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Jeff Parker announces new ETA IVtet album on International Anthem
The Way Out of Easy is out November 22 on International Anthem. Join us for a special listening event on October 28th at In Sheep’s Clothing HQ.
The legacy of Highland Park’s lost experimental music venue ETA continues with guitarist Jeff Parker’s latest album The Way Out of Easy, which features his long-running ETA IVtet comprised of saxophonist Josh Johnson (SML, Meshell Ndegeocello, Leon Bridges), bassist Anna Butterss (SML, Jason Isbell, Phoebe Bridgers), and drummer Jay Bellerose (Robert Plant, Allen Toussaint, Joe Henry). Out November 22, 2024 on International Anthem/Nonesuch Records, The Way Out of Easy is the first recording by Parker and this ensemble since their 2022 debut Mondays at the Enfield Tennis Academy, which was recently named one of the “Best Albums of the 2020s So Far” by Pitchfork.
Like the critically lauded Mondays at the Enfield Tennis Academy, The Way Out of Easy is composed entirely of recordings from Los Angeles creative music outpost ETA — a venue where Parker and this ensemble held a weekly residency from 2016 until it closed in December of 2023. Over seven years of working in that space, the ETA IVtet evolved from a band that played mostly standards into a group known for its transcendent, long-form journeys into innovative, groove-oriented minimalist and mantric improvised music. All four tracks on The Way Out of Easy come from a single night in 2023, providing an unfiltered view of the ensemble, fully in their element, embarking in linear improvisations that unfold across eighty minutes of music recorded and mixed live by engineer Bryce Gonzales.
“ETA is such a special place, and I say ‘is’ because even though the physical space is no longer there, to me it also represents a community that lives on…”
Anna Butterss
To celebrate the album’s release, In Sheep’s Clothing and International Anthem will host a very special event on Monday October 28th at ISC HQ in West Hollywood, CA. “The Music of Jeff Parker” will feature an exclusive advance listening of The Way Out of Easy on ISC HQ’s hifi sound system, followed by a conversation between Parker and veteran music supervisor Jocelyn Brown. The event will culminate with a performance of a broad selection of Parker’s original compositions by the trio of Gregory Uhlmann (guitar), Anna Butterss (bass), and Ben Lumsdaine (drums) – all of whom are longtime students, friends and collaborators of Parker.
Tickets are available here: https://link.dice.fm/if0adeb0dbca
