Shows
to Watch
Pictures to See
Sounds to Hear
Objects to Buy
Words to Read
People to Contact
MySpace
to OurSpace
"The Eastern Seaboard
are an indie punk free jazz outfit."
-Ben Hernandez, The Detriot ArtSpace
Drummer - Seth Nanaa (Ex-Indian
Summer)
Reeds Player - Brent Bagwell
Bassist - Jordon Schranz
(Quivers, Ex-La Otracina)
They were all born in
different places and met in New York through a series of ominous coincidences.
The Eastern Seaboard rides the balance between punk intensity and soundtrack-esque
expansiveness, pledging allegiance to free and improvisational music from all
time, particularly to the jazz masters of the past (for the reasons behind their
music as much as the music itself).
Things aren’t what you want, so you make them up. The band continues to
believe what they want to believe about music. They continue to want to bring
it to the People; the revolution. Everyone likes to see musicians try really
hard, they tell themselves.
If sound is an expression of human emotion, then to fetter it to rhetoric only
limits the scope of communication. Sometimes the music just goes wherever it
wants to, and the Eastern Seaboard only think they created it. No one knows.
The best parts of the music are the parts that all three musicians cannot recall
– the blackout.
The Wire
The Eastern Seaboard are Brent Bagwell (tenor sax & clarinet), Jordon Schranz (bass) and Seth Nanaa (drums). They describe themselves as "raised on Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation and wooed by John Coltrane's A Love Supreme", but seem most rooted in late 60s free jazz. Bagwell's thick, brawny tone is based on Albert Ayler's attack - rough and ready, without David Murray's harmonic sophistication, and that's not a criticism. Titles such as "Liquor Store", "Plainclothes Detective" and "Around the Town with Clinton Brown" suggest a film noir theme. In fact, they belong to a group of pieces inspired by crime writer Jim Thompson. The tracks are quite short, and mostly groove based, though there are a few abrupt departures from heavyweight free jazz - the first version of "Anadarko" for instance is quietly atmospheric. A very satisfying release. - Andrew Hamilton
Creative Loafing, Charlotte
An expansive listen, Nonfiction pulses with an air of sinister mystery, traditional melodies subverted by free-form explosions. It’s a record with roots chock-full of inspirational mulch: Sonic Youth, Lester Young, Chicago post-rock, Boards of Canada electronica, 60s free jazz, Joe Strummer, Midwest tornadoes and the novels of Jim Thompson, to name just a few. - John Schacht
Music on the Web (UK)
From the frantic beginning of ‘Minerals’, we are presented with a rawness more commonly associated with rock groups like Sonic Youth and Nirvana than with any form of jazz. Bagwell’s sax is characterised by dissonance, screeching chaotically, wailing eerily, and droning like feedback from an amplifier. Schranz’s bass is also rock-like, favouring catchy, thumping riffs rather than traditional walking bass lines and using the bow repeatedly to create a keyboard/synth-like sound. The musicians consistently gel together, developing the mood and tone of each piece through astonishing musical empathy. - Robert Gibson
Jazz Review
With an acknowledgement of the educational influence of Joe Strummer on its sleeve, and tune-titles such as “Liquor Store", “Epidemic" and “Cut And Run", Nonfiction might easily be mistaken for a manifestation of punk-jazz, but it's actually a pretty straightforward exploration of the border between free and structured music. Saxophonist Brent Bagwell takes his textures (from stuck-pig squeal to bleary honk) from free-jazz models, and the rhythm section (drummer Seth Nanaa, bassist Jordon Schranz) play with all the form's clatter and imaginative brio. But their material balances loose, sprawling free-for-alls with more regular rhythmic fare complete with ticking drums and crooning saxophone. - Chris Parker
Chicago Reader
The members of New York jazz trio The Eastern Seaboard all come from rock backgrounds--they
even dedicated their 2004 release, Nonfiction (Black Saint), to Joe Strummer.
But they've managed to avoid the clunky, heavy-handed rhythmic approach converted
rockers often fall back on. Their improvisations are raw and instinctual, and
while that doesn't leave much room for sophisticated harmonic explorations,
they still yield their fair share of textures and melodies. Drummer Seth Nanaa
has a graceful touch, and along with bassist Jordon Schranz he shifts the attack
from gentle swing to abstract soundscapes and back. Reedist Brent Bagwell has
clearly studied the upper register cries of Albert Ayler, and while he has his
moments of intensity he tends to keep his playing meditative and concise. –
Peter Margasak
Cincinnati City Beat
In the press materials for The Eastern Seaboard, an exploratory three-piece
combo from New York, there are numerous references to the trio's "Punk"
and "Indie" inspirations, from Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation through
the wise worldview of Joe Strummer (to whom the band's CD, Nonfiction, is dedicated).
