Tomin's "Life"
((( photo by Alejandro Ayala )))
"Life"
Today, Tomin — the Brooklyn born and based brass- and reed-centered multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, and bioinformatician — shares a driving new single, “Life,” from his upcoming album A Willed and Conscious Balance, out November 1st, 2024.
“Life” is the sonic embodiment of a celebratory cruise through the city, as Tomin oversees the ensemble’s journey using the eyes and experiences of a native New Yorker.
About the piece, Tomin says: "Life is my ode to black women and all the joy and wonder they have brought to my life; written for my sister Caramina, featuring solos from Teiana Davis on Wurlitzer and Clérida Eltimé on cello."
IARC0088
Tomin
A Willed and Conscious Balance
LP/CD/DD out November 1, 2024
A Willed and Conscious Balance is Tomin's debut as an ensemble leader. Arriving November 1st, the album comes just behind the collection of solo home recordings we compiled and released as Flores para Verene / Cantos para Caramina in August 2024.
Within A Willed and Conscious Balance (the bulk of which was recorded in one day at The Bunker in Brooklyn, NY), the potential for comparisons is both endless and unsatisfying. Though imagine the density of a JJ Johnson arrangement being rhythmically stretched and pulled à la Thembi-era Pharoah Sanders, or the Dolphy-infused bop squawk elegance of Booker Little's Out Front sent through the sonic washing machine of Bennie Maupin's The Jewel in the Lotus.
While there were certainly hints of these directions on Tomin’s collection of solo recordings, Flores para Verene / Cantos para Caramina — entrancing chord progressions that favor the dirge and the repetitive — the sounds heard on A Willed and Conscious Balance go somewhere new; fresh yet familiar. It’s a group exploration of simplicity that yields something complicated, just like life itself.
Tomin’s discerning, emotionally weighty perspective is among his artistic superpowers, and it’s a primary reason A Willed and Conscious Balance is played by an all-star team of collaborators gathered from throughout his life. Trumpeter Linton Smith II and cellist #1 Clérida Eltimé are long-time compadres — Tomin describes the former as a “brother/mentor” and the latter as “section leader” with “sister vibes.” Bassist Luke Stewart and drummer Tcheser Holmes are the rhythm section in Irreversible Entanglements, and alongside Lester St. Louis, cellist #2 here and a key member of jaimie branch’s Fly or Die, are all central figures of that Brooklyn community. Tomin first played with Chicago-based keyboardist Teiana Davis (who also records as Anaiet Soul) at a July 2021 show, “Angel Bat Dawid + jaimie branch and Friends.” That show is also where he first met Lester, Luke and Tcheser, making the spiritual influence those two great female bandleaders hold over the proceedings hard to deny. (Particularly branch, to whom Tomin co-dedicates a poem in the album’s sleeve notes.)
Yet as good as the band is, it’s the remarkable way these musicians approach these pieces — how the sound in Tomin’s head blossoms in their mutual hands — that makes A Willed and Conscious Balance a triumph. Each plays on and off the page, less engaged in soloing than in the interaction of the collective. The building of a band sound and how that informs the building of society is the album’s foundational point.
NYC Record Release Show
A Willed and Conscious Balance is Tomin’s debut record as a large ensemble leader, which includes members of Irreversible Entanglements and jaimie branch’s FLY or DIE.
On November 11, Tomin and the entire ensemble will be playing a record release show at The Brooklyn Music School in NYC, where he first performed as a child. The full ensemble will feature Teiana Davis, Clérida Eltimé, Lester St. Louis, Linton Smith II, Luke Stewart and Tcheser Holmes.
November 11, 2024 @ Brooklyn Music School
126 Saint Felix Street Brooklyn, NY
...about...
Tomin is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist, bioinformatician, and poet from Brooklyn, New York. His primary instruments are the flute, trumpet and alto clarinet, and he participates in the creative music scene as a performer, improvisor, composer and fan. Outside of music, he works in computational genetics, with a focus on oncology.
** Deluxe Vinyl Package **
A Willed and Conscious Balance comes inside a heavyweight reverse-board jacket, with UV gloss photo insert sheet, IARC OBI strip and poly-lined dome patterned inner-sleeve. Pressed at Pallas in Germany with lacquers cut by Daniel K at SST.
For the first pressing only, we also pressed the album on Limited Edition Contemplation color vinyl, available via our Bandcamp page.
Purchase A Willed And Conscious Balance
as part of the
**Fall '24 Bundle**
For the fervent, faithful collector of our output.
A Willed And Conscious Balance is part of the FALL '24 BUNDLE! Perhaps our most mondo bundle yet, this single parcel will include all SIX (6!) LPs announced across Fall 2024 – including the recently announced albums by Anna Butterss, Rob Mazurek's Exploding Star Orchestra, and Jeff Parker's ETA IVtet. No spoilers on the rest here, but we can tell you for certain that the whole season is STACKED.
This bundle includes 5x single LP releases and 1x double LP release. Purchase gets you a bundle-exclusive discount of 10% off the LP prices, plus a 60% discount on shipping costs.
The bundle will ship from our warehouses in the US, EU and UK, but don't sleep.. the quantity available in each warehouse is limited! Early purchase is recommended to ensure the lowest possible shipping, tax, and VAT costs.
All items will ship together in one package around November 1st, so you'll be receiving half of your bundle 2-4 weeks after the initial street dates, and the other half you'll be receiving early.
Bandcamp downloads will be sent via email for all the releases by, or before, the ship date.
Order the Fall '24 Bundle on limited edition color vinyl here.
Order the Fall '24 Bundle on classic black vinyl here.
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