Alan Brown - Encircle (2025)

These contemplations and improvisations were partly inspired by an instrument called an Ondomo — a recreation by Naoyuki Omo of the Ondes Martenot, one of the earliest electronic instruments developed in 1928 by Maurice Martenot (Ondes Martenot translated as ‘Martenot’s waves’). For this set of recordings, Alan gravitated back to his primary instrument, the piano, for many of the improvisations, allowing the various background colours to inform the process. The result is an album of great beauty and invention, rich in sonorous textures and equally rich emotional resonances.

“In late 2021, I acquired a handmade 'Ondomo,' an instrument that had interested me for a long time, which served as a key voice in my previous Rattle release Ondulation (2023). While the piano is known for its expressiveness and as a synthesiser controller, I have always been intrigued by alternative methods of interfacing with electronic musical instruments.

This use of the Ondomo on this recording serves a more subtle purpose. Woven discreetly into the fabric, it provides a quiet but vital presence that grounds the work without demanding attention.

Conceived in 2020, the closing track, Isolation, pays homage to William Basinski’s “The Disintegration Loops”. The sonic erosion of the work stems from digital breakdown, characterised by the gradual reduction of bits rather than traditional tape decay. Though born from a sense of separation, the piece gradually shifts to a calmer state in which the final moments evoke a sense of letting go and quietly accepting what remains.” (Alan Brown, July 2025)

Alan is a musician with a long and revered history in the New Zealand jazz scene as a pianist & Hammond organist. He was the bandleader of the successful jazz-funk ensemble Blue Train in the 1990s and the organ-based Alan Brown Trio in the 2000s. He has been an enthusiastic music educator for many years and enjoys repairing vintage keyboards and synths.

Alan Brown

TRACKLIST

1. Alan Brown - Night Sky
2. Alan Brown - Dance of the Distant
3. Alan Brown - Encircle
4. Alan Brown - Set Adrift
5. Alan Brown - Between Thoughts
6. Alan Brown - Almost There
7. Alan Brown - Bioluminescence
8. Alan Brown - Project 2
9. Alan Brown - Reversal
10. Alan Brown - Isolation Tank