FREE POP UP CONCERT!!

An instrumental group that actually is as hard to pigeon-hole as itʼs membership suggests, Chatoyant burst on to the Detroit music scene a little less than a year ago. Although the work of all four members is relatively well known there, Chatoyant represents a definite (if logical) deviation in their output. Collectively theyʼve tapped an energy that is distinctly from their individual work- or anyone elseʼs.

The mixture of spontaneous composition and rock aesthetics is nothing new- yet no one mines the potential of this combination in quite the same way as Chatoyant. Itʼs not a neck-up, intellectualized sound- though there are unrelentingly heady portions. But what dominates the sound is a Kaleidoscopic transformation of ideas that seamlessly moves the music forward into an improvised form. From tranquil to explosive, dense to spare, the band draws on the full range of musical expression and imbues it with a rhythmic intensity thatʼs an inditement of the temped state of rock music.

Guitarist Matt Smith has had a long and quietly influential career in Detroit music. Locally heʼs best known as the guitarist/singer of the psychedelic-pop perfection quartet Outrageous Cherry and as co-vocalist and guitarist in early alt-country pioneers The Volebeats, both of which are still active after about 20 years. But his most high profile gigs are playing guitar with (Sixto) Rodriguez and keys in Crime and the City Solution. Heʼs produced records and played with a range of artists, including raw-soul legend Andre Williams and early garage-rock icon and producer Kim Fowley; Mattʼs also gigged behind Damo Suzuki and Rhys Chatham and uses Crazy Jimʼs guitar amp.

Drummer Crazy James Baljo is best known as the new guitarist of noise darlings Wolf Eyes, but he performs beautiful American Primitive guitar and (real) tape loop solo sets under the misleading moniker The 696 Blues Band. Crazy James was the original drummer of art-damaged punk outfit Human Eye and he plays his own drum kit.

Although heʼs had a notable career on double-bass and other strings, Joel Peterson only plays Crazy Jimʼs Fender Rhodes piano in Chatoyant. His diverse range of projects includes outer-limits improvisation in two groups with pianist Thollem McDonas (Soar Trio and BoxDeserter);2o year ethnic-rock hybrid Immigrant Suns; automaton-fueled art music with Frank Pahlʼs Scavenger Quartet; Afrobeat with Fela Kuti alumni Adeboye Adegbenro (Odu); and groups with Detroit free jazz leading lights: Faruq Z. Bey, Skeeter Shelton, Michael Carey and Kenneth Green (Faruq Z Bey Quartet, Kindred, Absolute Tonalist Society, Spectrum 3). Heʼs played with Jack Wright, Tatsuya Nakatani, Eugene Chadbourne, Rhys Chatham, Damo Suzuki, Amy Denio, Steve Cohn, Elliott
Sharp and many others.

Marko Novachcoff plays nearly every wind instrument in the world, from all corners ofthe globe. His versatility has put him in demand for many musical situations- including most of those mentioned above. His recorded output is most evident with the group Only A Mother and on Frank Pahlʼs various other projects. In addition, heʼs played with Lamont Young, Marcus Belgrave, Gerri Allen, Wendell Harrison, The Shaking Ray Levis, LaDonna Smith and other jazz, improvised and New Music notables. Crazy Jim doesnʼt have any wind instruments, so Marko plays his own.

https://soundcloud.com/chat0yant

This show is free with a $10 suggested donation.