Vorvis/Strachan is a collaboration between two of Toronto's finest indie/jazz musicians. Jeremy Strachan already plays saxophone in two revered bands, Feuermusik and The Hylozoists. As such he's no stranger to improvisation and collaboration, and a long-standing member of the Wavelength community. Jack Vorvis is an iconoclast and a veteran of the drums; he's played with the legendary CCMC, opened for Sonic Youth, and even appeared in a dubious martial arts movie, 1992's Tiger Claw. Together, the two strive to create truly improvised and unstructured long-form jams. Demian talked to the articulate and charming Jeremy Strachan.

Hey, how are you? What are you up to?

I'm great. Right now I'm staying busy working at the CMC [Canadian Music Centre] and playing with Feuermusik and the Hylozoists, and this duo, among other things. Both FM and the Hylos have brand new records about which we're very excited.

I understand this is a very new project. Are you guys still figuring things out?

We met last April for the first time at the Arraymusic space when we played a set together. We've rehearsed a few times since then, but the nature of the music doesn't really warrant much rehearsal.

Is the music totally improvised? Do you totally trust each other? Do you rely on certain motifs or arrangements?

Yes, yes, and no. We just play. I'm not thinking about a concept when we're playing.

A lot of people know your band Feuermusik, especially from your Brickworks show, which blew a lot of heads. Can we expect anything similar from Vorvis/Strachan at Wavelength?

I hope so. FM was blessed with a great resonant space at the Brickworks show, and I have a feeling the drugs and booze had as much to do with heads being blown as we did.

Are Gus (Feuermusik) and Jack very different, as drummers and bandmates?

Well, both of them are incredible. Gus deals with compact rhythmic ideas, succinct phrasing and precise articulation. Jack has no use for phrasing or repetition '“ it's all just pulse. I think his concern is less with playing the drums in a percussive sense and more with creating open spaces and keeping a continuous flow of energy happening.

Would you elaborate a bit on the ideas and theories that Jack brings to his performance?

A lot of improvised music is governed by sequences of action and reaction, dialoguing between musicians and within groups. Musicians develop and rely on a certain syntax and personal vocabulary on their instruments, and when they are thrown into situations where intuition trumps form or melody or whatever, they have to draw from their bag of tricks, without thinking, to contribute to the creative process. The result is large quantities of intensely boring and predictable music being created. Jack has been making music for a long enough time that he's no longer interested in compromising his sensibilities for anyone, myself included. He has been trying to unlearn all of the things that you're taught as a student of music, and to play without thinking or listening or falling back on patterns.

What do you think of the 'experimental' scene in Toronto these days? Do you relate to it much, or feel a part of it?

I think it's more accurate to point to experimental scenes, plural. It seems like there's a lot happening, which is of course good. I relate less to scenes than I do people, and I have had the good fortune to meet many amazing people involved with keeping things active. The amount of great musicians in this city is staggering.

Jeremy, your MySpace bio simply states, "Newfoundland bound". Are you traveling or moving or something? Or is this a clever poetic metaphor for your existential condition?

Sorry, nothing that deep. I'm moving to St. John's in September.

Apart from that, any major plans for summer and autumn?

FM will be recording another album before I leave, and I'm going to record some pieces for solo saxophone and bass clarinet in August with Jeff McMurrich. My partner will be going to Istanbul for a week at the end of July, during which time I intend to sit around in my underwear smoking cigarettes in our apartment.

by Demian Carynnyk