"Ambient Folk Jazz" - Improvised in the studio, inspired by shamanic trance, free jazz, psychedelia, ambient electronica, sci-fi avant-garde, and world beat musics, these transmissions from the Great Beyond open portals into other worlds.

20 MP3 Songs in this album (84:17) !
Related styles: Avant Garde: Free Improvisation, Avant Garde: Psychedelia, Type: Improvisational

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Details:
Underwater Airport is an improvising and recording multimedia ensemble combining music and projected visuals for the purpose of opening portals into other worlds. Underwater Airport extends its antennae into the aether, pulling in transmissions from the Great Beyond. Drawing inspiration from such diverse sources as shamanic trance, 1960's free jazz and psychedelia, ambient electronica, deranged blues, sci-fi avant-garde, and world beat musics, the band's members have practiced individual and collective improvisation in diverse settings far longer than they can remember.

In the studio Underwater Airport focuses on constructing consciousness-shifting music and video utilizing Ableton Live for audio and Livid Instruments Cell DNA for video, among other analog and digital tools.

Propelled by the double-drumming mind-meld of Peter Spellman and Russell Lane, piloted by the bass and Stick grooves of Jim Whisenant, set adrift by the floating guitar and synth loops of Ed Blomquist, carried aloft by the sax and electronic winds of Lynda Stephens, and enlightened by the projected visuals, wind synth and pocket trumpet of Marc Lisle, the Ambient Folk Jazz of Underwater Airport creates the ultimate launch site for departure to mystical heights and depths...

This album, The Sea Sides, consists of 20 additional tracks from the same session as the Underwater Airport CD, which can be found on CD Baby as well as on iTunes and other fine digital distributors. After assembling the initial 14 tracks for the CD, we went back into the over 6 hours of recordings, and pulled out these tracks, with which we are well pleased... We hope you enjoy them too...

The music on this album was recorded live and completely improvised on January 7 and 8, 2011, in Studio B at Berklee College of Music in Boston. The recording was engineered by Mark Wessel, with assistance from Will Wells and Allison Waters. Recorded with Digital Performer 7, mixed with Ableton Live, and mastered with Izotope Ozone 4.

Underwater Airport thanks Mark, Will, and Allison for the great recording experience, Mike Carrera and Marcus Hoige for the mastering mentoring, Lily GoLightly for PR insight, and Steve Jobs and Apple for making so much possible.

Special thanks to Berklee College of Music for the Faculty Recording Grant.

Personal thanks:
Jim - JK and the little Whisenants
Peter - Linda, Luke, Elijah and Anna for keeping the riddim while daddy played
Ed - Belinda and Spooner for giving home a heart, Dave, Lori, Chris, Al, Jef7rey, and Aaron for friendship and inspiration
Russell - Lynn, for her patience, tolerance, support and love, and for keeping the home fires burning
Marc - Gratitude for the Holy One & holy many, spirit guardians and guides, for grace in many forms, and for Jensi who has helped me to craft a quilt of many dimensions
Lynda - My family for their loving support, Vicki and Leah for always encouraging me to shine, and Billy The Circus Cat for making me smile. I love you all
Ed, Jim and Lynda thank The Free Range Experiment comrades: Jay Havighurst, D.C. Beemon, Stephen Hastings-King, and Liz Ehrman

Underwater Airport:
Jim Whisenant - Fretless Bass, Stick, Laptop (M-Tron), iPhone (Bliss), Percussion, Mixing
Lynda Stephens - Soprano and Alto Sax, Yamaha Wind Synth, Chanting, Mixing, Photos
Peter Spellman - Djembe, Doumbek, Conga, Drum kit, Tambourine, Frog, Cowbells, Guiro and Duck Call
Marcus Lisle - Akai Wind Synth, Ocarina, Hand Percussion, Video, Photos, Cover Design
Russell Lane - Drums and Percussion
Ed Blomquist - Guild Starfire III Electric Guitar, Guild Starfire II Electric Bass, Korg MS-20 Synth, Flute, Percussion, MacBook Pro (Ableton Live), iPad (Mugician, Moog Filtatron), Voice, Mixing, Mastering

What does "Underwater Airport" mean?
The name revealed itself to Ed one day, for no apparent reason other than it wanted to be manifested. In pondering what it might mean, a few thoughts have come to mind...

Both the underwater and the aerial realms are strange, beautiful, and somewhat dangerous places, inhabited by curious and fantastic creatures, affording extraordinary visions... Although they are located nearby, we humans aren't really designed to live there... But we can visit them for relatively short periods of time, relying on clever, almost magical, technologies to carry us there and back, and to keep us safe on our travels...

In this way, Underwater Airport represents a kind of mythical alternative universe that's familiar and (mostly) friendly, but also only accessible by means of a transformative, shamanic journey... And that is a pretty good description of what it feels like to play this music... And we hope to listen to it as well...