Album Notes

Formed in 1989 by four of the current members, Clamnation began life as the blues/punk combo The Clams. As the members’ musical interests drifted towards Latin jazz and the post-bop explorations of artists like Charles Mingus, Sun Ra, and John Coltrane, The Clams folded but was expanded and retooled to form the first version of
Clamnation, which performed around Milwaukee from 1990 -1995. The current version of the band was assembled in February of 1996 and, with some minor changes in personnel, has been performing around southeast Wisconsin ever since. Clamnation continues to honor its previous influences, but has also incorporated the modern
approaches of Dave Holland, Ben Allison, Woody Shaw, and Chris Potter in both the covered and original material it performs.

Clamnation has performed at Milwaukee area events such as Summerfest, River Splash, the Third Ward Summer Sizzle Jazz Festival, and River Rhythms. They have also been an invited performer at UW-Madison’s “Behind the Beat” jazz series. The group is a mainstay at popular Milwaukee hangouts like the Highbury Pub, the Jazz Estate, the Nomad World Pub, and Bar Lulu. The summer months of 2006 have Clamnation slated for some exciting performances at new venues like the Sol Fire Lounge (Milwaukee, WI) and the Outdoor Festival of the Arts (Sheboygan, WI), and cool festivals like Summerfest (Milwaukee, WI) and the long-running Jazz in the Park (Milwaukee, WI).

With three recordings to their credit, and the newest, Volume III: Malacology, drawing rave reviews from local and national press, Clamnation is continuing its tradition of restless exploration into and fusion of the rhythmic roots and modern harmonic concepts of jazz.

Clamnation features:

Jamie Breiwick: Trumpet, flugelhorn
Mike Pauers: Baritone and tenor saxes
Brian Dietz: Guitar
Dave Dinauer: Bass
Tom Presser: Congas, percussion
Jay Arpin: Drums, percussion