The Squid's Ear Magazine


Believe (Farrar / Manojlovic / Thomas / Pike): Spirits Of The Dead Are Watching (Relative Pitch)

The debut of Sydney-based quartet Believe-Peter Farrar (alto saxophone), Novak Manojlovic (piano), Clayton Thomas (double bass), and Laurence Pike (drums)-unleashes three expansive improvisations of visceral energy and nuanced intimacy, blending extended techniques, shifting textures, and percussive interplay into a powerful free jazz statement that feels as natural as wind and waves.
 

Price: $13.95



Quantity:

In Stock

Quantity in Basket: None

Log In to use our Wish List
Shipping Weight: 3.00 units

Sample The Album:





Product Information:

Personnel:



Peter Farrar-alto saxophone, percussion

Novak Manojlovic-piano, percussion

Clayton Thomas-double bass, percussion

Laurence Pike-drums, percussion

Click an artist name above to see in-stock items for that artist.



UPC: 5904224874636

Label: Relative Pitch
Catalog ID: RPR1239
Squidco Product Code: 36750

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2025
Country: USA
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold
Recorded at Golden Retriever studios, in Sydney, Australia, on July 17th and 18th, 2023, by Simon Berckelman.
Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

Artist Biographies

Peter Farrar is a Sydney-based saxophonist known for his work in improvisational and experimental music. He has been involved with several avant-garde ensembles and is recognized for his innovative approach to the saxophone.

-Squidco 10/1/2025

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

"Sydney-based pianist, Novak Manojlovic first began playing piano at age eight. He went on to study at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music from 2012-2016 where he honed his craft as an improviser and composer, studying under pianists Mike Nock and Matt McMahon (Freedman Jazz Fellow 2005). Novak has led his own diverse projects and collaborated extensively in the pop music scene, acting as a musical director, arranger and touring musician for Ngaiire, Sampa the Great, Wallace and Martha Marlow. Novak has been quickly gaining recognition for his expressive approach, and since finishing his studies has been composing and performing with his subversive piano trio 'HEKKA', electro-acoustic outfit Colourfields and his large ensemble Grown Ocean throughout Australia."

-Music Trust E-Zine (https://musictrust.com.au/loudmouth/2019-freedman-jazz-fellow-freedman-classical-finalists/)
10/1/2025

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

"Double Bassist Clayton Thomas was born 1976, in Hobart, Australia. Inspired by the sound, velocity and social movements of jazz, Clayton has dedicated his musical life to finding a personal truth that links his own cultural life as a white Australian, with the radical, far reaching pursuits found within the creative music. What he can't find as a bass player, he searches for in the organisation of unreasonably large ensembles.

Clayton Thomas relocated in Sydney, Australia, in 2014. Clayton is currently not a regular member of the Splitter Orchester, but he was part of the 2014 concert @ MaerzMusik and he'll also take part in the 2015 concerts in Berlin and Huddersfield."

-Splitter Orchester Website (http://www.berlinsplitter.org/index.php?article_id=104)
10/1/2025

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

"Laurence Pike is a prolific drummer/composer/producer and one Australia's most respected creative musicians. He has released solo albums to critical acclaim and toured the world with his bands PVT (formerly Pivot), Triosk, Szun Waves and as a member of US/Aus savant-punk group LIARS.

Pike's work explores the language of improvisation within disciplines, with an emphasis on listening, presence, and human experience through real time composition, drawing on a musical value system developed over two decades.

Equally at home in the worlds of rock, electronics, jazz and improvised music, he continues to work with his internationally acclaimed group and Warp Records alumni PVT, which has performed with the likes of Sigur Rós, Arctic Monkeys and Yellow Magic Orchestra. 2016 saw the release of Szun Waves' debut album, At Sacred Walls, a collaboration with Luke Abbott on modular synthesiser and Portico Quartet's Jack Wyllie on saxophone. It was followed by New Hymn To Freedom in 2018 and Earth Patterns in 2022.

Pike's debut solo album was also released in 2018; originally conceived as a technological and spiritual jazz suite for drums, Distant Early Warning is a series of solo performances for kit and sampler recorded live in a single day. It was followed in 2019 by the acclaimed Holy Spring, which was thematically inspired by the pagan fertility myths of Stravinsky's Rite Of Spring. Prophecy (2020) was created during the height of Australia's recent catastrophic fires, with the music channelling the moment through Pike's singular, organic use of electronics, and intuitively constructed arrangements.

