Racer Session #549 | Tom Varner & Neil Welch | Sunday September 18th, 2022

Unfortunately, the video stopped recording before the end of the session, but the full audio recording of the session is available here:

Hey hey, improvisation fans!

We’re excited for the final Racer Session of Summer 2022, this Sunday at 7pm. As things in Seattle slowly cool off and the days find themselves to be a little shorter, one after another, we’re going to attempt to sonically stretch things out this weekend with a duo presentation by two true Seattle-based legends: french hornist Tom Varner, and multi-saxophonist Neil Welch.

Tom Varner is internationally known as one of the top living pioneers of jazz and improvised music on the French horn, as well as an inventive and passionate composer for his different ensembles, which have featured many jazz legends. Varner has been awarded grants from the NEA, Doris Duke Foundation/Chamber Music America, and the Jack Straw Center. He has fourteen recordings as a leader and countless recordings as a sideman, with a resume touting names such as Miles Davis, Quincy Jones, Jim McNeely, Steve Lacy, and John Zorn.

Neil Welch is a Seattle-based acoustic and electronic artist. His sonic formations are firmly linked to the natural world, drawing artistic guidance from the abundant wildernesses of the Pacific Northwest. He is a specialist in the practice of multiphonic acoustic chord playing, microtonal melody, and mouthpiece-removed wind sounds. Neil is committed to expanding the saxophone's role in modern music through new performance collaborations and exploratory sound craft. He has performed with artists from widespread musical genres, some including: the rock band God Speed You! Black Emperor, modern composers Wayne Horvitz and John Teske, indie rockers Darto, Sheridan Riley, and Cataldo, jazz drum master Gregg Keplinger and jazz french hornist Tom Varner, North Indian classical sitar legend Pandit Debi Prasad Chatterjee, Iranian-American guitarist Raeim Rahmani, and mrudangam artist/composer Rajna Swaminathan.

Tom took the time to write to us about recent recordings done with Neil, and what to expect on stage at Cafe Racer this Sunday - take some time to read (and double-take his descriptions), and once you’ve picked a favorite, meditate on it until it’s time for the music to start. We’ll see you at Racer! Music starts at 7pm.

—

"I am so looking forward to my series of duos with the great Neil Welch this Sunday. Neil is one of my favorite people to play duos with--his tenor sax can bring you to tears (in a good way!) and his BASS SAX, when together with my French horn, is so physical, it can serve as a 'sound healer' like a sound version of those airport massage chairs!

We recorded a 21-part sequence of duos in December 2021, and I hope to put out the recording in the next few months. At times at the recording session I might say:

"Neil, ok, now on this take, we are slithering out of the ooze." Neil: "Got it."

Me: Ok Neil, on this take, no mouthpieces." Neil: "Got it."

Me: "Ok Neil, now, on this take, you are Ben Webster, but in outer space, and you took magic mushrooms." Neil: "Got it."

We had a blast, just making beautiful sounds, and I am sure we will have a blast on Sunday. Come join us, and if you wish, after our 40-minute set, join us for some more improvisations. Big thanks to Haley Freedlund and to everyone at Cafe Racer.”

-- t v