PAXSELIN QUARTET IS:
Ken Ollis – drums
Bill Athens – bass
Chad Hensel – clarinets
Mary-Sue Tobin - saxophones
PAXSELIN QUARTET BIO:
Paxselin Quartet formed in the Fall of 2003, releasing their first album, A Guide To Desolation Wilderness, the following Spring. The album was well received by local and national jazz, avant and mainstream critics and generated a slew of new adjectives to describe the sound of the ensemble: “cool minimalism, avant skronk and meter shifting prog –jazz” – The Oregonian, “retro 1980s downtown NYC eclecticism that is rigorous and swinging “ - Willamette Week, “a unique, profoundly American flavor” – allaboutjazz.com, “classic postmodern transgression” – Willamette Week. After their first release Paxselin continued to build a cult following in Portland and branched out as well, accepting an invitation from members of the avant/jazz scene in Chicago to play showcases at several Improvised Music Series and venues in Chicago and Madison, WI. Upon return, and inspired by the scen e in Chicago, the members of Paxselin created the popular, “Paxselin Presents at Red and Black” music series, which ran every Thursday for two years, showcasing a variety of emerging and creative projects until the untimely demise of the Red and Black Café this past September. Paxselin continued to play at creative Portland venues ( Rotture, Someday Lounge, The Towne Lounge and others), and, in the Spring of 2007, the group was approached by Dusty York of Diatic Records and signed on, recording their second release, Hollow Earth, that summer. The album will be released by Diatic in November 2007 followed by a showcase at The Portland Jazz Festival in February 2008.
As a band, Paxselin continues to concentrate on unique compositions, visceral improvisations and a focused ensemble sound. The group remains a favorite of local jazz musicians, despite its infrequent performances, an insurmountable side effect when four members are all active, professional musicians with a variety of projects. Paxselin live shows are always compelling musical experiences and continue to impress even the most jaded jazz fans.
INFO ON THE NEW PAXSELIN CD: HOLLOW EARTH
Released and distributed through Diatic Records, www.diaticrecords.com
Recorded and mixed at Kung Fu Bakery by Bob Stark
Mastered by Ryan Foster at FREQ
Graphics by Chad Hensel
Inside Band Photography by a drunk guy on the streets of Madison, WI
PAXSELIN PRESS:
“This acoustic ensemble from Portland, Oregon gracefully covers much of the avant-jazz spectrum…klezmer derived melodies, swinging grooves, and a confident exploration of pulse free counterpoint…exuberant and well organized solos.” – Bill Meyer, Chicago reader, 4/7/2005
“There’s a fresh breeze blowing through ‘A Guide To Desolation Wilderness’ as if something peculiarly folkloric were gently stirring up the Paxselin Quartet’s more obvious antecedents in Ornette Coleman and Eric Dolphy….a unique, profoundly American flavor.” – Marc Meyers, allaboutjazz.com, 5/22/2005
“Eastern European musical flair and an All-American penchant for diversity. Reed players Hensel and Tobin cover the sonic range…..they interact freely, spin off with interpretive solos, and then they slide gracefully back into the theme structure – or they are just as likely to flow into a swinging bopish segment…” – Frank Rubalino, Cadence magazine, 8/2005
“With influences ranging from downtown New York City (John Zorn, Tim Berne, Tiny Bell’s Balkan-alia) to mid-‘60s progressive jazz (a la Mingus, Ornette and Carla Bley) mixed with a hodgepodge of shards from Zappa, Residents and Messiaen, Paxselin has a retro devotion to classic postmodern transgression.” – Tim DuRoche, Willamette Week, 5/2005
“Vibrant…brimming with ideas and influences.” – Marty Hughley, The Oregonian A&E, 1/7/2005
“I heard the first song from this CD on the radio (!) while driving, and pulled over so nothing would distract me while the song played. This is some amazing music - amazing enough that I had to find out who played it (the DJ didn't say). When I got near a computer I went to the radio station's web site and pulled up the playlist. That led me to CD-Baby, and I ordered the thing. I'm listening to it now, and enjoying it tremendously.” – A Guy From Oregon, off the Paxselin Quartet CDBaby page
