Lie Very Still – John Savage (flute), Ken Ollis (drums), Michael Gamble (guitar)
Lie Very Still interprets the compositions of John C. Savage (flutes, saxophones), and features Ken Ollis (drums) and Michael Gamble (guitar).
Flutist and saxophonist John C. Savage has been compared to Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Herbie Mann, Noah Howard, Ian Anderson, and Colin Stetson. Savage has performed and recorded with, among others, Billy Fox and Mark Dresser, (The Uncle Wiggly Suite) the avant world-jazz duo Cartridge (The Black Heron and the Spoonbill), The Brooklyn Qawwali Party (eponymous release), the Andrew Hill Big Band (A Beautiful Day), The Kitsune Ensemble (The Kaidan Suite and Amanogawa), the jazz quintet Groove Revelation (Grindin’), releases with composer-drummer Ken Ollis on PJCE Records (Demolition Duo and Senses Sharpened), and the poetry and music duo, Thick In The Throat, Honey (Love Letters We Never Sent). Savage has received honors and awards from the Atlantic Center for the Arts, the Oregon Arts Commission, Bandcamp Weekly, The College Music Society, KMHD radio, and the Portland-based Regional Arts and Culture Council. He holds a Ph.D. from New York University in flute performance where he studied with Keith Underwood, Esther Lamneck, and Robert Dick.
Ken Ollis is a drummer, composer, and educator from Portland, OR. He has performed extensively throughout the US, Canada, and Europe, and has played with a variety of musicians including: Kenny Werner, Ingrid Jensen, Julian Priester, The Drifters, Bud Shank, John Stowell, Darrell Grant, John Gross, Dan Balmer, Chata Addy, Rob Blakeslee, Rich Halley, Glen Moore, and many others. Most recently, his projects have included work with Dominique Eade, Heather Masse (from The Wailin’ Jennys), Aoife O’Donovan (from Crooked Still), Pepe and The Bottle Blondes. Ken has several releases on PJCE Records, including The Demolition Duo with John C. Savage, and Senses Sharpened, which features both Savage and Dan Gaynor, and is comprised of Ollis’s originals that draw upon the compositional techniques of Messiaen, Webern and Tim Berne. His compositions have also been featured in the repertoire of the Paxselin Quartet, the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble, PDX Ensemble, The Chamber of Commerce, and on his debut CD, Confluence. Ollis holds an M.M. in Jazz Performance from Portland State University.
Mike Gamble is an adventurous guitarist and multi-instrumentalist whose work with electronic modes of composition are integrated endlessly into his setup. Gamble has spent the last 15 years immersed in the creative jazz, experimental rock and improvised music scene primarily in NYC, with close ties to New Orleans, Burlington, Boston, San Francisco and the Pacific Northwest. He has had the pleasure of recording over 20 albums and touring the states, Canada, and Europe with his critically-acclaimed guitar trio The Inbetweens, Counter Record’s Cougar, and alongside doom-metal originators Earth. His more recent collaborators have been prestigious drummer Bobby Previte, bassist Todd Sickafoose, guitar virtuoso Nels Cline, and PNW cellist Lori Goldston. Since relocating to Portland Mike has been running a monthly Audio/Visual series featuring local and touring artists, encouraging them to play rare solo, duo, and trio sets with his own audio-reactive projection setup. Among working on soundtracks, web-series, and branded content for small businesses, Gamble currently holds a position as an Audio Production instructor at Oregon State University and is the Artistic Director of Portland’s longstanding experimental music organization, The Creative Music Guild.
