“It has that wonderful magic glue that these serious and seasoned musicians are so successful at.”
--Downtown Music Gallery

“Each has established an undiluted reputation as a forward thinker in taking improvised music into new realms.”
Jerry D’Souza, All About Jazz

“Any successful inprov record has got to have a textural range, and that’s why this one is so good.” 
--Signal to Noise #48

“But the music is not about chaos or violence, rather it seems to explore the subtle area where emotions of pleasure and pain will meet…. stimulating, creative, entertaining, and boundary-shifting music.”
--Free Jazz, Oct. 29 2007

On May 16th, 2005, San Francisco – based trumpeter and composer Darren Johnston assembled some of his favorite improvisers into the studio. This multi-generational cast included Fred Frith on electric guitar, Larry Ochs on tenor and sopranino sax, Devin Hoff on bass, Ches Smith on drums, and Johnston on trumpet and flugel horn. A scrap of paper was passed around the room, listing various suggestions and limitations on orchestration, form, and general approaches to playing. Each musician took a couple turns choosing variables, either from the paper or their own imagination, before each piece. 

The end result is a collection of improvisations that hold together like compositions, each one quite distinct, and which can now be heard on “Reasons For Moving”, on Not Two records. 

Due to the busy touring schedules of the musicians, and the many different projects being juggled, it has been a long process to find a time when all five will be in the same town at the same time. This special reunion at the Café Du Nord on February 8th is not to be missed!

Since settling in San Francisco in 1997, Canada-born trumpeter Darren Johnston has built a web of alliances, from avant-guard excursions with the likes of Myra Melford, and the ROVA saxophone quartet, to straight-ahead jazz outings with the likes of bassist Marcus Shelby. As a band-leader he is best known for his work with the award winning
Nice Guy Trio, and the United Brassworkers Front, whose second CD, “In Between Stories”, was released on Evander Music in August of 2007. The Darren Johnston Quintet features a front-line of Ben Goldberg and Sheldon Brown, and their new CD on Clean Feed is due for release any day. Darren was mentioned in last June’s issue of Down Beat as
one of “25 trumpeters for the future.” 

www.darrenjohnstonmusic.com 

As a member of Rova Saxophone Quartet since 1997, Larry Ochs has made more than two-dozen CDs and 40 tours to Europe and Japan. He has recorded with his other touring bands including the band “Maybe Monday” with Fred Frith and Miya Masaoka and “Larry Ochs Sax & Drumming Core,” which tours Europe in late 2007. He has performed with Kronos Quartet, John Zorn, Steve Lacy, Anthony Braxton, John Lindberg, Andrew Cyrille, Butch
Morris, George Lewis, Henry Kaiser, Wadada Leo Smith and many others. More info and musical samples: 

http://www.Ochs.cc 

Composer, improviser and multi-instrumentalist, Fred Frith has situated himself for almost 40 years in the area where rock music and new music meet. Co-founder of the British underground band Henry Cow (1968-78, he's since been associated with the likes of John Zorn, Ikue Mori, Tom Cora, Zeena Parkins, and Bill Laswell. In the eighties Fred
began to write for dance, film, and theatre, and this in turn has led to his composing for Rova Sax Quartet, Ensemble Modern, Arditti Quartet, Asko Ensemble, and many other groups, including his own critically acclaimed Guitar Quartet. Fred is the subject of Nicolas Humbert and Werner Penzels' award-winning documentary film Step Across the
Border. 

http://www.fredfrith.com 

As a bassist and bandleader, Devin Hoff has played regularly with the likes of Vijay Iyer, Nels Cline, Graham Connah, Ben Goldberg, Howard Wiley, Carla Kihlstedt, Scott Amendola, Hugh Ragin, and Carla Bozulich. 

Currently one-half of Good For Cows (with drummer Ches Smith), one-third of the Nels Cline Singers, and one-fourth of the Devin Hoff Committee, he also recently released a record of solo bass music. 

www.myspace.com/devinhoff 

Ches Smith began playing drums just in time to join a prog/punk/psych/metal band early in high school. He studied philosophy at the University of Oregon before relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1995. One of his first tours was as a sub for his mentor at the time, William Winant, with Mr. Bungle (here he met bassist/composer Trevor Dunn
who would later hire him for the second incarnation of his Trio-Convulsant). During his time at Mills, Ches co-founded two bands: Theory of Ruin, and Good for Cows (w/ Nels Cline Singers' Devin Hoff). He currently performs and records with Good for Cows, Xiu Xiu, Carla Bozulich, Secret Chiefs 3, Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog, Ben Goldberg, Annie Gosfield, and 7 Year Rabbit Cycle. He also leads his two of his own projects, Congs for Brums and These
Arches. He currently spends his time in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Brooklyn.

www.chessmith.com