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.

Critical Quotes
Groups I perform with
Articles Photos
Podcasts
Videos
Music
 [ 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. 



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


Groups I perform with:
Klezmocracy
Resolution 57
Research and Development


Articles I have written:

Feature Articles:
The tale of the Electric Saxophone
The Saxophone Buyer's Guide 2000
A Brief History of Selmer Saxophones
Saxophone Technique:
Altissimo for Alto Saxophone
Multiphonics for Alto Saxophone
More Multiphonics for Alto Saxophone
Special Features:
My Pilgrimage to Elkhart, Indiana


Photos:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10


Podcasts:
Portland Jazz Jams Podcast -- The Jason DuMars Trio (with Aaron Slick and Ross Davis)
Portland Jazz Jams Podcast -- Esoteric Music with David Valdez
Portland Jazz Jams Podcast -- Dan Raphael at Mississippi Pizza


Video:
Portland Jazz Jams TV Show -- The Jason DuMars Trio (with Tim DuRoche and Nobu Ozaki)
Portland Jazz Jams TV Show --
The Poetry of Dan Raphael with Jason DuMars


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.


El-Jadida

A Seagull Story (Part 1)

Science will save us (?)

A Seagull Story (Part 2)
Bells

For Olivier

25 Minutes in Oil City


The album
Singularity 
This was my first solo album and featured many fine musicians including Bob Drake (who also recorded, produced and mastered), Chris Cutler, Tom Dimuzio, Ned Rothenberg, Doug Theriault, and Jennifer Limbaugh. For more specifics about this recording, please see my Singularity Notes page.

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