While those touchstones seem genuine, they also seem like efforts to drag out
different fans to their tours, which hit a large number of "Rock"
venues.
But make no mistake -- as progressive and adventurous as The Eastern Seaboard
is, this is Free Jazz. And fans of that genre and its peak era and practitioners
shouldn't be scared off by the Rock references; they will be knocked out by
the young threesome's boundlessly creative take. Likewise, Thurston Moore devotees
and fans of more experimental, risk-taking Post Punk and Post Rock will also
eat up the Seaboard's untethered, impulsive style, just as they'd be drawn to
the cutting-edge work of old Ornette Coleman or Charles Mingus. When it comes
to The Eastern Seaboard, the cross-cultural references reflect the natural,
preconception-exploding approach of this exciting, artistic trio.
The fact is, despite the "Jazz" format (horns, bass, drums), it doesn't
really matter what you call the group's distinctive style. Just sit back and
let it engulf and provoke you.
Across The Eastern Seaboard's discography -- which includes Nonfiction, released
on esteemed progressive Jazz label, Black Saint, plus several efforts on their
own imprint, Tigerasylum Records -- the group has fiddled with the lines between
composition and improv, ambient soundscapery and impetuous chaos, elegance and
cacophony. Eschewing traditional roles, each member consistently takes turns
guiding the ship and churning the oars. Bassist Jordon Schranz switches between
finger-plucking and bowing on his upright, providing ominous scratches, expansive
ambiance or supple runs depending on the atmosphere of the piece. Drummer Seth
Nanaa similarly feeds the pulse of the songs, crafting whirls of skittish, volatile
rhythms that are both musical and aura-building. Saxman Brent Bagwell (who also
blows clarinet) milks rich, sublime tones from his instrument, but also combusts
with sweltering, frenzied skronk when it's called for. All are stunning musicians,
partly for their chops, but mostly for the expressive, emotion-laden sounds
they produce with their tools. Based on that alone, Strummer would definitely
approve. - Mike Breen
Nashville Scene
[The] Eastern Seaboard
start with well-defined tunes and take them into the realm of hard-blowing group
improvisation. Bass player Jordon Schranz and drummer Seth Nanaa lay down swinging
grooves that tenor saxophonist Brent Bagwell rages over and weaves through.
The fact that their eponymous tune . . . is a waltz shows that coordination
and purposefulness undergird their flurries of sound.
The Brooklyn free jazz trio Eastern Seaboard ride on the crest of Brent Bagwell’s
slowly-mounting tenor sax as it builds up waves of frenzied, multidirectional
energy, only to dissipate gradually into thoughtful, subtle near narcosis.
Free Times, Columbia, SC
If . . . you thrive on experimentation, The Eastern Seaboard delivers with enigmatic but organic explorations of melody, tone, rhythm and harmony.
Detroit Free Press
The Eastern Seaboard,
a free-jazz trio from Brooklyn, brings thoughtful pacing and control to bear
on its music; an air of mystery and anticipation flow through terse melodies
and open-from dialogue. When the inevitable explosions come - and dry-toned
tenor saxophonist Brent Bagwell has a full arsenal of caterwauling densities
and growls at his disposal - they emerge with an Aristotelian logic.
The trio . . . visits Detroit on the cusp of a debut album on the respected
Italian label Black Saint. The advance cuts I heard evoke the long shadow of
Chicago's Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians. Some music
references a vamping, broken-swing pulse. Other episodes slow to a stasis that
recalls post-John Cage classical music. - Mark Stryker
Pulp, Pittsburgh
As long as jazz has been recorded, some record labels have been synonymous with its best recordings. Blue Note and Prestige were the best places to go for hard-bop; ESP, and in recent years CIMP, have become synonymous with free jazz. The Italian imprint Black Saint has been releasing both avant-garde and straight-ahead jazz since 1975, garnered a serious rep for albums by artists like David Murray, Anthony Braxton, Steve Lacy. So even though the Eastern Seaboard's debut for Black Saint is forthcoming, the connection offers proof that the New York trio has some strong chops. Tenor saxophonist Brent Bagwell has a brawny tone and often fills his solos with long, drawn out wails similar to Albert Ayler. The five-song advance CD includes open-ended explorations like "Around the Town with Clinton Brown," along with the Sonny Rollins-esque "Plainclothes Detective." Even when Bagwell lifts away from strict time, drummer Seth Nanaa and bassist Jordon Schranz keep one foot each on the ground. [N]ow is the time to see [them] -- especially before the Eastern Seaboard Trio hightails off to Europe and decides to stay there. - Mike Shanley
Right click (Control click for Mac) and select "SaveTargetAs" ("Download Link to Disk" for Mac) to download the document to your desktop.
Photo by Haruko foto
6" x 4", color .jpg, 300dpi (1MB)
6" x 4", b & w .jpg, 300dpi (1MB)
