Stir Trio – CIA – Forward Energy – Nu Orbit – Milo Electrik – C.O.M.A.

Jim Ryan – alto & tenor saxophones, flute, spoken word | in order of appearance… | Dan Godston – trumpet, percussion | Joel Wanek – doublebass | Douglas R. Ewart – digeridoo, percussion | Mankwe Ndosi – voice | J. Otis Powell – words | Steve Hirsh – drums | Jerome Bryerton – drums | Jason Finkleman – percussion | Jay Eychaner – synthesizer | Tom Paynter – keyboard, flute | Gerard Cox – fender hodes | Hasan Rrazzaq – alto sax | Owen Kelly – guitar | Dude from Youngstown – alto sax | Ryan Jewel – drums | Bruce Eisenbeil – acoustic guitar | Lisle Ellis – bass | Dave Sewelson – baritone sax | Dee Pop – drums | Dave Hofstra – doublebass | Blaise Siwula – tenor/alto sax | Robyn Siwula – violin | Marcus Cummins – soprano sax | Chris Welcome – guitar | Jeffrey Shurdut – piano | Tom Zlabinger – doublebass | Brian Osborne – drums

Tracklist: 1. Black Dog Cafe St. Paul MN – Stir Trio [1:43] – 5/26/2007 – Dan Godston – tmpt/perc, Joel Wanek – dblbass,  Jim Ryan sax 2. Center for Independent Artists-Mpls MN [7:12] – 5/27/2007 – Douglas R. Ewart digeridoo/perc,  Mankwe Ndosi – voice,  Dan Godston – tmpt/perc,  Joel Wanek –  db,  Jim Ryan – flute 3. Clown Lounge St. Paul – Stir Trio [7:18] – 5/28/2007 – Dan Godston – tmpt/perc,  Joel Wanek – db,  Jim Ryan –  sax/word 4. Acadia Cafe Minneapolis MN – Forward Energy [6:34] – 5/29/2007 – J. Otis Powell – word,  Jim Ryan – sax,  Dan Godston – trumpet/percussion,  Joel Wanek – db,  Steve Hirsh – drums 5. Velvet Lounge Chicago IL – Forward Energy [ 6:6]  – 5/31/2007 – J. Ryan – sax,  D. Godston – tmpt/perc,  J. Wanek –  db,  Jerome Bryerton – d 6. Mercury Cafe – Chicago IL – Stir Quartet [ 5:9] – 6/01/2007 – D. Godston – tmpt/perc,  J. Wanek – db,  J. Ryan – sax/word,  J. Bryerton – perc 7. Iron Post Urbana IL – Nu Orbit Ensemble [4:17] – 6/04/2007 – Jason Finkleman – perc,  Jay Eychaner-  synth,  Tom Paynter – keys/flute,  Jim Ryan –  sax (guest) 8. Milo Electrik Columbus OH – Collective  [8:50] – 6/06/2007 – Gerard Cox – Fender Rhodes,  Hasan Rrazzaq – alto sax,  Owen Kelly – gtr,  Andy Meyer – alto sax,  Ryan Jewel – drums,  J. Ryan – flute/tsax 9. Downtown Music Gallery NYC NY– Forward Energy [3:34] – 6/10/2007 – J. Ryan – alto sax,  Bruce Eisenbeil – a-guitar,  Lisle Ellis – dbass 10. Jimmy’s Back Room NYC NY – Forward Energy [9:1 0] – 6/10/2007 – J. Ryan – sax,  Dave Sewelson – bari sax,  L. Ellis – dbbass,  B. Eisenbeil – e-guitar, Dee Pop – drums 11. ABC No Rio NYC – Forward Energy & Collective [14:01] – 6/17/2007 A. – Forward Energy – J. Ryan – sax/word,  D. Sewelson – bsax,  B. C.O.M.A. Collective = Blaise Siwula – saxes,  J.Ryan – tenor sax,  Siwula – violin,  D. Sewelson – barisax,  Marcus Cummins – spsax,  Chris Welcome – gtr,  Jeffrey Shurdut – p,  Tom Zlabinger – db,  Brian Osborne – drums

 listen to Nu Orbit Ensemble | at Iron Post Urbana IL

A trip to the underground of cutting-edge music

the Ghost Dog Tour features eleven carefully honed works from over twelve hours of live recordings made during May and June 2007 in six U.S. cities: St. Paul, Minneapolis, Chicago, Urbana IL, Columbus OH, and New York. Jim Ryan traveled by bus, hooking up with advanced players (over two dozen), sometimes gathered under his Forward Energy banner, and sometimes as guest performer with local groups. This 73+ minute CD exemplifies the vitality of the will to musical creation that remains hidden beneath the slick commercial flim-flam that is pushed down the throat of the average music buying public. – Saftig von Heimlischbaden

