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Welcome
to my multimedia site!
All of the music presented
here represents different facets of my playing and composition.
Virtually all of my music is deeply rooted in improvisation -- not just
in the jazz idiom, but Western classical, Middle Eastern, East Indian,
African, and Indonesian. I am very fortunate to have worked
with many fine musicians, many of whom you will hear in these
recordings. I welcome any comments
you might have.
For an explanation of why I am giving my music away, please read this excellent page
by saxophonist Steve Coleman.
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[ For my saxophone, brass and woodwind engraving site, visit dumarsengraving.com ]
NEWS:
12/29/06: I just added some
very exciting material recorded live on KBOO radio in Portland between
midnight and 3am on November 18th, 2006. This was an impromptu
gathering of some GREAT musicians! The line-up is Fred Chalenor
on upright bass/electronics/electric bass, Scott Brazieal on keyboard,
Henry Franzoni on drum machine, Courtney Von Drehle on
accordian/soprano sax, Frank DuFey on keyboard, and me on alto/soprano
sax. In the booth, Jay Bozich was altering my sound with effects
in real time. The performance is in 3 parts:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Lastly... before Pere Soto headed back to Barcelona, he and I recorded
over an hour of improvised music. I will be mastering this
material and posting it hopefully before the move to Nashville.
You'd swear it was at least 3 people, especially when Pere is playing
guitar and piano simultaneously, while I loop electronic sax, play live
soprano and Gu Zheng all at once. It sounds really, really good,
and I'll be excited to get it done. Stay tuned!
12/22/06: I just
completed the rough master of material recorded by me, drummer Joseph
Janiga (from Klezmocracy), and the amazing
Barcelona lefty guitarist Pere Soto. I called this "A Tragedy in
2 Acts" since it was 2 improvisations done literally back-to-back that
paint an amazing sonic soundscape. Listening to it is like
watching a movie. Sometimes it's jazz, other times rock. It
dips in and out of melody, form and time. All in all, I am
incredibly happy with it. It's an hour well spent if you have a
fast Internet connection and can download the files.
DuMars/Janiga/Soto
- A Tragedy in 2 Acts: Act One
(47 MB)
DuMars/Janiga/Soto - A Tragedy in 2 Acts: Act Two
(73 MB)
I was
recently honored by the site
MP3Jackpot.com which slected my song "Science Will Save Us?" from Songs from Oil City as
the MP3 of the day! Apparently a panel of judges reviews many
songs submitted to the site and makes their recommendation.
On a more personal note, I am soon to be leaving Portland, Oregon for
Nashville, Tennessee! There are a lot of reasons behind the move,
both personal and professional. I am excited for the new
opportunities it will present, but will also miss my friends and fellow
musicians here. I'll probably continue to write about the move on
my blog.
Finally, I
will be recording a new and exciting album with Klezmocracy before I
move from Portland. This recording will be a permanent record of
the best group I have ever had the privilege of playing with.
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Some
Critical Quotes:
~ Jason's thematic statement is stretched
out, no telling when the improvisation begins . . . chromatically
grounded, but free . . . insinuating the theme, not quite stating
it. Lots of emotional texture, bold, bright, and raucous, then
quiet and contemplative. Jason's obvious mastery of his instruments
makes him seem like a fountain of music. I can't wait to see what
he comes up with next! -- Jim Corcoran
~ New
Land Jazz
~
Propelled
by the same eclectic New York
avant-jazz tendencies as works by Erik Friedlander, Marc Ribot and
Anthony Coleman, Singuularity masterfully showcases the emotive modes
of Portland alto sax innovator, Jason DuMars. His stark changes and
drastic sound shifts convey a wide array of moods and feelings.
"Prelude," the first of the album's 12 tracks, quickly demonstrates how
DuMars uses his sax to paint pictures: It opens with a subtle passage
that radiates a lilting feeling of serenity, then strikes a more
intense motif by building into a massive wall of multi-saxed
dissonance. That he's unaccompanied on more than half of these songs
is, considering the emotional territory he treads upon, almost
unbelievable. --
Jeff
Fuccillo
~ Willamette
Week
~
It
is strong modern music leaning in the jazz
direction courtesy of Jason DuMars' saxophone playing. As improvised
material it is interesting but it is the attention to detail and sound
that make this a winning piece of music. Terms like "serious
composition" can some times be the kiss of death but if you want to
hear what trained musicians with chops and a taste for the unique can
do this is a good place to start. If you don't get it at first listen a
couple of times. This is music that may require repeated listening.
Much of DuMar's work deals with textures of sound. That he can play his
instrument well is a bonus. If you like John Zorn, Tim Berne or modern
music in general I can't think of a reason why you won't enjoy this
excellent work. -- Bruce Satinover ~ Pokerstick Review
~
Jason
DuMars is the face of the modern avant
garde saxophone. Webmaster and contributor of The
International Saxophone Home Page- the world’s
largest saxophone Internet site, he is also the author of the Saxophone
Buyer’s Guide and the Saxophone Blue Book. In
his spare
time, such that he has, he has earned a growing reputation as being at
the forefront of sax composition and improvisation.
