Onomata

ONOMATA is a pulse-based multi-idiomatic improvsational quintet who create odd structures and textures from instant ideas. Although Todd Barbee (winds), Brian Preston (bass), and Ian Davis (percussion) started Onomata as a trio early in 1999, Rich Robeson contributed guitar from 2000 into 2002 and then Corey Sims stepped in on keyboards and trumpet in 2002. In summer of 2004, Marc Medwin joined Onomata on keyboards. Onomata has developed into a diverse and dynamic quintet. Together, they have recorded hours of improvisations and played many gigs around the Triangle area, including Local 506 (Chapel Hill), Cat's Cradle, Humble Pie (Raleigh), Go! (Carrboro), and the ArtsCenter as part of the annual Carrboro Music Festival. Their approach is to build cascades of sounds over relatively simple basslines and beat structures that change slowly over the course of an improvisation. Recently their sound has taken them more into funky improv areas ala Miles Davis or Weather Report. Recent recording sessions have included Marc Medwin on synthesizers, electric guitarists Chris Boerner (Raleigh) and Craig Washington (Beaufort, SC).

TODD BARBEE (soprano, alto saxophone, Yamaha WX7+TX81Z+Alesis Quadraverb) has played with an assortment of fusion bands in the Triangle since his days at Jordan High School. He joined Freehand shortly after it started up and, from 1987 until 1989, formed one-third of the improvising trio known as Good Neighbors with Randy Pelosi (Chapman Stick) and Ian Davis (drums). Good Neighbors released a CD named Anubis Leisure Society Orchestra (1991 - Jettison Records). In the late '80s, he played with The Pilots, a Raleigh fusion group that included John Wheelis (guitar) and Chris Hill (bass), and Duane Gay (drums). From the mid-90's on, he has been with Smokin' Granny, an instrumental avant rock project and then most recently with Groove Stream Attractor, a deep space improv rock group, with fellow Onomatan Brian Preston.

IAN DAVIS started drumming at 15 as an r&b drummer with The Barons, playing gigs on the South Carolina "chittlin' circuit." He played folk and fusion in the '70s, alt-pop, improvisational, and big band music in the '80s, and played with Blue Chair, Mind Sirens, Bicentennial Quarters, Trailer Bride, and Chris Stamey/Kirk Ross in the '90s. He was host drummer for 6 years at the Carrboro ArtsCenter monthly Jazz Jam. He moved to the Bay Area in '95 and played with the Mills College-based large improvising ensemble Micro Collective Orchestra along with Scott Rosenberg, Matt Ingalls, Morgan Guberman, Brian Pearson, Brian Kane, Damon Smith, and many others. After returning to North Carolina in '97, he organized Micro-East Collective, a structured improvisational orchestra similar in design to Micro. He and composer-performer-producer-engineer Chris Stamey have recorded and produced three CDs for Micro-East. As a member, and with the sponsorship of the Alliance for Improvised Music, he has performed with Frank Gratkowski, Peter Kowald, John Shiurba, and Scott Rosenberg. He co-manages Umbrella Records with Chris. He currently plays in improvisational duos with Jason Bivins (guitar), Mahlon Hoard (soprano and tenor saxes), Onomata, a pulse-based improvising quartet, and Slugworth, a non-idiomatic improvisational quartet. In September 2000, he toured with Andrew Voigt, Morgan Guberman, and Toshi Makihara as part of the music and dance group Corpus Ludens. Ian also records improvisational performers during house concerts sponsored by the Triangle's Alliance for Improvised Musics.

BRIAN PRESTON (bass) has played drums and guitar since age 11 and bass guitar since 1980. He has performed, recorded and produced with Daily Planet (1983-1984), Freehand (1985-1990), Messablues (1991-1996) and Smokin' Granny (1994 - current). He was co-producer and bass player for Freehand who's 1988 album "thinking out loud' was re-released in 1997 on CD and is distributed internationally. His production company, Metaphoric Music Productions, has produced three Smokin' Granny releases within the past five years. He is also the bassist with space groove improv band Groove Stream Attractor, is half of the acoustic guitar graft duo, Circle of Willis, and bassist for electronic ambient group Nationl Holographic. He plays a Carvin 6 string fretless and a Carvin 5 string through Hartke and Gallien-Krueger amplification.

COREY SIMS (keyboards & trumpet) received his Bachelor's Degree in Music from Berklee College of Music, Boston (Major in Composition) and also studied classical guitar at UNC-Chapel Hill. In addition to Onomata he currently plays in a handful of other bands in the Chapel Hill area as well as playing solo piano. One of the bands, Jackie O. Pillbox, features Corey on trumpet, and released its first CD in 2002. This band is led by ex-Squirrel Nut Zipper member, Don Raleigh. Another band Corey plays with, Micro East Collective (an experimantal improv large group) has released 3 CDs. And yet another band, Adelaide's Farm Band, features Corey on guitar, banjo and vocals. Corey arranged the horns and played trumpet on the latest Caitlin Cary CD, called "I'm Staying Out". He has also done horn arrangements and played trumpet with Tift Merrett and the Carbines. Corey teaches private lessons on guitar, trumpet and piano. In addition to teaching and performing, he tunes pianos and is an Associate Member of the RTP Chapter of the Piano Technician's Guild.

MARC MEDWIN (keyboards) is a graduate student in musicology at UNC-Chapel Hill and, having a wonderful natural talent, can morph into any musical language, even one as strange as Onomata. Actually, it seems Marc really digs all of the places O goes and often leads to thy hinter lands... Marc is an amazing piano/synth player and a fabulous 5th to the group.

Smokin' Granny
"Equilibrium"
2003