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Weasel Walter

Multi-instrumentalist/composer/improviser born 1972 in Rockford, Illinois, probably best known to the general public as being a very fast, high-energy percussionist fusing free jazz and black/death/speed metal approaches. Weasel Walter (first name, last name) moved to Chicago in 1990 and founded the mercurial jazz/punk/noise/metal/prog project the Flying Luttenbachers in late 1991 with Hal Russell. In its various incarnations the group recorded 16 full-length albums and toured the United States and Europe extensively. During the early-to-mid '90s Mr. Walter proved to be a significant catalyst in the Chicago underground rock and improvised music scenes, forging strong connections between the two camps. Walter founded the weekly (and still extant) Myopic Books Improvised Music Workshop in early 1994 and performed improvised music with dozens of musicians including Kevin Drumm, Ken Vandermark, Jeb Bishop, Jim Baker, Gene Coleman, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Jim O'Rourke, Mars Williams, Jeff Parker and Michael Zerang. Mr. Walter has performed and recorded with scores of underground rock bands like the Flying Luttenbachers, Lake Of Dracula, Burmese, Lair of the Minotaur, Bobby Conn, Erase Errata, XBXRX and Curse of the Birthmark. Weasel Walter relocated to Oakland, California in 2003. In 2005, after a long sabbatical from improvising, Walter established a shape-shifting free jazz ensemble under his own name which has featured various combinations of musicians like Henry Kaiser, Damon Smith, William Winant, Jon Raskin, Randy Hunt and Aram Shelton as well as performing in many ad-hoc improvisational combinations. Mr. Walter has also performed with Evan Parker, Marshall Allen, John Butcher, Peter Evans, Vinny Golia, Marco Eneidi, Liz Albee, Lisle Ellis, Harry Pussy, Burton Greene, Mick Barr (Orthrelm/Octis), Marc Edwards, Axel Doerner, Total Shutdown, Calvin Weston, Mary Halvorson, Greg Kelley, Quintron, Gianni Gebbia, Frank Gratkowski, Joe Morris, Paul Flaherty, Birgit Ulher, Bhob Rainey, YBO2, Anthony Braxton Orchestra, Bruce Ackley, Cheer-Accident, Sam Hillmer (Zs), the members of Nautical Almanac and many others. Mr. Walter holds a Bachelor's degree in music composition. His major icons are Iannis Xenakis, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Groucho Marx, Jack Kirby and Cecil Taylor.


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378
Multiple Reviews

Weasel Walter: Mysteries Beneath The Planet & Invasion

Read "Weasel Walter: Mysteries Beneath The Planet & Invasion" reviewed by Martin Longley


Marc Edwards/Weasel Walter GroupMysteries Beneath The PlanetugEXPLODE2009 Weasel Walter SeptetInvasionugEXPLODE2010 Both of these Weasel Walter albums feature similarly-equipped bands and a comparable level of attack, magnified, distended, distilled, compacted, crushed, mushroom-clouded or otherwise unnaturally manipulated to create a maximized rush of euphoria. Walter co-leads an ongoing group with fellow drummer Marc ...

268
Album Review

Weasel Walter / Henry Kaiser / Damon Smith: Plane Crash

Read "Plane Crash" reviewed by Martin Longley


Power trio or acoustic sensitives? This album shuffles both manifestations and mostly decides to alternate the settings, allowing torn ears some peace following each eruptive onslaught. Surely this must be guitarist Henry Kaiser's most extreme recording, in terms of decibel achievement? His rabid emissions build a wall of Black Metal doom-chundering, a pinnacle of sludge detrimetalism. Damon Smith's grime-bass traverses the tonal range past cello and even as high as the violin, bowing, dexterously plucking, as if eternally questing for ...