2024 sees the realisation of his most ambitious solo project yet. The Undreamt-of Centre is an evocative, contemporary reimagining of the requiem mass. The album draws on the sounds of modern classical music, Japanese environmental ambient music, fourth world electronics, free jazz and the choral traditions of Estonia. Featuring the VOX Sydney Philharmonia Choir, conducted by Pike's childhood friend, composer Sam Lipman, the album was recorded in a 19th century Gothic church in Sydney.

Pike has produced and performed two acclaimed duo albums with legendary jazz pianist Mike Nock, is a member of Jack Ladder & The Dreamlanders, records with award winning Australian singer/songwriter Sarah Blasko, and 4AD recording artist D.D Dumbo, and has collaborated with artists as diverse as Bill Callahan, Jan Jelinek, Charles Bullen (This Heat), Daniel Johns (Silverchair) and ECM recording artist Kit Downes."

-Laurence Pike Website (https://laurence-pike.squarespace.com/bio)
10/1/2025

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


Track Listing:
Related Categories of Interest:


Improvised Music
Free Improvisation
Jazz
Collective & Free Improvsation
Australian Improvisers, Composers and Experimenters
Quartet Recordings
New in Improvised Music
Recent Releases and Best Sellers

Search for other titles on the label:
Relative Pitch.