Singuarity
is his latest work. It is a collaboration with some of the most
influential avante garde musicians around – Bob Drake of Thinking
Plague on guitar, bass and drums, Ned Rothenberg of Powerlines and
Double Band on alto sax and bass claninet, Chris Cutler of Henry Cow,
Cassiber and EC Nudes on drums, Tomas Dimuzio on "live processing",
Doug Theriault on guitars and noises, and Jennifer Limbaugh on vocals.
The album was produced and mixed by Bob Drake deep in the Pyrenees in
France. -- Frank Blades ~ Alternate View
~
This
is a fascinating c.d. of saxophone based
partly improvised music. Henry Cow main man Chris Cutler puts in an
appearance on one track as well as another two sax players. Tracks such
as "Funny Farm" prove that Jason DuMars has a sense of humour so often
missing in the field of improvised music. It's not all squally Albert
Aylerisms either, track 7 "oom" starts out as a lovely lo-fi indie tune
before descending into a swirl of sax chaos. I know that this is a c.d.
I will be listening to and recommending to friends. -- Chris Baldwin ~ Acid
Attack Records
~ This material is pleasantly loose and
energetic with indeterminate ethnic overtones. There is a lot of
engaging full on action that keeps things interesting and highly
unpredictable. It's hard to believe that he did this entire thing one
track at a time. Bravo Jason! -- David Valdez ~ Casa Valdez Studios
~ Jason
DuMars' elevating sax work and his own subtle accompaniment on "Science
Will Save Us (?)" all create a whole greater than the sum of the parts.
Minimal vocals creep in like graffiti tags on a porous musical wall. --
MP3Jackpot.com
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Groups I perform
with:
Articles I have written:
Feature
Articles:
Saxophone Technique:
Special Features:
Photos:
Podcasts:
Video:
Music For
Download:
Jason DuMars/Scott Brazieal/Fred Chalenor/Henry Franzoni/Courtney Von
Drehle/Frank DuFey -- Live on KBOO 11/18/06
This was
an impromptu gathering of some GREAT musicians! The line-up is
Fred
Chalenor on upright bass/electronics/electric bass, Scott Brazieal on
keyboard, Henry Franzoni on drum machine, Courtney Von Drehle on
accordian/soprano sax, Frank DuFey on keyboard, and me on alto/soprano
sax. In the booth, Jay Bozich was altering my sound with effects
in
real time. The performance is in 3 parts:
Part 1 (58
MB)
Part 2
(123 MB)
Part 3
(23 MB)
Jason DuMars/Joseph Janiga/Pere Soto -- A Tragedy in 2 Acts (November
2006)
This amazing
recording paints an hour-long movie in your mind's eye, as you travel
through many different sonic landscapes... some familiar, and others
completely new and alien. The recording was done in 2 improvised
pieces, back-to-back with no edits, breaks or overdubs. The group
is composed of :
Joseph Janiga: drums and
percussion
Jason DuMars: soprano, alto,
tenor saxophones, flute, clarinet, keyboards, cello, baglama saz,
effects, and percussion
Pere Soto: Guitar, effects,
keyboards (sometimes all at the same time!)
These are large files, so a fast Internet connection is required.
Act One (47 MB)
Act Two (73 MB)

Resolution 57 -- live on KMHD FM
Resolution
57 is a free-jazz-esque trio lead by drummer and music writer Tim DuRoche. On bass is
Bob Jones. This was recorded live on KMHD radio in Portland,
Oregon as part of their "Homegrown Jazz" program. This group focuses on
using jazz standards as loose frameworks for extended improvisation,
weaving melody and rhythm in and out.
High Noon
(10.4 MB) -- Yep, the theme from the Gary Cooper movie... written
by Dmitri Tiomkin
Sweet
Georgia Bright (8.8 MB) -- A great and underplayed standard by
Charles Lloyd
Contemplation
(15.7 MB) -- A lilting version of McCoy Tyner's beautiful
yet unsettling waltz
Sketches for 2006 unreleased solo album
These
are rough sketches from my current solo album. I play saxes, drum
set, piano, bass, banjo, guitar, jaw harp, and whatever else is
lying around.
Angry Bees Chased me
out of the Outhouse (9.9
MB) -- my favorite song so far for this recording
Energy
Crunch (7.3 MB) -- Lyrics by National Geographic, Special
Energy Issue
February 1981
I do not love a
parade (3.2 MB) -- living in
an apartment complex downtown makes you really learn to hate parades...
This thing goes
nowhere (7.9 MB) --
self-explanatory. This was just a random jam in 7
Cross-currents
(8.8 MB) -- Polyrhythmic jaw
harp fiesta that needs a melody still
Unreleased album
Pitch Lemmings 1990-1998
This
is material recorded with guitarist extraordinaire Douglas Theriault. We played in
a duo format for over a decade, exploring absolutely every possible
nook and cranny of free improvisation. These are among the last
recordings we made. Earlier recordings are likely lost in the
sands of time.
