Ensemble Off n On

Guitarist Nate Jarrell, drummer Jeanette Kangas, and bassist Harley Magsino started Ensemble Off and On with the vision to push musical boundaries and provide a creative outlet for their original compositions and arrangements. While all three musicians come from a jazz background and that influence can clearly be heard in their music, there are also many other influences and elements present that create a style that can at times defy classification. Their new recording features original music along with arrangements of tunes by such diverse artists as Sun Ra, Jimi Hendrix, Ornette Coleman, and Frank Kimbrough. The liner notes to the new recording, written by Pianist and Educator Rick Helzer, provide an excellent glimpse into the diverse music on this disc.

Ensemble Off n' On
CD Liner Notes

The music in this compact disk is invigorating, thought provoking, wry and deadly serious, many times in the space of just one piece. While Kangas, Jarrell and Magsino individually bring much to the table as gifted improvising soloists, it is the collective creativity of this band, unified around telepathic and complementary interactions, that makes the manner in which they play their music compelling. Jarrell and Magsino show themselves to be engaging composers. The original compositions not only reveal Jarrell's and Magsino's eclectic interests, but the group's ability to frame new things out of preexisting forms. To simply call the Frank Kimbrough, Ornette Coleman, Sun Ra and Jimi Hendrix compositions "covers" would do a great disservice to the rich creative capital Kangas, Jarrell and Magsino bring to these great pieces…, talk about reimagining! This is important music.

-Rick Helzer
Professor of Music
San Diego State University