Quartet 1991 Brad Shepik & Ron Samworth

• 1 Confluenza 05:27
• 2 Terrestrials 05:14
• 3 Bent House 05:47
• 4 Circa 05:06
• 5 Nightbirds 06:13
• 6 PLAW 06:06
• 7 Ramblin' 05:07
• 8 Way In 03:04
• 9 Song of Then 09:31
• Total Runtime 51:35

Info for Quartet 1991

Songlines’ first archival release, this previously unreleased 1991 collaboration between Vancouver’s Ron Samworth (leader of the group Talking Pictures) and Seattle-raised Brad Shepik features intense yet brooding two guitar, downtown-influenced jazz-rock and memorable, unheard original compositions plus Ornette Coleman and Robin Holcomb covers. Inspired by Frisell and Scofield but already sounding mostly like themselves, the guitarists explore everything from spacey group improv to a slightly twisted tango, an uptempo swinger, and sweeping multi-sectional pieces. Shepik’s unusual compositions and spirited playing anticipate his work in the trio BABKAS (Songlines, 1993-1996), and the music has historical interest as an attempt to develop a freer, ‘post-rock’ approach to guitar jazz far from fusion clichés. Michael Sarin’s bold, inventive drumming keeps things anchored. High quality analogue recording.

“A thoughtful composer and sensitive player with a keen ear for harmony and rhythmic nuance…[Shepik is] one of the most consistently creative and stimulating guitarist-composers on the scene today.” (Bill Milkowski, Jazz Times)

“Shepik’s exposure to a wide spectrum of music in the ‘70s and ‘80s anticipates the varied nature of his career...” (Eric Fine, DownBeat)

“Throughout, Shepik traverses a wonderfully inviting course, with crisp, questioning guitar lines that might as easily shift into biting fits of joy as drift into echoing fields of pensiveness…both universally vital and intensely personal.” (Matt Marshall, AllAboutJazz)

Brad Shepik, electric guitar (l. channel)
Ron Samworth, electric guitar (r. channel)
Phil Sparks, bass
Michael Sarin, drums

Brad Shepik - Guitar
In addition to his own groups, Brad Shepik has performed and/or recorded with Paul Motian, Joey Baron, Carla Bley, Charlie Haden, Dave Douglas, oud/violin virtuoso Simon Shaheen, Yuri Yunakov’s Bulgarian Wedding Band and others.

Born in Walla Walla, Washington and raised in Seattle, Brad Shepik began playing guitar at age 10, when he picked up his father's instrument. He continued to play both guitar and saxophone in school bands and studied guitar with Al Galante and Dave Petersen. He earned a B.F.A from Cornish College of the Arts and a Masters in Jazz Performance/Composition from New York University.
Since arriving in New York in 1990, Shepik has been involved several bands including Dave Douglas' Tiny Bell Trio, Matt Darriau's Paradox Trio, Pachora w/Chris Speed, Jim Black and Skuli Sverrisson, and BABKAS. He has also performed with Carla Bley's Escalator Over the Hill, Charlie Haden's Liberation Orchestra and toured and recorded with Paul Motian’s Electric Bebop Band for 5 years. Concurrently, the guitarist extended his interest in world music idioms by performing and recording in such groups as Yuri Yunakov's Bulgarian Wedding Band and Simon Shaheen’s Quantara. Shepik’s first two records as a leader, The Loan and The Well, were praised for their marriage of world music styles and jazz.
Shepik also co-led two world music tinged trios; Triduga with accordionist Yuri Lemeshev and Tony Scherr on bass balalaika, and Lingua Franca with Peter Epstein and Matt Kilmer. In 2000 Shepik began re-examining the traditional guitar/bass/drums format with drummer Tom Rainey and bassist Scott Colley. They recorded two cd’s, Drip and Short Trip, both of which were critically acclaimed and featured on NPR.
Shepik's current working band is a trio with Gary Versace, organ and Rainey, drums. The band has performed at festivals across Europe and North America. Their latest release “Places You Go” received a 4 star review in Downbeat and appeared on several “Best CD’s of 2007” lists. Shepik also continues to tour with drummer Joey Baron’s Killer Joey, udist/violinist Simon Shaheen, George Schuller's Circle Wide, Matt Darriau’s Paradox Trio, Alexis Cuadrado Puzzles Quartet, Arthur Kell Quartet, Combo Nuvo, Bob Brookmeyer’s Quartet East and others.
'Human Activity Suite', a 10 movement piece about climate change for jazz quintet was released in February 2009 on Songlines Recordings. It features Shepik on guitars, saz and tambura as well as Ralph Alessi (trumpet), Gary Versace (piano, organ, accordion), Drew Gress (bass) and Tom Rainey (drums).
Shepik's latest band is the Brad Shepik Quartet with Tom Beckham (vibes), Jorge Roeder (bass) and Mark Guiliana (drums). The group released it's debut recording 'Across the Way' in February 2011.

Ron Samworth
Vancouver-based guitarist/composer Ron Samworth is known on the Canadian improvised/contemporary music scene as an inventive textural improviser and a strong fluid melodicist informed and inspired by a variety of music traditions including jazz, rock, new music and traditional music of many cultures. He leads the acclaimed Vancouver-based quartet Talking Pictures and co-directed the NOW Orchestra for ten years and the indie rock bands Darkblueworld and the Luscious. He is also a member of the Peggy Lee Band and the Hard Rubber Orchestra. His has performed and recorded with numerous international artists including John Zorn, George Lewis, Evan Parker, Fred Frith, Han Bennink, Dave Douglas, Robin Holcomb and Wayne Horvitz.

He has appeared at all the major Jazz Festivals across Canada, the Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville, at New York’s Knitting Factory, and the New York Improvisation Festival, New Music America, Vienna’s “Let’s Cool One” Chamber Jazz Festival, Chicago and Berlin jazz festivals and other leading venues in Europe. His inter-disciplinary work includes composition, performance and sound design for theatre, spoken word, film, and dance. He has composed music for Talking Pictures, Standing Wave, the Hard Rubber Orchestra, the NOW Orchestra and EDAM Dance Company. Samworth is also a longtime member and from 1992 to 2003 the artistic director of the New Orchestra Workshop (NOW), and a co-curator of a weekly concert series at Vancouver’s grunt Gallery from 1987 to 1994.

Samworth has received numerous Canada Council awards, was twice nominated as Canadian jazz critics guitarist of the year, as well as nominations for Jessie awards (Vancouver theatre) and a Dora (national theatre award) nomination. In 1990, Samworth won the prestigious CBC/Alcan Grand Prix Concours de Jazz with the group Creatures of Habit.

He was a faculty member of the Banff Center Jazz Workshop in 2009 and has taught at the Capilano University jazz studies programme since 1997.

Booklet for Quartet 1991