The Ely Center has been evicted. I don’t know the details, but the address change from the cushy Trumbull Street cabal of lawyers and therapists to the polluted waterfront hood of James Street reeks of financial distress. The space afforded by this lo-fi location allows for a small concert space amongst a sizable gallery for showcasing local art. The FIM fellas have been positively reviewed in this blog many times. At 116 gatherings, these noiseniks keep a steady schedule of improv performances in and around the New Haven area. Caleb Duval on standup bass, Luke Rovinsky on guitar, and Kaelen Ghandi on saxes are joined by Japanese percussion legend Nakatani. I arrive to the sound guy patching cords and setting up mics, apparently the performance will be recorded. After a lengthy sound check, the improv starts. Luke bends strings and warps sounds. Caleb uses a variety of kindling to capo the strings while using stabbing motion for a shrill sound. Ghandi’s yelps are punctuated with asmr whispering. Nakatani is the main attraction. His credits include stints with Eugene Chadbourne, Acid Mothers Temple, and Mary Halvorson. He has a standard drum kit with two large gongs. His playing is anything but standard, employing a variety of cymbals and shakers that he rubs and scrapes on the snare drum. He uses mallets, sticks, brushes, and bows to coax sound from all sides. Using the bow on the side of the cymbal while scraping the snare made this crazy metallic sound. He bowed the gongs and looked like he was slicing deli meat. The improv fills the room for the twenty brave souls who call this “music”. Based in Boston, Tatsuya travels the region spreading the free improv gospel.
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