Following saxophonist Neil Welch's highly acclaimed debut release Narmada, drummer Chris Icasiano and Welch once again join forces on Bad Luck, a co-led collection of nine highly charged originals.

Icasiano and Welch have a musical rapport that borders on symbiotic: like one organism, they effortlessly shift between fierce improvisations and sound art, pushing their craft in ever-evolving directions, all within the context of carefully constructed harmonic palettes. Ranging from free-bop to complex multi-meter compositions, undulating tempos and subtle melodic shapes, the duo continually achieve an enticing conversational language and compelling use of sound.

Called “powerful” and “boundary-stretching” by All About Jazz LA, and “an impassioned tenor player” by Downbeat, saxophonist Neil Welch is a growing artist on the national scene, performing in musical contexts ranging from avant-garde improvisation and sound art, to straight ahead jazz and Hindustani music. Notable performances include the Earshot Jazz Society’s Second Century in Jazz select concert series, where Welch was awarded Emerging Artist of 2008. Welch’s acclaimed 2008 release Narmada has been reviewed in Downbeat, All About Jazz L.A. and N.Y., Jazzreivew.com, Jazz Police, Earshot and France’s Dragon Jazz, among others. Welch has performed in clubs and concert halls throughout the United States and Europe, including France, Germany, England, Austria, and Switzerland.

Drummer Chris Icasiano is an emerging force in the Seattle new music scene. Icasiano regularly performs with trumpeter Cuong Vu (Pat Metheny Group, Cuong Vu Trio) in the band Speak, an adventurous group that has been featured in the Ballard Jazz Festival, the Gene Harris Jazz Festival, Seattle’s Earshot Jazz publication, and was nominated in 2008 for a Golden Ear Award for “Outside” Jazz Group of the Year. Icasiano's talents extend to other musical ventures as well; he has contributed to a number of Seattle indie projects, including a U.S. Tour with Seattle electronic folk pop outfit, Lucy Bland, and performs regularly with the Senegalese pop group Safal, which has been featured in Seattle’s Folklife Festival and the Fremont Street Fair.

Bad Luck is:

Neil Welch, tenor, soprano and contra bass saxophones, live loops and pedals Chris Icasiano, drums, cymbals