise into the air as we’re beckoned into the gorgeous and lush sounds of Mattrey’s viola.”
The accompanying notes by Henry Mermer are especially well-written and revealing, touching on how the fluidity and limits of this improvising chamber ensemble. Read them here on Bandcamp where you can also pre-order the album.
The Living Collection out May 5 (American Dreams)
Album Release Show:
Tuesday, April 18 at The Jazz Gallery
1158 Broadway, 5th floor (entrance on 27th st)
New York, NY 10001
7:30pm & 9:30pm
Tickets & Info
The Living Collection Credits
David Leon – alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, alto flute
Yuma Uesaka – tenor saxophone, Bb clarinet, contraalto clarinet
Adam O’Farrill – trumpet
Kalun Leung – trombone
Cory Smythe – piano
Joanna Mattrey – viola
Aliya Ultan – cello
Florian Herzog – bass
Weston Olencki – electronics
Lesley Mok – drums