Image: David Leikam (Kidd Jordan Quintet)

Location: Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society, Half Moon Bay, California, USA

Photo: Julian W. Carroll

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ARTICLE

• Music Making Waves: On the 2022 Outsound Presents New Music Summit | 12 AUG 2022 • Phillip Greenlief, Artforum

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...Sunday night brought us zBug, an improvising ensemble led by David Leikam featuring saxophonist Patrick Cress, trumpeter Doug Ellington, and drummer Timothy Orr, accompanied by Christina Braun, a dancer from the Butoh tradition who has chops and a mind of her own. She skirted the boundaries of the players, dancing into their midst with humor and agility as the players began by marking their territory and roles until the midway point when things achieved coherence, real flow, and active interplay. The chance to hear both a seasoned group like Rova:Arts and zBug, a group that intentionally shifts personnel in every performance, gave this listener the sense of an arc that begins with a first meeting and reflects the rewards ensembles achieve with forty years of hard work and dedication. It’s also indicative of Romus’s intention to provide listeners with the full breadth of the improvised music experience.

 

“The Outsound Music Summit was held from July 29–August 1 in Berkeley, California. Recordings of the performances can be streamed on Youtube.”

—Phillip Greenlief

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QUOTES

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• Man, I've heard most of your set [with zBug], it was fuckin' brilliant! What you do on your bass [NS Design CR6-string fretless electric cello] is amazing, ok it's amazing, REALLY amazing! Ah, so impressed... what your first song reminded me of was... [Airto Moreira's Nativity featuring Jaco Pastorius] ...one of the greatest things I've ever heard in my life.

—Paul L. Wexler (Warner Bros. Records, Island Records)

 

• diG your music. Eclectic ain’t the word. Film noir multiverse ethnic blade runner desert world. Love it.

—Nivek Ogre, ohGr, Skinny Puppy

 

• [zBug] ...sounds very similar to Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Trio (MM3)!

—John Baffa, TV Tray Recording Studio, MM3: The Creation Of The Universe

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• "I don’t play tunes but create a state of consciousness within the vocabulary of music based on architecture."

—David Leikam (Splitting Glass | Twilight Sunrise)

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• “You’re a master on the Moog [David Leikam]!”

—Zachary Morris, drummer-composer - Doomfield/Gabby La La

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• “Tonight might be the first night at the Luggage Store Gallery where I not only really liked both individual sets, but felt that the collaborative improvisation between both bands [Archtypes and zBug] at the end was amazing.”

—Matt Davignon, artist-sound/curator/promoter

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• “What an adventure in music that was.”

—Rick Lanman, Chief Medical Officer, Veracyte

 

• “Your band was super [Godwaffle - 2012-04-15] — I really enjoyed zBug.”

—Lena Strayhorn, artist-performer

 

• “David Leikam and zBug split our minds open [Godwaffle - 2012-04-15].”

—Benjamin Ethan Tinker, composer-performer

 

• “I was really impressed with the talent of this amazing duo [zBug]!”

—Mr. Marvin, NHM Recordings

 

• “Awesome music!”

—Katerina Rhodou, Marketing Manager, Minoan Music

 

• “Fantastic travel into the Universe … Great [music]!”

—Lajos Hyls, Budapest, Hungary

 

• “You have a good sense of rhythm [David Leikam].”

—Carey Dubbert, autoharpist/hammered dulcimer

 

• “Good Moog set David, thanks!”

—Scott Rich, producer/promoter - Make Sense Productions/SouthBay Electronic Muzik Fest

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• “…[zBug] this is some pretty kick ass shit!”

—Brian Ray Stearns, singer-songwriter (Tunes for Tykes)

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• “Great set yesterday [zBug]!”

—Clinton Patterson, trumpeter-composer - PremaSoul

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• “Friggin’ awesome tonight. Just what I needed [zBug]. I came this close to blowing it off and going home. Glad I didn’t!”

—Bill Cuevas, deejay - KZSU 90.1FM Music Director

 

• “…you guys [zBug] sounded great. Good to see you out rockin’ the house.”

—Phillip Greenlief, woodwinds-composer-curator-promoter

 

• “Fantastic [zBug] … The drums were so driving, your bass was incredible, and your Moog effing GNARLY. Looking forward to next time!”

—Andrew Reichart, creative writer - WeirdLuckComic

 

• “Great sounds! Wild and cinematic, amazingly eerie. Nice to find you…”

—Paloma Navarrete, fashion designer - HyperCrash

 

• “David, your music is very good! Records, sound, composition, perfect!”

—Eren Eroglu, jazz drummer