Meditation, Realization by Patrick Cress' Telepathy

Out of this and a twenty-year passion for music, Patrick manifested these influences into a specific original concept. In addition to Telepathy, Patrick is co-director of Octagon, a four musician/four dancer/performance painter ensemble that explores set composition with choreography and improvised music with improvised dance and painting. He also is a member of the Taurean rock trio Ah LaRocca, as well as co-director of the Bay Area's Odd Shaped Case Records which promotes new music derived from the cultures of the Balkans and the Middle East, Jazz/Improvisation, and Electronics.

Tim Bulkley, (drums) a vital part of the bay area music scene, has involved himself in projects & playing situations that are causing a stir. Tim's drumming can be heard with Anton Schwartz, tenor saxophonist, Telepathy, an avante jazz group, the Invisible Cities, an indie rock band and with Mike Zilber, world renowned saxophone player. Tim has been involved in local festivals including the SF Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival and San Jose Jazz Festival. Tim is currently finishing a recording entitled "In Flux," which will be released this Spring. The late Smith Dobson put it best when he called Tim, "one of the most dynamic, creative, musical, and intuitive drummers on the scene today."

Aaron Novik, clarinets, moved to the Bay Area about 7 years ago. Since then he has studied clarinet with Ben Goldberg, studied composition at UC Berkeley, and studied jazz with Herbie Lewis (New College) and Steve Coleman (UC Berkeley). Many diverse influences take form in his music from jazz and modern classical to Indian, Balkan and Balinese music. Take the play and experimentation of Sun Ra and Bartok and mix it with the structure and cadence of Charlie Parker and Bach. It's experimental music with an emphasis on sounding good. Aaron leads several groups around town, such as Gubbish, Kipple, Cutting Guard and the Yiddiots.

John Shifflett, upright bass, almost received an M.A. in music from the University of Iowa, where he also taught Jazz Studies and directed big bands. He is currently an instructor at San Jose State University, teaching bass and small ensembles. He has done countless studio sessions ranging from radio and TV jingles to jazz and country and pop recordings. His show business experience includes tours with Frankie Avalon and the Ringling-Barnum & Bailey circus, several seasons with the San Jose Civic Light Opera, and many engagements with stars such as Dinah Shore, Mel Torme, Jerry Lewis, Dionne Warwick, the Smothers Brothers, etc. His primary focus, however, has always been jazz. He has performed with the likes of Dave Liebman, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Red Holloway, Ernie Watts, John Zorn, Kim Richmond, Kurt Elling, Norma Winstone, Tom Harrell, Bobby Hutcherson, John Stowell, Harold Land, Kendra Shank, and others.

Since its inception, Patrick Cress' Telepathy has performed both nationally and internationally. The group has played for diverse audiences and venues including San Francisco's Bruno's and ODC Theater, Berkeley's Jazz House, L.A.'s the Mint, Santa Monica's Temple Bar, Portland's Mt. Tabor Theater, Seattle's Lo-Fi gallery, and Vancouver's 1067. The band released their third album, "Meditation, Realization", on Odd Shaped Case Records in May 2005.

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