Pluto In Aquarius

Description

Cellist-Composer Janel Leppin presents two stunning new projects that reflect her expansive vision - fuzztone and melody collide on the solo release Slowly Melting, while Pluto in Aquarius, by her long-running avant-jazz unit Ensemble Volcanic Ash, speaks to this precarious political moment. Over the past two decades, the cellist and multi-instrumentalist Janel Leppin has worked steadily to become one of the most compelling composers and improvisers of her generation. With her beloved Washington, D.C. scene as her home base, she has earned renown among fans of new and experimental music worldwide. Now at the peak of her powers as both a bandleader and a solo performer, she's released two new projects of staggering beauty as well as vast personal and political insight. Pluto in Aquarius features her longstanding avant-jazz chamber unit, Ensemble Volcanic Ash, with a lineup of her most trusted collaborators including her spouse, Messthetics guitarist Anthony Pirog, bassist Luke Stewart, saxophonist Brian Settles and drummer Larry Ferguson. The album finds the cellist further exploring new sonic terrain, in a program of 13 relatively compact tracks ranging from collective free improvisation to rocking, tightly composed earworms. While Pluto in Aquarius is, like all of Leppin's music, a deeply personal work, it's also intensely political. Leppin wrote about half of the music in the months leading up to the 2024 presidential election, and the remaining half after the inauguration that followed. "So you'll hear a lot of hopefulness here," Leppin says, "as well as, of course, a lot of tension."

Description

Cellist-Composer Janel Leppin presents two stunning new projects that reflect her expansive vision - fuzztone and melody collide on the solo release Slowly Melting, while Pluto in Aquarius, by her long-running avant-jazz unit Ensemble Volcanic Ash, speaks to this precarious political moment. Over the past two decades, the cellist and multi-instrumentalist Janel Leppin has worked steadily to become one of the most compelling composers and improvisers of her generation. With her beloved Washington, D.C. scene as her home base, she has earned renown among fans of new and experimental music worldwide. Now at the peak of her powers as both a bandleader and a solo performer, she's released two new projects of staggering beauty as well as vast personal and political insight. Pluto in Aquarius features her longstanding avant-jazz chamber unit, Ensemble Volcanic Ash, with a lineup of her most trusted collaborators including her spouse, Messthetics guitarist Anthony Pirog, bassist Luke Stewart, saxophonist Brian Settles and drummer Larry Ferguson. The album finds the cellist further exploring new sonic terrain, in a program of 13 relatively compact tracks ranging from collective free improvisation to rocking, tightly composed earworms. While Pluto in Aquarius is, like all of Leppin's music, a deeply personal work, it's also intensely political. Leppin wrote about half of the music in the months leading up to the 2024 presidential election, and the remaining half after the inauguration that followed. "So you'll hear a lot of hopefulness here," Leppin says, "as well as, of course, a lot of tension."