Recommended & Related Releases:
Morris, Joe / Brad Barrett / Beth Ann Jones
Abstract Forest
(Relative Pitch)
Celebrating guitarist Joe Morris's 70th, this trio with Brad Barrett on cello and Beth Ann Jones on bass unfolds with deliberate restraint and deep listening, Morris layering textures around Barrett's lyrical and percussive bowing while Jones anchors with sculptural, propulsive bass, the group seamlessly shifting between spacious intimacy and taut collective momentum in an immersive improv dialogue.
Doneda, Michel / Frederic Blondy
Points Of Convergences [2 CDs]
(Relative Pitch)
Recorded in the extraordinary resonance of Paris's Saint-Merry Church, this double album captures soprano and sopranino saxophonist Michel Doneda in duo with pianist Frédéric Blondy, their improvisations unfolding in deep dialogue with the architecture itself, as tones and textures expand into the vast acoustics, creating immersive, luminous soundscapes of remarkable depth and presence.
Rave, Ada / Marta Warelis
Peel Mondo
(Relative Pitch)
In a live set at Amsterdam's club & workspace Splendor, Argentinian tenor/sopranino explorer Ada Rave and Polish pianist Marta Warelis shape an intimate but volatile dialogue, fusing air, resonance, clusters, and melody into patient arcs that bloom from microscopic detail to surging release, a great example of the city's improvising community at their most attentive and fearless.
Foster / Crawford / Sullivan
Against Proper Objects
(Relative Pitch)
The debut of saxophonist Michael Foster, guitarist and banjo player Webb Crawford, and drummer Joey Sullivan, a free trio whose quirky yet technically impressive improvisations shift from sax shouts and overblown tones to frenetic banjo and guitar textures, driven by metallic percussion into a dense but dynamic interplay that combines raw energy with finely detailed, unpredictable explorations.
Mayas, Magda / Jim Denley
One Another
(Relative Pitch)
An immersive meeting of Berlin pianist Magda Mayas and Australian flutist Jim Denley, ffollowing up on their 2017 Relative Pitch release, Tempe Jetz, as they weave flutes, piano, and percussive objects into a delicately balanced exchange where subtle gestures and resonant detail create a patient yet gripping exploration of texture, breath, and sonic space.
Denley, Jim / Dale Gorfinkel / Peter Farrar
Vents
(Relative Pitch)
An unconventional Australian trio exploring breath, vibration, and material resonance, as flutist Jim Denley, airdrum inventor Dale Gorfinkel, and sonic sculptor Peter Farrar create a richly textured world of wind, water, and pressure in two improvised pieces of organic, immersive sound, recorded in Sydney and shaped by the physical vitality of their experimental instruments.
Sound the Alarm (Clayton Thomas + Ensemble)
Sound the Alarm
(Relative Pitch)
A powerful and socially driven project from a large ensemble founded by Clayton Thomas to musically and culturally respond to the ongoing genocide in Palestine, blending composed improvisation with collective human energy; recorded live on June 27, 2024, this performance stands as a sonic act of solidarity, reflection, and bearing witness, with all proceeds donated to support humanitarian efforts in Gaza.
Buck, Tony / Mark Nauseef
Mongrels
(Relative Pitch)
Using a wide assortment of guitars (electric, baritone, arch top acoustic, bass) + monochord, waterphone & zulu bells, Necks drummer and multi-instrumentalist Tony Buck joins with percussionist Mark Nauseef performing on bells and gongs for seven exotic improvisations rich in overtones, microtonal movement, ringing harmonics and hybrid motion.
Rose, Jon
State of Play [2 CDs]
(Recommended Records)
An expansive double album from Australian violinist and mad genius Jon Rose, in solo, duo and odd orchestral settings, including tracks with Jim Denley, Clayton Thomas, Robbie Avenaim, &c.; a project with a 32-string automaton violin + string ensemble; a work for a casino-music driven player-piano; a dueling banjo and interactively bowed violin, &c. &c.; masterfully inexplicable!
Avenaim, Robbie / Chris Abrahams / Jim Denley
Weft
(Relative Pitch)
The Australian trio of percussionist Robbie Avenaim, keyboard player Chris Abrahams performing on a Waldorf Q+ Synthesiser and bass flutist Jim Denley, all compatriots in a variety of groupings, in an extended studio improvisation of spacious textures and rapidly understated percussive elements, aptly titled for the weaving and cris-crossing threads on a loom.
Microfiche (Alduca / Calligeros / Conner / Gill / Manojlovic / Murphy-Haste / Schack-Arnott)
Everything and Other Infinities
(Creative Sources)
The 2nd release from this Sydney, Austrlian acoustic sextet, creating subtle yet dynamic improvisations influenced by the musical concepts of John Cage and Morton Feldman, balancing contemplative sections with building surges, these works developed on their 2019 Europe tour, which included performances at Copenhagen Jazz Festival as well as shows in Berlin and Stockholm.
Johnson, Hermione
Tremble
(Relative Pitch)
Using an imaginative set of piano preparations, Auckland, New Zealand pianist Hermione Johnson draws unusual timbral and tonal qualities from the prepared piano, deftly improvising with dexterous technical skills to create unusual rhythmic and timbral environments, each a marvelous, miniature universe of unexpected voicings, evoking gongs, guitars, kotos, &c.
Rose, Jon
Rosin [3 CDs + 1 Data Disk + Book]
(Recommended Records)
A 3 CD box set with a booklet and bow hair marking violinist/conceptualist Jon Rose's 60th birthday, all previously unreleased works ranging from radio documentary and radio fiction to virtuoso performances using acoustic violin and his hyperstring interactive bow system.
Ames Room, The
Bird Dies
(Clean Feed)
Bringing the lineage of saxophone trios into the 21st century, saxophonist Jean-Luc Guionnet, bassist Clayton Thomas and drummer Will Guthrie performed this extended recording live in Lille, France.



Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought:
Normand, Eric
Dur Temps Pour les Rouges [CASSETTE w/ DOWNLOAD]
(Peanote Records)
A collaborative project by Éric Normand, Dur Temps Pour les Rouges (Hard Times for the Reds.) combines recordings from 2020-2025 by a large ensemble of voices, horns, strings, guitars, drums, synths, and electronics to realize a textured and emotionally rich sound world: intimate and expansive, lyrical and experimental, a striking and immersive listening experience.
Lock, Graham
Forces In Motion - The Music And Thoughts Of Anthony Braxton [BOOK]
(Da Capo Press)
Documenting Anthony Braxton's 1985 UK tour with his classic quartet, Forces in Motion combines travel diary, interviews, and essays to present both the warmth of Braxton's personality and the depth of his visionary musical and philosophical project, offering an essential introduction to his art and a profound exploration of sound, creativity, and spirit.
Weiss, Dan (w/ Evans / Okazaki / Brennan)
Unclassified Affections
(Pi Recordings)
Drummer and composer Dan Weiss brings together Peter Evans (trumpet), Patricia Brennan (vibraphone), and Miles Okazaki (guitar) in a set of compositions written for their distinct voices, shifting from meditative calm to intense peaks, weaving intricate contrapuntal textures and improvisations into a mysterious and transcendent collective sound.
Fieldwork (Iyer / Lehman / Sorey)
Thereupon
(Pi Recordings)
Seventeen years after their last recording, the New York trio of Steve Lehman (alto saxophone), Vijay Iyer (piano, Rhodes), and Tyshawn Sorey (drums) reunite with dense, high-impact compositions and fearless interplay, blending complexity with groove as they reaffirm their status as one of the most vital ensembles in contemporary improvised music.
Henry Threadgill
Listen Ship
(Pi Recordings)
Composer Henry Threadgill conducts a suite for six acoustic guitars and two pianos, bringing together Bill Frisell, Miles Okazaki, Brandon Ross, Gregg Belisle-Chi, Jerome Harris, Stomu Takeishi, Maya Keren, and Rahul Carlberg in an intricately orchestrated work whose intervallic syntax and meticulous counterpoint entwine with unexpected timbres to reveal his singular and sublime vision.
Schenck, Beth Quintet (w/ Mezzacappa / Wright / Glenn / Wrobel)
Dahlia
(Queen Bee Records)
Blending lush harmonies, rhythmic twists, and inspired interplay, alto saxophonist and composer Beth Schenck leads a Bay Area quintet of Cory Wright, Matt Wrobel, Lisa Mezzacappa, and Jordan Glenn in a set of fiercely original compositions that traverse ethereal soundscapes and propulsive forms, reflecting deep musical relationships, artistic nuance, and a richly personal voice.
Earscratcher (Harnik / Rempis / Lonberg-Holm / Daisy)
Otoliths
(Aerophonic)
The transatlantic quartet of Elisabeth Harnik (piano), Dave Rempis (saxophones), Fred Lonberg-Holm (cello), and Tim Daisy (drums) in their second album, recorded live at the North St. Cabaret in Madison, WI, weaving surges of energy with passages of lyricism, deep timbral exploration, and spacious formal development, balancing ferocity and subtlety in a richly detailed and dynamic collective architecture.
Necks, The
Disquiet [3 CDs]
(Northern Spy)
Schulze, Phillip (w/ Anthony Braxton / Christian Jendreiko / Andrew Raffo Dewar / Detlef Weinrich)
Ambassador Duos [DOUBLE VINYL + CD]
(apparent extent)
Spanning a decade of collaborations, this double LP and CD set presents Phillip Schulze's electro-acoustic responsive instrument in dialogue with Anthony Braxton, Christian Jendreiko, Andrew Raffo Dewar, and Detlef Weinrich, each duo exploring transidiomatic communication through improvisations that merge analog and digital realities, resulting in vivid encounters of texture, gesture, and sonic imagination.
Stabbins, Larry / Mark Sanders
Cup & Ring
(Discus)
Bringing together two major figures of UK improvisation, saxophonist Larry Stabbins - long associated with innovators like Mike Westbrook, Keith Tippett, and Robert Wyatt - and percussionist Mark Sanders (Paul Dunmall, John Butcher, Veryan Weston, &c) in 2024 Bristol sessions captured with stunning clarity, their 1st-take performances unfolding as thoughtful, exploratory dialogs of texture, rhythm, and timbre.
Shifa (Musson / Thomas / Sanders)
Ecliptic
(Discus)
The trio of Rachel Musson on tenor saxophone, Pat Thomas on piano, and Mark Sanders on drums perform as Shifa, their 46-minute improvisation moving through fiery intensity and spacious reflection in a cohesive journey shaped by deep trust, attentive listening, and fearless exploration, captured live at London's Café Oto in 2023.
Thomas / Lash / Orrell
Lifeline
(Discus)
Breaking away from their acoustic trio Bleyschool, the long-standing partnership of Pat Thomas, Dominic Lash, and Tony Orrell reconfigure as Lifeline, trading piano, bass, and drums for keyboards, electroacoustic percussion, and electric guitar in a spontaneous studio performance that channels noise, dance, and rock energy into electrified free improv brimming with risk, tension, and surprise.




The Squid's Ear Magazine

The Squid's Ear Magazine

© 2002-, Squidco LLC