Marc Edwards & Slipstream Time Travel

http://www.emergenza.net/document/news/news.asp?id=2220

An incredible first-round of Emergenza shows took place in Brooklyn this past weekend at one of the best clubs in New York City, The Hook. Located in Red Hook, The Hook not only has one of the best sound systems in the area but also the most warming and welcoming staff I have encountered thus far in my Emergenza experiences. The weekend was filled with incredible talent, exciting performances and an array of musical genres that spanned from hardcore metal to visual rock to funk and blues.

Marc Edwards Slipstream Time Travel was an unexpected treat of jazz-fusion amidst a night of hard rock. Marc Edwards was one of the best drummers I have ever witnessed at an Emergenza event. He played the drums as if they were the lead instruments, while Hilliard Greene weaved throughout the compositions on an upright bass and James Duncan jammed out on the trumpet. Marc Edward’s Slipstream Time Travel is surely not to be missed at the quarter final round of Emergenza shows this December at The Hook.

by Sophie Creole - 30 Sep 2006

C Emergenza 2006 - Emergenza Official Site and web fanzine

MARC EDWARDS & SLIPSTREAM TIME TRAVEL - Star
Flakes [CD-R] (AlphaPhonics 03; USA) Featuring
Marc Edwards on drums, Sabir Mateen on tenor sax,
Tor Snyder & Ernest Anderson III on guitars and
Jeff Shurdut on piano. Recorded live at the Lucky
Saloon in NYC in January & May of 2007.
Powerhouse free/jazz drum master, Marc Edwards,
records infrequently yet consistently blows minds
with each and every rare disc he releases. Most
recently Marc Edwards can be heard drumming up a
(double drums) storm with Weasel Walter on his
'Firestorm' disc. Starting with "Chasing Comets,"
Marc is erupting on the drums while Sabir wails
like a man possessed on his tenor as both guitars
play spiritual melodies together. This is heavy
music, the drums pounding, throbbing underneath
the storm-force of screaming sax and burning
guitars. What I dig most about this is that one
or both guitars are often playing these distant
reverberant melodies that are sometimes buried
beneath the din. "Floating in Spaces" begins more
quietly, you can hear the audience talking at
times, and then builds once again. While the sax
and drums create one dialogue, the guitars
shimmer and create another dialogue along with
them. The title track is the longest and perhaps
the best. It begins majestically with Sabir's
strong toned tenor and the guitar(s) growling
along with him in a cosmic communion. I dig the
way Sabir's furious tenor is reaching for the
stars while the guitars create some melancholy,
twisted melodies down below. Righteous and a bit
overwhelming at times. The final piece, "Drifting
in the Bubble Nebula" features some fine piano
from the ever-resourceful Jeff Shurdut. It is a
laid-back spacious piece with rumbling piano,
dreamy guitars and swirling brushes. The piano
and cymbals play cautiously and are in fact quite
haunting, It seems like an appropriate way to
bring this adventurous disc to a close. - BLG - Downtown Music Gallery

c 2007 cadence magazine [www.cadencebuilding.com]

from June 2007 issue:

Two new offerings on drummer MARC EDWARDS’ AlphaPhonics label serve up spaceways penetrations of an entirely different beast.
Muscular, raw, and often at high volume and impact, Edwards’ Slipstream Time Travel’s strengths are also their greatest weaknesses.
TWELVE VOTES (AlphaPhonics 6860) takes off and very rarely lets up. The pieces (Live @ The Hook – Ion Storm/ Morning Dew/ Floating in
Space/ Live @ABC No Rio) are extended squallfests, largely due to the presence of some post-McLaughlin shredding guitar in what is really an excellent lineup (Tor Snyder, elec g; Ernest
Anderson III, elec g; Francois Grillot, b; Jeffrey Hayden Shurdut, p, Blaise Siwula, as; Marc Edwards, d.) Recorded at The Hook, Dec. 8, 2006
& ABC No Rio Nov. 19, 2006, the scorching volume is probably quite effective in a club atmosphere,
but it can be a bit wearing on the listener at home.

The same is true of ION STORM (AlphaPhonics 6761), which employs a very similar aesthetic.
There is a bit more variety in dynamic levels on these tracks (Ion Storm/ Binary Systems/
Molecular Excitation/ Star Flakes/ Floating inSpace) but the real gems here are in Edwards’drumming, which remains superb. Snyder remains on guitar, supplemented here by Ras Moshe (s) and James Duncan (tpt), leaving room for a bit
more acoustic exploration. These two discs are volatile, but, unfortunately, not too far above mediocrity, despite some very good musicianship. - Cadence Magazine

MARC EDWARDS & SLIPSTREAM TIME TRAVEL - 12 Votes!
(Alpha Phonics R2; USA) Featuring Tor Snyder &
Ernest Anderson III on electric guitars, Jeffrey
Shurdut on piano, Blaise Siwula on alto sax,
Francois Grillot on bass and Marc Edwards on
drums & direction. This disc was recorded live at
two gigs: The Hook in December of 2006 and at ABC
No Rio in November of 2006. Marc Edwards remains
one of the best, powerhouse, free/jazz master
drummers and bandleaders to come from NY in the
past two decades. His work with Cecil Taylor and
David S. Ware was phenomenal and he continues to
evolve the free/jazz storm with his own series of
ensembles. Three discs have been released in the
past year on his own Alpha Phonics label and each
one is a powerful offering.
"Ion Storm" opens at full blast with wailing
trumpet, electric guitars and rock solid drums.
The title seems most appropriate since it does
sound as if we are in the middle of a fierce
storm or hurricane. Both guitars are screaming as
Marc's furious, fast, pounding drums kick
everyone in the butt. There seems to be an
unnamed trumpet here burning as well, so I will
have to ask Marc about who he is. "Morning Dew"
(not the song that the Dead cover) is actually
laid back and features some fine brushwork by
Marc and eerie guitars. Marc kicks off "Floating
in Space" some mighty fine drums as the guitars
build around him. The title of this piece is most
appropriate, as it does have a cosmic,
space/jam-like vibe. The gig at ABC No Rio is
from a couple of weeks earlier and it sounds like
Blaise is replacing whoever played trumpet at the
other set. Again, "Ion Storm" opens and it is
even heavier with both mutant guitars wailing
together in a massive frenzy. Although the music
is not that well recorded, the force of the music
is undeniable. It almost sounds as if one of the
guitarists is playing a melody that is buried
beneath the free frenzy. Marc's fine drumming
remains at the center even when the ensemble
glides back down to the earth for more restrained
moments. No doubt that the great Francois Grillot
is playing his fine acoustic bass underneath the
din, but it hard to tell at times. Again, it is
the overall sound that is awesome, not the
distinct sound of any individual player. The
final piece, "Interdimensional Gateway" is
another powerful, slew of freeform insanity that
burns through a haze of wailing sax, buzzing
guitar, rambling piano and invigorating drums.
The overall vibe is almost too much at times, yet
just enough to take us on an extreme journey to
another world. - BLG - Downtown Music Gallery