Tag Archives: Basher

Mixtape #165

04 November 2024


New Orleans’ Basher, captained by adventurous composer and strikingly talented saxophonist and clarinettist Byron Asher, is one of the most electrifying free jazz party bands out there. They’ve released May Day earlier this year, a thrilling, buoyant and infectious dance floor-ready album with an unabashedly punk spirit. Besides Basher, Byron has also been showcasing his dexterity and versatility in Skrontch Music, his experimental large ensemble, Flaxan, a multi-timbral horn quartet, and various other projects. His musical universe is chock-full with gems that will cast a spell on you and make you dance and smile. We just had to ask him to curate a mix and we’re pumped to share the superb selection of tunes he put together for us.

“The tracks are songs that have influenced my work over the years in New Orleans, with Basher as well as with other band projects, as well as my compositional interests and my commitment to expansive improvisation.” - Byron Asher

  1. Anthony Braxton – 22-M (Opus 58) [Arista]
  2. Hama – Bororo [Sahel Sounds]
  3. Ornette Coleman – Sleep Talk [Antilles]
  4. Improvisational Arts Quintet – River Niger [Rounder Records]
  5. Björk, Kasimyn – Atopos [One Little Independent Records]
  6. Arthur Blythe – Down San Diego Way [Columbia / CBS]
  7. Semblanzas del Rio Guapi – Los Guasangú [Discos Pacífico]
  8. Weather Report – Unknown Soldiers [Columbia]
  9. Sons of Kemet – Play Mass [Naim Jazz]
  10. Jelly Roll Morton – Shreveport Stomp [Victor]

Basher’s new album, May Day, out later this month

19 May 2024

Photo: Camille Lenain

One of New Orleans’ most electrifying free jazz party band, Basher, spearheaded by renowned saxophonist and composer Byron Asher, is back with a thrilling new album titled May Day, following 2022’s Doubles. The upcoming album features six original compositions and two extended improvisations, recorded in one take to preserve the spontaneous, joyous and raw energy they’re known for. Producer Jeff Albert helped shape these sessions into the cohesive and exhilarating soundscape heard on the album.

Whereas on Doubles Basher ask “what might a band called Basher sound like?”, as the press release describes, on the forthcoming May Day they provide a clear response, “This is what Basher sounds like.”

Complementing the music, the album artwork is a striking blend of socialist realist photography taken by Asher on the streets of Prague, CZ and hand-painted tropical flora and fauna painted by friend and experimental pop singer Jess Joy, symbolizing a fusion of struggle and beauty.

The title track, ‘May Day’, was the first single to be let loose and serves as a powerful tribute to workers and organized labour, with powerful saxophone solos by Asher and Aurora Nealand. As the title suggests, its urgency reflects the tumultuous times during which it was conceived. Basher shared a second single earlier this month, ‘Thanks, Trey’, and are offering it with a video made by Noé Cugny. Check out both singles below ahead of the album’s release on May 31st through Sinking City Records.