Tune in to Live Constructions at 10PM Sunday, October 26th, to hear an interview and performance by Neil Welch and Chris Icasiano, who make up the jazz duo, Bad Luck. Welch (saxophone) and Icasiano (drums) have been working together for almost a decade on the project, combining elements of jazz, classical, and indie music to create an energetic collection of compositions and improvisations. Currently on a nationwide tour, the duo stopped by WKCR while they were in New York for an interview. Welch then recorded 3 solo sax improvisations in our live studio, which will be broadcast alongside the interview. Tune in!
Called ”powerful, virtuosic, and cutting-edge” music by All About Jazz, Bad Luck is a 10-year collaboration between Seattle drummer Chris Icasiano and saxophonist Neil Welch. With three albums under their belt, Bad Luck has created an incredibly diverse array of music—-no small feat in the heavily trodden world of drum/saxophone duos. Their melodies, improvisations and compositions are constructed from the ground up and in many cases cannot be conventionally notated on a page.
Icasiano and Welch began their collaboration as students at the University of Washington. Bad Luck formed out of late night drum and saxophone marathon sessions exploring Coltrane/Rashid Ali style duos and jazz standards. It was after adding live pedals and electronic effects that the unique sound profile of Bad Luck began to take shape. They were named the “Outside Jazz Group of 2011” by Earshot Jazz Magazine, and their album Two was named ”Album of the Year 2012” by the New York Jazz Review. They are Table and Chairs Music recording artists with 3 albums to their credit: Bad Luck (2009), Two (2010) and the Bloodroot EP (2012).
Welch and Icasiano are founding members of the famed Racer Sessions avant-garde performance series which takes place each week in Seattle. They are also founding members of the cutting-edge record label Table and Chairs Music, which operates as a not-for-profit record label that gives 100% of its proceed to artists. Bad Luck tours extensively, having shared the stage with local bands throughout the US as well as major figures in improvised music such as saxophone legend Roscoe Mitchell, and performers Cuong Vu, Andrew D’Angelo, Wayne Horvitz, Dave King (The Bad Plus) and Chris Speed. In the Fall of 2014, Bad Luck celebrates the release of their new album Three, bringing their high-energy live set to venues and universities across the U.S. on a 35 day tour.
Catch them on their nation-wide tour: http://badluckband.net/tour
