Zane Carney releases his eclectic free jazz album, Alter Ego
The record features LA scene veterans Jerry Watts Jr, Gene Coye and Katisse Buckingham.
Zane Carney’s latest album, Alter Ego, arrives today (30 April). The record hears Carney lead a quartet of Los Angeles scene veterans through an exploration of free improvisation and modal jazz.
Alter Ego’s nine tracks include improvised tunes and musical experiments, along with two reimagined standards: Minority and Oleo.
The album also marks the debut of the Zane Carney Quartet, which features Jerry Watts Jr. on bass, Gene Coye on drums and Katisse Buckingham on woodwinds.
Carney explained in a statement one of his goals with Alter Ego was to capture the sound and feel of Los Angeles’ nocturnal jazz scene.
“I wanted this record to feel alive,” he said. “This is the first time my actual improvisational spirit is being expressed in recorded format. I wanted to capture the sparks that fly when Jerry, Gene, Katisse and I improvise together and document the untamed, almost manic spirit that LA’s late-night jazz scene has produced.”
The album, which was tracked to tape at Burbank’s Heritage Record Co, features many first-takes and no editing, Carney said. “We approached this session as one might approach an unmoderated debate: no judgement or rules, freely exploring new lands harmonically, whenever a member felt like leading the charge,” he said.
“I wanted us to be as nimble and agile as possible, so we could access that core flow state more readily. Every one of us served as a conversation-leader at different points on the record, and I think you hear that especially on songs like Alter and Lost.”
You can stream Alter Ego below:
You can pick up a digital copy of Alter Ego at orendarecords.bandcamp.com