The world needs more people like Jim Ryan. This incessantly active poet, musician, conscience agitator and visionary sax player is one of those artists who render subdivisions and classifications meaningless, in the name of a single torrential flood of creativity that mixes exuberance, enthusiasm and meditative portions of extraterritorial improvisation, the whole reinforced by a technical knowledge that only many years of playing at the forefront and on the fringes of convention can develop. – MASSIMO RICCI

What must be remembered is the half-poignant, half-raging sax voice of Ryan, an instrumentalist whose respectable expertise is at the same level of his commitment to the hard core of the purest free improvisation, and the absolute flexibility of all the involved players, who – be it on a demagnetized cassette or in some more acceptable recording medium – sound like if the future depended on the ability to sideswipe genres, thus remaining delivered from categorical impositions. – Massimo Ricci, Touching Extremes

The Trio performance at the Clown Lounge also features Godston’s straining trumpet and Wanek’s dirge-like basslines, the sum total reminiscent of Anthony Braxton, whose large ensembles typically include myriad saxophones. Yet Ryan manages a similar brass menagerie with what seems to be only one sax. – Andrea Canter, Contributing Editor, Jazz Police

Through it all, Jim’s husky, sometimes searing, often smokey sax lines are the standout, taking charge on the impenetrable wall of chaos on the Velvet Lounge track from Chicago, or the Zappa-ish improv recorded at the Iron Post in Urbana. – Pete Pardo, Sea of Tranquility

Jim Ryan

Poet, writer, philosopher and musician, Jim Ryan is an original member of the exploratory family of artists of the 20th century. His powerful playing style and truly original voice permeates the San Francisco Bay Area with vibrant spirit. Jim Ryan was born in St. Paul, Minnesota and began listening to bebop at age 15. In 1958 after obtaining a degree in philosophy from the Universisty of Minnesota, Jim was drafted into the army and sent to Europe. After serving for 21 months, Jim found himself attending the Sorbonne in Paris France. After a short time he discovered he was infected with the writing bug and became involved with the beat poet community that was blossoming in France and throughout the world, rubbing elbows with such poets as Boroughs, and Ginsberg. Nearing his mid-30’s it became more difficult to make a living writing and he found many of his former-writing friends were becoming involved in painting and other artistic endeavors.

In 1968 Jim was given a wooden flute and shortly thereafter acquired a c-melody sax. At the same time many of the American new music musicians, Sonny Murray, Albert Ayler, Sun Ra, Archie Shepp, Anthony Braxton, and the AACM were given funding by the US Government and settled in Europe including France. Jim was in the right place at the right time and found himself jamming and performing with these rebels of creative music. As the migration of cutting edge American artists continued more straight ahead artists like Johnny Griffith and Steve Lacy began to arrive to take advantage of the European scene. In the early 70’s Jim participated in a yearlong workshop organized and led by Steve Lacy while continuing to develop his writing. In 1975 Jim formed the Free Music Formation, a group which performed in Paris and other European cities.

In 1975 he returned to the United States in search of a fresh start and settled in Washington, D.C. where he formed the Art Performance Group performing throughout the area. In 1987 he moved California and lived in Marin County until 1993 when he moved to Oakland and became part of the San Francisco Bay Area improv and jazz scene.

After a long hiatus, in 1997, he launched one of his current groups Forward Energy featuring stellar artists like trumpet player Eddie Gale and drummer Donald Robinson. Jim also performed with Marco Eneidi’s “American Jungle Orchestra,” and Eddie Gale’s “Orchestra for World Peace.” In 1998 he became the editor and publisher of Outside, an underground art and music zine in Oakland, which featured such artists as Positive Knowledge, Marco Emeidi, as well as many artists of Bay Area improv scene. For two years beginning in 1999 Jim was the booker for the Luggage Store Gallery Series in San Francisco. At that same time he was also booking for the Starry Plow new music series in Berkeley, 2310 Telegraph Gallery in Oakland, and he currently curates shows occasionally at 21Grand Gallery in Oakland.

In the spring of 2000, he founded the Electro/Acoustic Sextet of Oakland, which was a melding of free jazz and avant academic styles. The group performed in Oakland and at the Big Sur Experimental Music Festival in May 2000. In the spring of 2000 he performed in the 401 Festival at Theater Artaud in composer Matthew Burtner’s piece for nine tenor saxophones, “Portals of Distortion.” You can hear this pivotal Bay Area saxophonist presently with Forward Energy and the Left Coast Improv Group. – Rent Romus

CD version (incl. shipment cost world-wide)