The album was recorded during the summer of 2011 at Abram's home studio in Chicago, and was initially released on vinyl in 2012 by
Eremite Records
Eremite Records is an independent American jazz record label founded in 1995 by Michael Ehlers, with early involvement from music writer Byron Coley. Ehlers was a student of Archie Shepp's at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. After college, ...
. In 2014, it was reissued on CD by Eremite with an additional live track, and in 2020, it was reissued on vinyl in remastered form by the Belgian label Aguirre Records. Led by Joshua Abrams on
guimbri
The sintir (), also known as the guembri (), gimbri, hejhouj in Hausa language, is a three stringed skin-covered bass guitar, bass plucked lute used by the Gnawa people of Morocco. It is approximately the size of a guitar, with a body carved fro ...
, the group features flutist Nicole Mitchell, saxophonist David Boykin, bass clarinetist Jason Stein, electric guitarists Emmett Kelly and Jeff Parker, cellist
Tomeka Reid
Tomeka Reid (born 1977) is an American composer, improviser, cellist, curator, and teacher.
Reid has performed and recorded with the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Nicole Mitchell, Anthony Braxton, the AACM Great Black Music Ensemble, Mike Reed's L ...
Michael Zerang
Michael Zerang (born November 16, 1958) is an American jazz percussionist and drummer.
Career
Zerang's parents both emigrated to the United States from the Middle East; his father is Iranian and his mother Iraqi.Frank Rosaly appear on the bonus track.
Reception
In an article for ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', Nate Chinen noted the album's "earthy intelligence," describing it as "seductive, invested in the mysterious power of the drone," and writing: "It's music that hints at the ceremonial without losing its modern bearings."
''
DownBeat
''DownBeat'' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm that it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1 ...
s
Peter Margasak
Peter Margasak is a music critic, journalist, and artistic director of the annual Frequency Festival in Chicago, an event that grew out of his longstanding work programming the weekly Frequency Series for experimental, improvised, and contempora ...
stated that Abrams' "savvy choice in collaborators, varied rhythms and effectively lean arrangements leaves little doubt that on ''Represencing'' he's carved out his own sonic world... It's a terrific collection that stands easily on its own, but it's all the more stunning that Abrams is able to borrow from far-flung musical cultures without ever infringing upon any of them."
Grayson Haver Currin of ''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials.
The term is also applie ...
'' commented: "As Abrams and his crew of Chicago cohorts gain steam without abandoning their simple, looping structures, it feels like we're catching a glimpse of a potentially eternal performance... ''Represencing'' rarely sounds overloaded or messy. Much of it could even be called minimal, more about small parts and subtle changes than loud, broad turns."
Writing for ''
Tiny Mix Tapes
''Tiny Mix Tapes'' (also ''TMT'' or ''tinymixtapes'') is an online music and film webzine that focuses primarily on new music and related news. In addition to its reviews, it is noted for its subversive, political, and sometimes surreal news, ...
'', Clifford Allen described the album as "a fascinating and evocative set of transient contemporary improvisation that renders boundaries of time, place, and subculture only obliquely relevant." He remarked: "''Represencing'' is not about specific representation or reference, instead conjuring vibrations of personalized otherness. It is music built through traveling, listening, and collaborating... it is work of open minds and open hearts, drawing from collective experience."
In a review for '' Consequence'', Adam Kivel wrote: "Abrams assembles some of the city's best improvisers to work over the guimbri, but that droning beauty always lies at the core... ''Represencing'' is the kind of album that effaces the reality that you know exists outside of it, returning you to a time and place in which this sort of ritual trance focuses life."
Bill Meyer of ''Magnet Magazine'' included the album in his "Best of 2012: Jazz/Improv" list.
guimbri
The sintir (), also known as the guembri (), gimbri, hejhouj in Hausa language, is a three stringed skin-covered bass guitar, bass plucked lute used by the Gnawa people of Morocco. It is approximately the size of a guitar, with a body carved fro ...
, organ, synthesizer, harp, bells, harmonium, sampler
* Nicole Mitchell – flute (track 6)
* David Boykin – tenor saxophone (tracks 1 and 3)
* Jason Stein – bass clarinet (track 6)
* Emmett Kelly – electric guitar, acoustic guitar (tracks 4, 7, and 9)
* Jeff Parker – electric guitar (track 8)
* Lisa Alvarado – harmonium, gong (tracks 4, 7, 8, and 9)
*
Tomeka Reid
Tomeka Reid (born 1977) is an American composer, improviser, cellist, curator, and teacher.
Reid has performed and recorded with the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Nicole Mitchell, Anthony Braxton, the AACM Great Black Music Ensemble, Mike Reed's L ...
– cello (track 5)
* Ben Boye – autoharp (track 9)
* Chad Taylor – drums, gong (tracks 1 and 2)
* Mikel Avery – drums (tracks 4 and 5)
* Frank Rosaly – drums (track 9)
*