The High Zero festivals have been heavily documented through audio, video, and written commentary.
Although the majority of this material lives in an archive awaiting future publication and review, a taste of this documentation is available online through archived versions of the previous web sites associated with the festival...
Post-festival documentation web sites:
Promotional pre-festival web sites:
There have also now been six (!) great CDs produced from performances at the High Zero Festival, published in partnership with the RECORDED music label, and available at the festival and through various distributors.
Recorded 004
The Shattering
Carol Genetti and friends at High Zero 2000Recorded 005
Mr. Peabody Goes to Baltimore
Joe McPhee and friends at High Zero 2000Recorded 007
The Long Awaited Etcetera...
Katt Hernandez and friends at High Zero 2001Recorded 008
Wide Open
Jack Wright and friends at High Zero 2001Recorded 011
Before The Beginning
Oluyemi Thomas and friends at High Zero 2002Recoreded 012
Roto-Melon
Neil Feather and friends at High Zero 2002Recorded 014
Patience Tryouts
Michael Johnsen and friends at High Zero 2003Recorded 015
Mede
Paolo Angeli and friends at High Zero 2003Recorded 016
Zeppelins Erste Grosse Fahrt
Todd Whitman and friends at High Zero 2004Recorded 017
Concentration
Susan Alcorn and friends at High Zero 2004Recorded 019
The Enigma Carols
Phil Minton and friends at High Zero 2005Recorded 020
Palatially Palpable
Scott Moore and friends at High Zero 2005
These records are available through various distributors, and also from Normals Books and Records in Baltimore (www.normals.com). What is interesting about the records is that they are not only amazing documents of contemporary improvisation (featuring a huge range of players), but that they also sound VERY DIFFERENT from most of the free improvisation records. If there is a recognizable idiom of free improvisation (in the negative sense), these are not it. Check them out.
