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An instrumental movement
On the record with Aaron Pond and the People Music Supply Recording Company
John Morrison
Hearing multi-instrumentalist Aaron Pond talk about the joys of improvisation is nothing short of infectious. “I do think that people discover intuitively pretty well what these linkages [within sound] are. And the more engaged in the world, and the broader their tastes, and the more in love with music they are, the more that they can see all the various ways that you can create and generate these symbols to adorn them in ways that are deeply affecting and moving.” Pond’s latest endeavor is People’s Music Supply Recording Company, a record label that doubles as an ever-growing collective of over 20 like-minded musicians.
A different kind of schooling
Since its founding in 2023, the PMSRC has put on numerous live performances featuring some of the most adventurous improvisers on the planet, including William Parker, Elliot Levin, Bobby Zankel, Isa Crespo Pardo, Tara Middleton, and DM Hotep of the Sun Ra Arkestra. In addition to these performances, PMSRC hosts workshops and jam sessions in which less experienced players can improvise with veteran musicians. When asked about the origin of the open sessions, Pond says that they came from his desire to explore music with strangers.
“I will say that I started them because I didn't go to music school. So, I was picking up the French horn again. I needed to be challenged, and I love meeting random people. I was like, " Can I combine these two things?”
Whether he’s playing the horn, flutes, tuba, or using bird calls, Pond’s music has two central tenets: it always aims to break free of harmonic, melodic, rhythmic, and tonal conventions, and it is deeply collaborative. His bands BORBS Inverse Overse make abstract, freely improvised sounds that bridge the gulf between avant-garde jazz and experimental classical music.
Hitting record
On April 17, PMSRC is releasing its first run of albums. Nameless Network is an engrossing one-take, album-length improvisation featuring Naomi Nakanishi on piano and synthesizer, vocalist Judette Elliston, Chris Ferrari playing clarinets, and Pond on slide whistle, vocals, melodica, woodflutes, and percussion. Exocytosis is a gorgeous trio recording featuring trombonist Dan Blacksberg, Carlos Santiago on violin, and Sonali Singh playing bassoon and piano. Zygotic by the People’s Music Supply Composer’s Orchestra is a seven-track masterwork that highlights the beauty of collective improvisation. The eight-member ensemble is led by trombonist Sylvia Winch, and the album rounds out the trilogy of PMSRC releases.
When asked about his highest aspirations for PMSRC, Pond’s answer points to his dream of putting the power of improvisation into the hands of everyone, regardless of experience or training. “I want like 90 percent musical capacity in the general population. I want most people to feel comfortable entering into a musical situation of their choosing and performing music that is authentic to their experience. This is how the world once worked. This is innate.”
What, When, Where
Philadelphia Music Supply Recording Company. peoplesmusicsupply.org and aaronpond.bandcamp.com.
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