Having muddled through the indeterminate and isolated reality of the year 2020, The Evolution of the Arm found themselves at the dawn of 2021, longing for a way to connect musically while preparing logistically for the release of their first record, Sounds Like. Tired of meeting endlessly on Zoom and teaching music lessons riddled with poor internet connection and inherent time lag, pianist Michael McNeill proposed instead that they meet on the astral plane. The concept was simple: telepathy is instantaneous, it has no latency! Decide on a date, select a start and end time, and record individually, unable to see or hear each other on the physical plane. Something interdimensional happened on January 9th from 6:00-6:05pm, but they didn’t know what until later, when they heard their four individual recordings combined.
This EP, the first in their series of Telepathic Music releases, is a document of that first group improvisation on the astral plane, and of many that followed. It lives in a wormhole between the known and the unknown, where the attitude of listening transcends the physical space between us.
For complete credits and liner notes, download the Telepathic Music Vol. 1 booklet.
Read more about the band’s practice of telepathic improvisation in last year’s interview, “Telepathic Music: An Interview with The Evolution of the Arm”.
Praise for Telepathic Music Vol. 1
“Spacious and moving music that engages the listener from start to finish [with] jaw-popping lustful bliss. […] Each musician allows space for motif development and group interplay to the highest level, [and] throughout each piece a common thread of exploration and trust is evident.”
—Ravi Padmanabha, multi-instrumentalist and composer
“follow a teardrop in reverse
accidents too perfect to know
laughter is crying supplying
deep water tension
stone slippers whisper
the end is yesterday’s hello”
—Nola Ranallo, singer + poet