Clear Path Ensemble - Solar Eclipse

Format: LP
Catalogue No.: SNDWLP154
Release Date: 09 Sep 2022
Genre: Jazz, Contemporary Jazz

Soundway are pleased to announce a new release from the bubbling DIY jazz scene in Wellington, New Zealand.

Led by percussionist Cory Champion, the project bottles the energy of the burgeoning movement and distils it into moody morsels of differing styles. At times there are catchy synth hooks, smooth basslines and shuffling beats, but other tracks morph into ambient soundscapes, experimental electronica and even Sun Ra-esque free jazz.

As pockets of new jazz scenes emerge around the world, it’s apparent that New Zealand’s bubbling microcosm in Wellington interprets the genre through a unique lens.

Clear Path Ensemble bottles the energy of that burgeoning movement and distils it into moody morsels of differing styles. From electric jazz to ambient, experimental, house and funk – it’s a DIY, jam-session attitude towards composition, as the band members freely cherry-pick from a vast orchard of influences.

Citing inspiration from 70s ECM catalogue, the ensemble channels the “expansive and astral” elements of electric jazz, with an introspective dynamic. At times it’s fused with catchy synth hooks, smooth basslines and shuffling beats, while other tracks morph into moody electronic soundscapes, and even Sun Ra-esque free jazz.

Led by percussionist Cory Champion, the band released their debut self-titled album with HHV in 2020, followed by a headline performance at the 2021 Wellington Jazz Festival. Champion has played drums alongside some of New Zealand’s most revered contemporary musicians (Lord Echo, Lucien Johnson and Mara TK to name a few), and also produces leftfield deep house and techno under the name Borrowed cs, which partly informs the ensemble’s electronic production.

SIDE A
1. Kihi
2. Drumatix
3. Revolutions
4. Absolvo
5. Interlock

SIDE B
1. Solar Eclipse
2. Sunrise Motif
3. Plazma Plaza
4. Talking to Water
5. Tennis Ball