1,176
Interview

Weasel Walter: Revolt

Read "Weasel Walter: Revolt" reviewed by Clifford Allen


There aren't too many musicians who bring intensity to the music like drummer Weasel Walter, who has consistently been releasing extreme, vicious and dense free improvisation as a leader since the middle of the decade, mostly on his own ugExplode label. But Walter's history is a lot more varied than free jazz, as he was the fulcrum of the no wave/punk/experimental/free-form band the Flying Luttenbachers from 1992-2005. Since moving to Oakland, California from Chicago in 2003, he's split his time ...

504
Take Five With...

Take Five With Weasel Walter

Read "Take Five With Weasel Walter" reviewed by AAJ Staff


Meet Weasel Walter:I come from the Midwest. I was a punk when I was in my teens, but I listened to free jazz and Xenakis too. I moved to Chicago in 1990. I started playing with Hal Russell in 1991 and formed the Flying Luttenbachers with him in December of that year. That band lasted until 2007 and went through 20 members and numerous stylistic changes over the course of 16 albums and more than 300 live shows.

464
Multiple Reviews

Weasel Walter: Oculus ex Abyssus and Firestorm

Read "Weasel Walter: Oculus ex Abyssus and Firestorm" reviewed by Clifford Allen


In the nearly fifty years that have passed since saxophonist Ornette Coleman recorded the double quartet Free Jazz (Atlantic, 1960), freedom has become a relatively accepted approach to practicing improvisation and composition. So much so that a group like the Vandermark Five, which has its own history, can record four volumes of Free Jazz Classics (Atavistic, 2003/06). Conversely, Scandinavian power trio The Thing (Mats Gustafsson, reeds; Ingebrigt Haker Flaten, bass; Paal Nilssen-Love, drums) can wax interpretations of rock and punk ...

176
Album Review

Weasel Walter Quartet: Revolt Music

Read "Revolt Music" reviewed by Glenn Astarita


The title of this album could also sound something like the soundtrack for a toppled government. It's musical anarchy and upheaval, thanks to free-jazz drummer Weasel Walter's relentless pursuit of artistic expressionism. With alternating line-ups, recorded at a studio and venues on the West Coast, this album is about pounding bass lines, punishing rhythmic exercises, wailing saxophones and more. There are no hard-and-fast rules set forth, as the musicians' manifesto is built upon sheer energy and frenetic dialogs. ...

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3

Contest

Enter the "Mary Halvorson / Weasel Walter / Peter Evans - Mechanical Malfunction" Giveaway at All About Jazz!

Enter the "Mary Halvorson / Weasel Walter / Peter Evans - Mechanical Malfunction"  Giveaway at All About Jazz!

Source: All About Jazz

All About Jazz members are invited to enter the Thirsty Ear Recordings “Mary Halvorson / Weasel Walter / Peter Evans - Mechanical Malfunction“ giveaway contest starting today. We'll select FIVE winners at the conclusion of the contest on January 1st. Click here to enter the contest (Becoming a fan of Mary Halvorson at AAJ automatically enters you in the contest.) Good luck! Your Friends at Thirsty Ear Recordings About Mechanical Malfunction Following their critically acclaimed debut trio album, Electric Fruit, ...

100

Recording

Nate Wooley / Scott R. Looney / Damon Smith / Weasel Walter - Scowl (Ugexplode, 2011) ****a1/2

Nate Wooley / Scott R. Looney / Damon Smith / Weasel Walter - Scowl (Ugexplode, 2011) ****a1/2

Source: Free Jazz by Stef Gijssels

By Paul Acquaro I wonder what would make music like 'Scowl' of interest to the 'lay' listener? I suppose this is a question that has been asked in varying ways many times before, and no doubt will continue to be asked as members enter and (dare I say?) leave the fold of avant-garde jazz. I don't pretend to have an answer, nor will I even posit a theory, all I can offer is that It is a compelling listen that ...