INDIVIDUAL BIOS:
Ken Ollis – Drums
Ken Ollis has been playing the drums for nearly two decades, and has performed extensively throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe. He has played with a variety of jazz luminaries, in both straight-ahead and free settings, including Kenny Werner, Ingrid Jensen, Julian Priester, Mark Murphy, Dominique Eade, Roswell Rudd, Terrell Stafford, Bud Shank, John Stowell, Darrell Grant, John Gross, Dan Balmer, Rob Blakeslee, Rich Halley and Rob Scheps. He also regularly performs in other genres, including Afro-Cuban (with Pepé and the Bottle Blondes), African high-life (with Chata Addy and Susuma), blues (with Big Monti Amundson) and folk (with Jane Wright); he also leads his own band, Ollis and Associates, which performs his own compositions. He can be heard on several albums, including Pepé and the Bottle Blondes' Pambrosia, Jane Wrigh t's Southern Songs and Ballads, Dave Fleschner's At Home, Live at McPeet's, and Just Like You, The Michael Vlatkovich Tritet's Queen Dynamo, and The Tom McNalley Trio's self titled album. He has recorded with Miriam's Well, Jed Wilson, Billy Hagen, Paxselin Quartet, Bill Athens, Dan Gaynor, Chris Kalani Gabriel and Andrew Hoglund, among others. Ken lives in SE Portland.
Mary-Sue Tobin – Saxophones
MST is a busy Portland musician. Current performing ensembles include: Andrew Oliver Sextet, Portland Jazz Orchestra, Oregon Jazz Orchestra, Lily Wilde Orchestra, Pete Peterson Big Band, Music Population Orchestra, Xevi Nova, Cubaneo, Quadraphonnes, Portland Composer’s Orchestra, Swamp Cactus and The Groove. Mary Sue received both her B.M. in Jazz Studies and her M.M. in Saxophone Performance from Portland State University, where she also served as the graduate assistant in Jazz Studies. She has played and studied with many of Portland's leading jazz artists, including Glen Moore, Darrell Grant, Thara Memory, Rob Scheps and Alan Jones. She performs regularly with the Oregon Symphony Pops and Portland Center Stage (currently performing in Cabaret in the Kit Kat Orchestra) and has appeared at regional and international jazz festivals, sharing the stage with renowned jazz and R & B acts such as Dave Douglas, The Four Tops and The Temptations. She has toured internationally with the groups Dub Squad and Flatland, opening for legends like Herbie Hancock, Steel Pulse and Third World, and can be heard on numerous CDs, including her own quartet's latest album, released by Diatic records in the fall of 2007. MST lives in SE Portland.
Bill Athens – Bass
Bassist and composer Bill Athens was born and raised in Appleton, WI. Shortly after his twenty second birthday he moved to Portland Oregon to continue playing and composing creative music. Bill has played and/or continues to play with many great artists including: Trio Subtonic, Mary Kadderly, Darrell Grant, Dan Balmer, Jerry Hahn, Randy Porter, Nancy King, The Dave Mills/Carlton Jackson Big Band, and many others. He also occupied the bass chair on the Queen of the West river boat. He holds a BM from Portland State University where he studied bass with Ken Baldwin, Jazz studies with Darrell Grant and composition with Bryan Johanson. Currently, The Paxselin Quartet and The Bill Athens Quartet are his main creative projects. The Paxselin Quartet and The Bill Athens Quartets' albums will be available in winter. Bill lives in SE Portland.
Chad Hensel – Clarinets
Former mid-westerner, avid outdoorsman, painter and composer, Chad Hensel has played with nearly all the local "free" and avant garde luminaries including; Michael Vlatkovich, Rob Blakeslee, Jonas Tauber, Tim DuRoche, David Haney, Rich Halley, David Valdez and numerous others. While still a Wisconsonite Chad co-led, as guitarist and chief songwriter, the beloved cult metal band, Dr. Shrinker. In addition he led his own Portland based group, the Inquisition Ensemble, which featured not only his inventive clarinet playing but also his original compositions. Chad is currently working on two painting series and concentrating on the Paxselin Quartet as well as continuing to hold down his job as a woodwind repair technician at Wally's in Oregon City. Chad lives in SE Portland
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