ABOUT THE ALBUM

Open Question Vol. 1 — soon to be followed by a second volume—is the first of two albums that rely on warm, collective, and freely improvised music. The band formed organically in 2019 from weekly jam sessions in Harlem; it is comprised of tenor saxophonist Ayumi Ishito, pianist Eric Plaks, bassist Zach Swanson, and drummer Jon Panikkar, and later, multi-instrumentalist Daniel Carter. Recording an album with only free improvisation was Ishito’s long-time dream, stalled by the pandemic, and realized only this year. Open Question’s music today, while fully improvised, remains firmly rooted in the jazz tradition. This is best heard on “Synchronicity,” the last recorded piece of the session, where each musician’s trajectory diverges even as the piece holds together. On the track, Carter starts out with soprano sax then later switches to tenor toward the middle of the piece, as Carter and Ishito playfully spar with competing tenor melodies. This album marks Ayumi Ishito’s second album on 577 Records, following her widely-acclaimed Ayumi Ishito & the Spacemen Vol. 1 (2021).

Daniel Carter, Ayumi Ishito, Eric Plaks, Zach Swanson, Jon Panikkar

Open Question Vol. 1

Daniel Carter: Trumpet, flute, clarinet, soprano, alto, tenor sax
Ayumi Ishito: Tenor sax/fx
Eric Plaks: Piano, wurlitzer
Zach Swanson: Acoustic bass
Jon Panikkar: Drums

Recorded in Brooklyn
Release: January 21, 2022
Total time: 44:00
Catalog number 5869-1

Painting by MiHee Kim Magee
Graphic design by Sergio Vezzali

CD: Exclusive Digipak - First pressing of 500

TRACKS:
1- Blues 12:04
2- Dimly-lit Platform 5:34
3- Confidential BBQ 19:41
4- Synchronicity 6:40


100% of profit from the sale of most of these albums
goes to the musicians