DENNIS PALMER
MUSIC BIO (LINKS ARE HIGHLIGHTED IN BLUE)
As a "syn-the-sist" and vocalist, Palmer's dedication to improvisation has taken many dimensions, including collaborations with the legendary and diverse talents of Derek Bailey , Fred Frith, Amy Denio, Davey Williams, Steve Beresford, Frank Pahl, Borbetomagus, Bob "tappy" Stagner, Gino Robair, Tony Oxley, Roger turner, Ladonna Smith, Eugene Chadbourne, Jessica Lurie and Japanese dancer Min Tanaka.
Palmer also has collaborated with Capricorn Record's Colonel Bruce Hampton, Drag City's David Pajo of Papa M., NPR commentator/Duplex Planet editor David Greenberger and folk artist Rev. Howard Finster.
He has performed at several major international festivals, including Derek Bailey's Company 1988/1994, and at the Festival International: Musique Actuelle in Victoriaville. He has played on the CBC for Sound Symposium Newfoundland and on the BBC program, Midnight Oil.
In 1986 Palmer co-founded the Shaking Ray Levis, an ongoing collaboration of musicians with a common interest in free improvisation. They were the first American group to be produced by Incus Records.
Also in 1986, Palmer co-founded The Shaking Ray Levi Society . The SRL Society is the South's first and oldest "501C3" non profit organization dedicated to the promotion of free-improvisation throughout the region. The SRL Society is a volunteer-run organization dedicated to challenging audiences with extraordinary music, film, and performance art, the SRL Society is responsible for bringing hundreds of diverse and celebrated artists to Tennessee and the Southeast.
He has been featured in several publications, including the Penguin Guide to Jazz, Art Papers, Electronic Musician, The Wire and Keyboard.
His work on both analog and digital synthesizers has garnered critical attention. For example, Keyboard magazine describes his unique style: "Palmer makes his instrument speak in tongues. This is digital glosslalia, spoken in syllables one can almost touch, bright, tactile timbres that rattle around the ear like hailstones in a rain gutter."
Creative Loafing states that Palmer " . . . remains, no contest, the world's most colorfully inventive synthesizer player."
Pitchfork "Rating: 8.0" review of The Gospel Record by Derek Bailey, Amy Denio, and Dennis Palmer released by Shaking Ray Records.
GAZ-ETA review of The Gospel Record. "...these are seven of the most hilarious gospel covers you'll hear in your lifetime. Brought to you by Dennis Palmer [yes believers, the same one responsible for the Shaking Ray Levis madness that caught our pants on fire about a decade ago], it gently careens through the gospel catalogue with much sincerity and madness."
Reviews of ASAP WINGS featuring the Killick, Dennis Palmer and Bob Stagner.
Palmer is currently performing & wrapping up a recording with Colonel Bruce Hampton & many "other" Shaking Ray Levi Society projects.
DEVICES & THE LIKE: XXX Synthesizers (analog & digital), Electro-Harmonix 16 Digital Delay, MoogerFooger (MF101, MF102, CP251), The Stylophone, Yamaha SU10 & Roland Loop Station, Diabolical Devices Bent Circuit Casio SK1 & Misc. Lo-Fi electronics.
For more INFO on "VINYL & CD RECORDINGS" please go to the Shaking Ray Records ON LINE STORE.
For INFO on DENNIS PALMER'S "PAINTINGS & DRAWINGS" please click HERE!
