nmperign

Nmperign emerged from Boston as an improvising unit built around soprano saxophonist Bhob Rainey and trumpeter Greg Kelley, both of whom guide the ensemble into the quieter regions of free improvisation. Long tones and extended-technique sonorities typically anchor the music, allowing the resulting textures to resemble electronic drones. The outfit’s debut, 44'38", placed Kelley and Rainey alongside percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani. Although the album largely followed the conventions of free improvisation, it already contained early traces of the singular approach Nmperign would cultivate. In 1999 the group, now without Nakatani, issued the live recording This Is Nmperign's 2nd CD, whose material previewed the sonic territory Rainey and Kelley would examine over the following years. A further release soon paired the duo with electronic artist Jason Lescalleet on In Which the Silent Film Director Is No Longer Able to Make His Point to the Industrial Dreamer. Nmperign’s fourth album appeared in 2001 under the members’ own names, credited as “Bhob Rainey/Greg Kelley,” yet still titled Nmperign. The duo’s 2002 activities encompassed encounters with trumpeter Axel Dörner and drummer Günter Müller.