Album Notes

The Incense Merchants are an avant/semble", a collection of classically trained musicians tapping into the stream of free improvisation . Although nothing is predetermined in any detail, there are certain tendencies to the performances that reflect the various backgrounds and interests of the musicians--classical, conceptual, ambient, free jazz, popular Brazilian, etc.

Although somewhat counterintuitive, this in practice results in a fairly consistent sound: a cinematic fusion of genres and periods that is frequently a melodic minimalism at base, with some self-indulgence free form expressionism on top, something akin to the Lounge Lizards, Kronos Quartet, and John Zorn.

These pieces are pulled from 3 live performances.