The Composer by Daniel Panasenko

The Musicians:

Daniel Panasenko - classical & electric guitar, cehlis, piano, alto & PVC saxophones, percussion

Martin Birke - drum kit

Chuck Ehlis - fretless bass, thwackoleum, tapes, lap steel

Christian Heilman - drum kit

Tony Passarell - clarinet, saxophones

Mark Wyman - accordion

Bio:

Daniel Panasenko is a multi-instrumentalist, improviser, and composer best known for his work with sandbox trio, an improvisational group dedicated to experimentation and instrument building. He has recorded and performed with a number of like-minded musicians from around the world, including: Beth Custer, Christian Heilman, Percy Howard, Roman Leykam & Frank Mark, and Tony Passarell. Daniel is currently focusing on a collaboration with singer / guitarist / composer Peter James and guitarist David Lofton, as well as sporadic performances with the electro-improv trio, MicroSphere with Martin Birke (electronic drums) and Stephen Sullivan (guitar synthesizer).

multi-instrumentalist

Daniel's musical training started at age 12 when he began studying classical guitar with Jack Warren in Sacramento, California. By 16, he had discovered Jazz and began studying with teachers Boyd Phelps and Russ Abraham. During his early 20's, Daniel began to explore percussion and saxophone, and in 1992, alongside Martin Birke and Chuck Ehlis in sandbox trio, he fully embraced the idea of instrument exploration and experimentation. Since 2000 Daniel has been primarily performing and recording with the Chapman Stick, electric upright bass, and harmonium.

improviser

Daniel has been a proponent of Improvisation from the beginning starting with his high school "art-rock" band with drummer Martin Birke and bassist David Netz. Before joining sandbox trio in 1992, he played with Thwack, an electric jazz-fusion thing with Martin Birke (electronic drums), Art Chivis (alto saxophone), and Chuck Ehlis (fretless bass), followed by BUB Orchestra, a more traditional jazz line up focusing on Free Jazz.

composer

In addition to composing music for former bands Thwack and BUB Orchestra, Daniel has explored various compositional settings and techniques. He has written music for piano, saxophone quartet, classical guitar & accordion, as well as less conventional instrumentations. Having utilized traditional methods, he has also explored random compositional techniques inspired by John Cage involving the use of various multi-sided dice. He has scored 2 films in collaboration with sandbox trio: "Animals" and "Heartbeat".

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