The Squid's Ear Magazine


Orasique (Don Malfon / Fernando Barrios / Marco Albert / Misha Marks): Ixtlahuaca (CASSETTE w/ DOWNL (Eh?)

A mix of chaos, awe and humorously inspired improvisation from the quartet of Don Malfon on alto saxophone, Fernando Barrios on drums & objects, Marco Albert on voice and Misha Marks on latarra (a form of home-built guitar), recording in Colonia Buenavista de San Pedro Ixtlahuaca, Oaxaca, Mexico for 7 peculisar and absorbing improvisations.
 

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product information:

Personnel:



Don Malfon-alto saxophone

Fernando Barrios-drums, objects

Marco Albert-voice

Misha Marks-latarra


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Label: Eh?
Catalog ID: eh?119
Squidco Product Code: 33264

Format: CASSETTE
Condition: New
Released: 2021
Country: USA
Packaging: Cassette
Recorded in Colonia Buenavista de San Pedro Ixtlahuaca, Oaxaca, Mexico, in August, 2020, by Thorvald Pazos.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"What happens if you put four accomplished improvisers from around the world in a nice sounding room and let them record some music? This release is a possible outcome of that. Orasique is a free improvisation quartet. Misha Marks emigrated from New Zealand to Mexico and played the latarra on this release, a metal first aid kit transformed into a stringed instrument. The Italian of the group is Marco Albert, residing in Mexico for the time being. The drums and percussion instruments are courtesy of Fernando Barrios, hailing from El Salvador. Last but not least, there is Don Malfon from Catalonia on alto sax. The music here is short and sweet. No long-form improvised pieces, but almost songlike easy to digest music. Which doesn't mean boring, mind you, Marco Albert sounds at times as the voice of La Linea - the infamous Italian animated shorts from the early seventies -, sometimes on acid and sometimes as a long drone, as a Tibetan monk would chant without words. Misha Marks usesvarious techniques to get sounds out of his latarra. The same with Don Malfon. His alto squeaks and holds long notes. Fernando Barrios' thoughtful drumming accompanies all this. All musicians listen to each other attentively and leave enough space for each other to shape the music because it is music that is played, not noise for the sake of noise. The mixing and mastering were done by Marco Albert, who did a great job at that. A lot of details can be heard upon repeated listening. Interesting titles as well, all in Spanish. I am curious about what this group will release in the future. If you were ever afraid to enter the world of improvised music, this release would ease the dive into that extraordinary world."-Vital Weekly


Get additional information at Vital Weekly

Artist Biographies

"Don Malfon (Alfonso Muñoz), Improvising saxophonist born in Barcelona 1978.

He began playing the electric bass when he was sixteen years old, changing to the saxophone at eighteen while studying at a local school in Barcelona.

In 2000 he moved to Havana, Cuba, where he studied particularly for five years under the tutelage of the following teachers: Orlando Sanchez (Cuba Jazz), Javier Zalva and Elvira Fuentes. Specializing in baritone and alto sax.

From 2006 he settled again in Barcelona and joined groups such as planeta imaginario (Progressive Jazz Rock), Filthy Habits Ensemble (set dedicated to the instrumental music of Frank Zappa and Stravinski), Reptilian Mambo (mambo avant-garde), B.I.B (Orchestra of improvisers of Barcelona), IED8 (Free Jazz and free improvisation), October Equus (Rock, Contemporary) Outerzone (jazz progressive core) among others.

In 2013 he moved to Mexico City where he collaborated and joined groups such as Zero Point , SIC, Remi Álzarez 4, Chocolate Smoke Gang , Mexican American Jungle Orchestra Of Marco Eneidi, Spontaneous Generation, Carlos Marks, Teoqualo and other free jazz, improvisation and other outfits.

His current experience comes from interpreting in diverse groups, alongside Agustí Fernández, Liba Villavecchia, Barry Guy, Tom Chant, John Edwards, Agustí Martinez, Pablo Rega, Nuno Rebelo , Remi Älvarez , Marco Eneidi among others.

He has been published in more than thirty albums, released on Cuneiform Records, Altrock Records, Discordian Records and Audition Records and other labels.

With some of these groups he has appeared in different festivals of jazz, rock, and free improvisation in Europe, South America and Latin America."

-Don Malfon Website (https://www.donmalfon.com/copia-de-bio)
11/20/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

Fernando Barrios is a drummer and percussionist based on Ciudad de México, Mexico

11/20/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

Marco Albert is a vocalist and electronic artist, an Italian-born musician now based on Oaxaca, Mexico. He speaks Italian, Spanish and English, and works as an in-company Business English educator. He holds a degree in architecture, and also works as a translator. He runs the label Manic Discs.

-Squidco 11/20/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Misha Marks has been part of the Mexico City soundscape since emigrating from New Zealand in 2008. He explores the sonic possibilities of six wires attached to a box, extracting a surprising gamut of sounds through traditional guitaristic approaches as well as extended techniques that probe the physicality of the instrument and its sound-producing capabilities.

Born in Wellington, New Zealand he grew up near the dairy farming town of Karamea, on the West Coast of the South Island. He started playing guitar at the age of six and later studied jazz and classical guitar at Massey Conservatory of Music in Wellington for two years before abandoning academic studies. Outside of school walls he became involved in the creative music scene of Wellington, based around the intrepid music venue Happy, where he played regularly with local and visiting improvisers, worked at the bar and was the cleaner. After spending time living in Barcelona, Vienna and London he moved to Mexico City with the idea of staying for about six months, which has since become eleven years. He plays guitar, baritone horn and latarra (a homemade electric guitar made out of an old metallic first-aid box). He is active in diverse scenes throughout Mexico City playing numerous projects, such as Generación Espontánea, Carlos Marks, Teoqualo, Lágrimas del Cíclope Llorón, Trio Corazonantes, Héroes del Destierro, Doquier, I'm this, I'm that, Lodazal and occasionally with brass bands from the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca.

He has performed in festivals such as High Zero (Baltimore) No Idea Festival (Austin TX) Cha'ak'ab Paaxil, (Mérida, MX) Finse Jazz, (Norway) Music Matters (Colombo, Sri Lanka) Mexico Now (New York) Glatt & Verkehrt (Krems, Austria) Wellington Jazz Festival (NZ) Visiones Sonoras (Morelia, MX) and together with musical accomplice Carlos Alegre organizes the experimental music series Derrepente Enderredor, in Mexico City."

-Misha Marks Website (https://mishamarks.jimdofree.com/bio/)
11/20/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.


Track Listing:



SIDE A



1. Cuando los vivos comenzaron a salir 04:27

2. Ganas de volver al corral 03:11

3. Me mato un novillo 04:48

4. Oyo alla atras su propia voz 06:26

SIDE B



1. Quien sabe que clase de revoltosos sean 03:15

2. Aquello ya no tiene remedio 05:28

3. Las urgencias del cuerpo 04:54

Related Categories of Interest:


Cassettes
Physical Releases that include Download Codes
Improvised Music
Free Improvisation
Quartet Recordings
Unusual Vocal Forms
Mexico, Central & South Americas + Islands

Search for other titles on the label:
Eh?.


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