Track
1 (11 MB)
Track
2 (19.7 MB)
Track
3 (20.8 MB)
Track
4 (6.1 MB)
Track
5 (8.5 MB)
Track
6 (6.5 MB)
The album Songs From Oil City 2005
This
is my second solo album, and represents a radical departure from my
previous recordings. On this album I play over 15 different
instruments as well as integrating ambient sounds. This selection
of songs is really intended for headphone listening.
The album Singularity
Prelude
(4.6
MB)
Turns (4.1
MB)
Eagle
Creek/Transformed (4.9 MB)
Hospitality
(5.7 MB)
Quiet (2.8
MB)
Funny Farm
(2.7 MB)
Oom (3.9 MB)
Southampton
(4 MB)
Separation
(4.4 MB)
Herd (1.6
MB)
Fright
Train (4.5 MB)
Mystery
(4.0 MB)
Jason
DuMars / Ned
Rothenberg duo
This
was recorded
at Hoods Woods studio in 1999, and was intended for inclusion on
Singularity (see Turns, Quiet, and Separation). These were the
tracks I decided not to use, largely because of time issues, not
quality of the recording. Playing with Ned was an absolute
workout, both physically and mentally, and truly one of the most
enjoyable recording sessions I have undertaken. I have over 2
hours of live recording from the gig we did the previous evening that I
may include at some point.
Track 1
(3.3 MB)
Track 2
(6.0 MB)
Track 3
(9.4 MB)
Track 4
(7.1 MB)
Track 5
(7.3 MB)
Track 6
(7.1 MB)
DuMars,
Norton,
Didkovsky, Live at the Knitting Factory 10/99
This
recording was made of a live performance at the
Knitting Factory in New York
with myself, guitarist
Nick Didkovsky,
and drummer
Kevin Norton.
This gig was arranged "through the mail" so to speak, with only one
short rehearsal before the gig. It is a mix of composed material
interspersed and connected with improvised material.
Ballad of Dean
Mellberg (2.2 MB)
Knots (23.0 MB)
Eyes Bigger than
her forehead (10.1 MB)
Summer Wind
(7.3 MB)
Gigue Gone Wrong
(8.8 MB)
Fiction,
featuring
Jason DuMars
I
was part of the
band Fiction for almost 2 years. It was a nice mixture of
progressive rock and jazz, and allowed me a more structured outlet for
performances than the avant garde stuff I was playing the rest of the
time. These two recordings were of practices, which were
regularly digitally recorded. I was playing alto and Rhodes
piano, sometimes simultaneously as on Generations. Not the
tightest or greatest recordings in the world, but I am really happy
with the overall passion and energy.
Generations
(3.3 MB)
I thought
you were someone else (7.5 MB)
Improvised
Quartets
I
have always
been interested in multi-saxophone ensembles, and have been a performer
in several saxophone quartets over the years. One of my
frustrations with the small ensembles was the inability to break
completely free of written music, form, and even tempered tuning.
I started developing a technique of multitracking saxophone (and
eventually woodwind) quartets using "one-pass, one-session"
recording. I would lay tracks down one after the other with no
retakes or editing, so the spirit of improvisation was captured.
Obviously, there is some loss of spontenaeity, but overall the effect
is very immediate and direct. I am especially happy with the
three quartets that appeared on Singularity, two of which were recorded
in Studio midi Pyrenees in France. The first song, Prelude, is
what I consider my single best recording both from an improvisatory
angle and embodiment of my non-tempered tuning concepts. These
pieces were recorded over the last few years at home.
Mellow
- saxophone quartet (870KB)
Bliss -
saxophone quartet (3.5 MB)
Untitled Quartet
for Soprano sax, alto sax, clarinet and bass clarinet (7.5 MB)
Collage
- 2
bass clarinets and 2 short wave radios (3.1 MB)
Pays
du Cathare
This
was a very
dynamic and powerful trio that featured keyboardist Scott Brazieal (of
prog rock band
Cartoon fame),
drummer Randy Sanders, and myself on alto
saxophone exclusively. Although the band was together for several
years, we never got the momentum in place to record a full length
CD. These recordings are unfortunately low quality, but I am
overall happy with the music. We specialized in my very warped
interpretations of jazz standards, and the insertion of classical music
forms and even samples. My tune Calvary was recorded live during
a radio broadcast on KBOO FM in Portland, Oregon. The version of
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes was recorded during a house party. The
reverb was really out of control for most of the song, but you get the
basic idea.
Calvary
(5.1 MB)
Smoke Gets in
Your Eyes (5.2 MB)
Miscellaneous
Music
These
are just
miscellaneous recordings. The version of Groovin' Hard was
recorded during a rehearsal of the Jazz Express Big Band, which I used
to
lead and also play lead tenor in.
Groovin'
Hard (9.0 MB)
Updated 12/22/2006