Description

Saxophonist Tim Haldeman lives in Ann Arbor where he leads his own trio in addition to performing and recording with a variety of groups and musicians including Mike Reed’s People Places and Things, Greg Ward’s 10 Tongues, Matt Ulery, Will McEvoy, and Tim Flood among others.

Haldeman’s latest endeavor, ‘Open Water As a Child‘ was originally conceived as a one-off concert for the Ann Arbor Jazz Festival. Tim says of the work, “The concert was a love letter to our friends and neighbors in Flint, who’ve been enduring the tragic results of the total failure by those ‘in power’.  I needed a way to express my anger and sadness, so I reached out to some friends. ‘Send it out,’ Neil Young once said. Everyone involved in ‘Open Water’ embraced that spirit.”

The musical arrangements are loose, leaving space for the musicians to improvise. “Recently my favorite thing about playing music is to explore how a piece can grow unpredictably into something new. What I wrote was a launching pad for the musicians. I wanted to hear what everyone would do with it.” Chicago-based poet John Goode was invited to collaborate on the project and the resulting performance was a melodic firestorm of emotion.

Dan Bennett, Justin Walter, Tim Haldeman, and Jordan Schug have all been performing together for many years, including new quintet recordings by both Schug and Bennett. Justin Walter and Dan Bennett are members of Colin Stetson’s ‘SORROW’ – a re-imagining of Gorecki’s 3rd symphony. Walter recently worked with Stetson scoring the film ‘Hereditary’, and his own records include ‘Unseen Forces’, ‘Lullabies & Nightmares’, ‘A Call to Arms’, and ‘Stars’.

Jonathan Taylor and Ben Willis make up half of the group ‘Saajtak’, a group fast on the rise. From Sonic Circuits (Washington, D.C.): “Saajtak live smelts its sonic influences into a maelstrom almost orchestral in nature and theatrical in its depth.”

John Goode is the author of the poetry collections, “Graduating from Eternity” and “Beauty and the Unrequited Landscape.”  Both from Rain Mountain Press in NYC.

The cover art, by Devin Ulery, was inspired by a dream Haldeman had while working on the music.

Tim Haldeman-tenor sax, flute, piano
John Goode-words/vocals
Dan Bennett-alto sax
Justin Walter-trumpet
Jordan Schug-cello
Jonathan Taylor-drums
Ben Willis-bass

Devin Ulery-cover art
Josef Deas- recording and mixing, Big Sky recording in Ann Arbor, MI.
Anthony Gravino-mastering

1) A Song For Strangers [10:15]
2) As Good As Gone [10:16]
3) Take This Drifter [4:49]
4) Weld Flashes / Open Water [16:13]
5) Bird’s On Fire [3:13]

‘Open Water As a Child’ is scheduled to be released by Woolgathering Records on October 16th, 2018. It will be available on 12” vinyl, CD, and digital formats.