Spite of Darkness - CD

Detroit Violinist and composer Mike Khoury presents his two drummer/two violin ensemble Spite of Darkness. Their forthcoming debut on Entropy Stereo Recordings features loft era veteran violinist, Jason Hwang, drummer and Ed Blackwell disciple, Andrew Drury, and longtime collaborator, drummer Ben Hall, known for his work with Bill Dixon and Ken Vandermark.Compositionally, the project grew from an experiment where Khoury immediately recognized the compositional possibilities that would allow him to write for himself and Hall, and fold it open into a mirrored Rorschach of their own interests in Stockhausen, Folkways, string ensemble over drum choir, Leroy Jenkins and Rashid Ali's groundbreaking record, "Swift are the Winds of Life" or Ornette Coleman's double quartet experiments if Bela Bartok wrote for them. Khoury has focused this work on redefining the balance of composition and improvisation and the recovery of the violin as a valid folk instrument as opposed to jazz or classical and today performs with his Detroit version of the band.