Phil Schurger - guitar/compositions
Greg Ward - alto sax
Jeff Greene - bass
Clif Wallace - drums
Releasing Phil’s music is an honor and we’re incredibly lucky to work with a musician/composer who’s in more in touch with these songs and the inner workings of every aspect of them than ever before. He’s one of the most musically conscious artists we’ve worked with. The depth in which he connects with his bandmates, the audience at live shows, our conversations leading up to this release, as well as his literature writing, has been an adventure.
On a side note, he also wrote the pristine liner notes for Matthew Golombisky’s Cuentos release coming out Sept 1. This entire album, Echoes of the Ancestors, works on a whole, interweaving the themes of each so that each has a specific reason for existing. There’s nothing happen-chance here compositionally, though he allows the personalities of the Chicago-based band express themselves freely and openly as to interweave other aspects of the universe in which he finds himself in.
The energy that alto saxist Greg Ward and Schurger create during the complex, rapid-fire and often chromatic melodies is intense, especially when either of them blast off into their individual solos. It’s chilling. And the support that would be needed to keep the energy on the level they are dishing out is catapulted further by the solid and confident rhythm section of bassist Jeff Greene and drummer Clif Wallace. The “brothership” of the group goes deep. Ward and Greene have been playing in each other’s groups, blink. and Fitted Shards for more than 10 years and have multiple records together, on labels such as Thirsty Ear, ears&eyes, Whistler, and Nineteen Eight.
To get an even further idea of his thoughts on music, and only if you have a few extra hours lying around, check out his “articles” section on his website, most notably, “Emptiness and the Practice of Non-identification” and “Application of the Elementals in Performance: A Meditative Path to Captivating the Room” But first, start here, below, where Phil takes the lead on describing this album.
“The music presented on Echoes of the Ancestors is the expression of a dynamic journey through ten years of meditative and musical process. He has honed his skills as a composer in order to effortlessly act as a conduit of force and form, oscillating sounds up from the Emptiness of mind. Through meditation, he awakens the sensitivity of intuition, and navigates the tides of consciousness, catching compositions as they arise in the currents of thought. It is a conscious-intuitive act of retrieving sounds and images of nature and culture, and uniquely sculpting them through an inner-alchemical process. Any object held in the mind can become a musical entity as Schurger becomes attuned with the sounds emanating from the stream of Mind, transfixed by the rising sounds."
credits
released September 22, 2017
Recorded at I.V. Labs by Shane Henderickson in Chicago IL USA
Mixed and mastered by Mark Everetts in Ft. Wayne IN USA
Album layout/design by Rocio Galarza in Buenos Aires, Argentina
The music Phil Schurger presents on Echoes of the Ancestors is the expression of a dynamic journey through ten years of meditative and musical process.
supported by 9 fans who also own “Echoes of the Ancestors”
So much fun and joy and swing, and the instrumentation allows for some super-fresh sounds as well as some old-timey goodness. And simply great tunes too! Giles
Pop sensibility, vintage effects, and a sophisticated ear for tonal development make this jazz foray truly charming. Bandcamp Album of the Day Sep 1, 2017
supported by 8 fans who also own “Echoes of the Ancestors”
Jimmy easily would have fit in with this outfit, and it would have been a joy to listen to for another reason. These musicians are engaged and perform at the top of their game, every piece. Kenneth Pyron