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Shaking Ray Levis is an ongoing collaboration of musicians with
a common interest in improvisation. The project was conceived and led
by the Chattanooga-based team of Dennis
J. Palmer and Bob Stagner.
They use storytelling, synthesizers, samplers and percussion to achieve
their distinctive sound. They are the first American group to have recorded
for Incus Records,
the record label of British free improvisational guitarist Derek
Bailey. Additionally, they have performed and recorded with John
Zorn, David
Greenberger, Fred Frith, Min
Tanaka, Amy
Denio, and Derek
Bailey, as well as with many other critically acclaimed artists.
The
Levi Duo has performed internationally on the BBC,
at Quebec's International Festival de
Musique Actuelle, Newfoundland's Sound
Symposium, London's Company Week, and Denver's ReThink Conference.
Palmer has the distinction of being invited to play at Company Week in
1988 and the final one in 1994. Furthermore, their
educational outreach program has been presented in many public schools
and malls throughout the U.S. The Duo has been awarded grants by the British
Arts Council, Meet the Composer
and several regional organizations. Incus
released the Duo's first and second CD's, False
Prophets or Dang Good Guessers in 1993 and Short
in the U.K. in 1997 with drummer Roger Turner and keyboardist Steve
Beresford. Although they are on many compilations, their first and
only vinyl release is a quintet with Borbetomagus,
a release which features Palmer's artwork on a limited
edition picture disc. Their 1997 CD Boss
Witch features collaborations with J.D.
Parran, Davey
Williams, Frank
Pahl, Mary Richards, and Steve
Beresford. 2003, a year in which two wildly different and critically
acclaimed discs were released, was a very productive year indeed for the
SRL boys. Mssrs. Palmer and Stagner can be heard on Shaking
Ray Records' Live at Lamar's, a 1999
recording of a live performance with improv guru Derek
Bailey. Also in 2003, Palmer & Stagner teamed up with NPR
correspondent and Duplex Planet
publisher David Greenberger,
with a more than a little help from Kenny Palmer and Frank
Pahl, on PelPel's Mayor of the Tennessee
River.
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