The Foreign In Us by ES Trio released on Relative Pitch Records in 2024.

After a wonderful concert at the Elastic Arts Foundation, Chicago, the ES Trio (Kwan/Zerang/Steyer), decided to record their music to document this inspiring collaboration. In their trio work they focused on sound oriented pieces, that were nurtured by the individual approaches to their instruments. The duo works of Zerang and Steyer also reflect the work of Steyer concerning instrumental ornamentation, that is inspired by the multi-ethnic, mostly Near Eastern sounds of the streets in Berlin.

https://relativepitchrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-foreign-in-us

#ESTrio #FreeImprovisation #Jazz #Music #EdithSteyer #MabelKwan
#MichaelZerang #Berlin

For Seun Matta by Karkhana, released on Holidays Records in 2017.

Featuring some of the most innovative musicians from Beirut, Cairo, Istanbul and Chicago, Karkhana's seven multi- instrumentalists build a transcendental atmosphere, developing what could possibly be called "free Middle Eastern music".

Umut Çağlar: Reeds, Flute, Percussion
Tony Elieh: Electric Bass
Maurice Louca: Organ, Synth
Mazen Kerbaj: Trumpet, Percussion, Reeds
Sam Shalabi: Electric Guitar, Oud
Sharif Sehnaoui: Electric Guitar
Michael Zerang: Drums, Percussion, Cymbal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMEEdzXTWUg&list=RDPMEEdzXTWUg&start_radio=1

#karkhana #Beirut #cairo #istanbul #chicago #improvisation #samshalabi #MichaelZerang #UmutÇağlar
#MauriceLouca #SharifSehnaoui #MazenKerbaj #TonyElieh

Ended Tuesday and welcomed Wednesday after a walk with We Have Always Been Here
by Galactic Unity Ensemble, released in 2017 on JMY.

Inspired by the life and music of Sun Ra during a 2 year-long archival project that found Todd Carter sifting through the Sun Ra / el Saturn archives, including rehearsals and answering machine tapes, each member of TV Pow composed a piece for the ensemble of Chicago-based musicians, plucked from Chicago's infamous "incestuous" jazz-improv-rock music scene....who are we kidding, they're our friends.

https://jmymusic.bandcamp.com/album/we-have-always-been-here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt5qXfZkKIk

#GalacticUnityEnsemble #sunra #tvpow #chicagoscene #toddcarter #jamiebranch #MichaelZerang

Songs From The Big Book Of Love by Michael Zerang & The Blue Lights, released on Pink Palace in 2015

Martin Schray wrote for the Free Jazz Blog:

...their music reminds of the lost Tanger of William S. Burroughs and Paul Bowles, of the beat generation, hot jazz clubs, hard bop excesses, an exuberant life style and an atmosphere of anything goes. As a band leader percussionist Zerang, the son of Assyrian parents, is clearly in the tradition of Art Blakey and his Jazz Messengers but he also cultivates his Eastern roots. The debut album of his band The Blue Lights includes eight original compositions by him and features the band playing a local club date in Chicago. And they set the house ablaze, no wonder considering that he has gathered Chicago’s top notch players like Mars Williams (sax), Dave Rempis (sax), Josh Berman (cornet) and Kent Kessler (b).

https://www.freejazzblog.org/2015/06/michael-zerang-and-blue-lights-songs.html

https://pinkpalace.bandcamp.com/album/songs-from-the-big-book-of-love

#michaelzerang #freejazz #chicago #marswilliams

Duo de piano à la cymbale grinçante

https://stnt.org/content/sophie-agnel-michael-zerang-draw-bridge-relative-pitch-records-2024

#sophieagnel #michaelzerang #relativepitchrecords #STNT