Biography
Dave Stone: bass clarinet, soprano saxophone Jay Zelenka: alto saxophone, flutes Jeremy Melsha: trombone Derek Leu: electric guitar Ajay Khanna: E-flat Clarinet Aaron Smith: soprano clarinet Mike Fitzgerald: trumpet
The Free Jazz Posse plays uncompromising 100 percent free improvisation without gestures towards other music genres or cliche formats. Formed initially as a wind ensemble in the late 90s, the core group of Zelenka, Melsha, Stone and Khanna has recorded extensively over the last decade both as a quartet and with numerous "guest" musicians. The FJP is nominally led by Zelenka, a veteran improviser whose free jazz roots go back to the 70's & 80's with such seminal St. Louis "free music" groups as The Human Arts Ensemble, EXILES (featured on Leo Records: STRANDED IN PARADISE) & Malik King's Emerging Forces.
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Fanfares is the first of several CD projects covering these years. Various musicians have come and gone and the initial format of an all-winds ensemble has evolved like the music itself in unpredicted ways. While the original conception has long been abandoned, the group still operates in most incarnations without a rhythm section. Often the drive or pulse comes from electric guitarist, Derek Leu or laptop synth player Ajay Khanna. Stone, a working Jazz musician (The Dave Stone Trio, St. Louis Jazz X-Tet) is well known locally as a tenor player and in the FJP is heard on his other horns as well (baritone & soprano sax; bass, alto & soprano clarinet). Melsha, with roots as a heavy metal electric bass player, is heard on trombone. Zelenka plays alto sax & flutes on FANFARES, adding on more recent recordings soprano and C-melody saxophones. Years of playing together have honed a characteristic style of improv, high on communication & interplay, totally freewheeling in structure.
The Free Jazz Posse represents through its music a total commitment to freedom & choice and the requisite responsibilities, socially and artistically. A newly recorded Cd, CITY OF LIGHT featuring the wind trio of Melsha, Stone & Zelenka, with Khanna on laptop synths and Leu once again on electric guitar documents the Free Jazz Posse's most recent work and will be available later this year.
Review: The Live Music Report May 2008
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.