116

Recording

Weasel Walter, Mary Halvorson and Peter Evans - Electric Fruit (Thirsty Ear, 2011)

Weasel Walter, Mary Halvorson and Peter Evans - Electric Fruit (Thirsty Ear, 2011)

Source: Music and More by Tim Niland

Three of the most adventurous musicians on the contemporary improvisation scene, drummer and percussionist Weasel Walter, guitarist Mary Halvorson and trumpeter Peter Evans combine for a fascinating album of collective improvisation that is entirely impossible to categorize (in a good way.) The song titles and the wonderful album artwork give a science fiction/steampunk air to the proceedings, opening with “Mangosteen 3000 A.D." that features splintered, fragmented trio improvisation and sputtering trumpet over strong guitar. Evans' strong brass takes command and ...

124

Interview

Drummer Weasel Walter Interviewed at AAJ

Drummer Weasel Walter Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz

There aren't too many musicians who bring intensity to the music like drummer Weasel Walter, who has consistently been releasing extreme, vicious and dense free improvisation as a leader since the middle of the decade, mostly on his own ugExplode label. But Walter's history is a lot more varied than free jazz, as he was the fulcrum of the no wave/punk/experimental/free-form band the Flying Luttenbachers from 1992-2005. Since moving to Oakland, California from Chicago in 2003, he's split his time ...

274

Performance / Tour

Raging Free Jazz Drummer Weasel Walter Upcoming Live Tour Dates in U.S. and Europe

Raging Free Jazz Drummer Weasel Walter Upcoming Live Tour Dates in U.S. and Europe

Source: ugEXPLODE

Hyperactive free jazz drummer Weasel Walter will be spreading his intense style of spontaneous musical interaction in many venues across the U.S. and Europe this spring in the company of many notable improvisers like Evan Parker, Peter Evans, Mary Halvorson and Marco Eneidi. His upcoming release out March 15, 2009 is a trio record with West Coast guitar legend Henry Kaiser and bassist Damon Smith featuring some of the most extreme Kaiser playing in decades--half Sharrock/Takayanagi electronic bombast, the other ...

173

Performance / Tour

Weasel Walter East Coast Tour

Weasel Walter East Coast Tour

Source: All About Jazz

Notorious free music drummer Weasel Walter mounts another full-scale assault on the East Coast during September 2008 featuring help from area luminaries such as trumpeter Peter Evans, guitarist Mary Halvorson, reedman Paul Flaherty and drummer Marc Edwards. Of particular note will be three performances by the Walter/Halvorson/Evans trio, promising virtuoso interplay with a touch of bloodyminded humor. Walter and Halvorson first teamed up last year for the recording of the “Opulence" CD release (2008, ugEXPLODE Records) while Evans and Walter ...

121

Performance / Tour

Weasel Walter May 2008 East Coast Dates and New Releases

Weasel Walter May 2008 East Coast Dates and New Releases

Source: ugEXPLODE

Iconoclastic West Coast drummer Weasel Walter will play a string of East Coast dates to coincide with several new releases on his own ugEXPLODE label. Perhaps best known for leading the long-running punk-jazz/no wave/brutal prog group The Flying Luttenbachers, Walter has gained a reputation as a young drummer of considerable intensity and sensitivity. Released on April 15, 2008 “Opulence" (a duo between Walter and Anthony Braxton alumni Mary Halvorson on guitar) and “Trauma" (a first-time-on-cd reissue of brutal free jazz ...

122

Performance / Tour

Weasel Walter/Damon Smith East Coast Tour

Weasel Walter/Damon Smith East Coast Tour

Source: ugEXPLODE

Infamous punk-jazz drummer Weasel Walter (known for his work with the Flying Luttenbachers) and firebrand bassist Damon Smith will be doing a series of dates in New York and Philedelphia to promote their CD release “Revolt Music" by the Weasel Walter Quartet. The music of the quartet is solidly grounded in the fire and firmament of '60s free jazz, but the tour will put them in a number of different settings including an all-acoustic improvised sets as a duo and ...

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