Uncharted Faith

Review... All Abou Jazz
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/uncharted-faith-dino-duo-ja-dean-and-jason-...
Excerpt...
Uncharted Faith, a duo recording with electronics artist J.A. Deane, is unique because of both its experimental essence and its personal backstory.

From Lemonwire:

“Uncharted Faith,” the new recording by the duo of Jason Kao Hwang and J.A. Deane is set for release Oct. 1, 2022. The way the project came about, and especially the way in which it was finished, and the circumstances of its completion, provide lessons in friendship and fortitude that are difficult to come by in times of national tragedies and world pandemics.

Jason Kao Hwang and J.A. Deane: a likely duo in unlikely circumstances
The sad fact of “Uncharted Faith” is that it was completed before J.A. Deane could see it finished. He revealed the state of his illness to Hwang before they were finished with the work of the album, but Hwang finished the project.

Deane, also known as “Dino,” to his friends, had suffered the loss of his life partner, Colleen Mulvihill in 2019. After that tragedy, he left Denver to live in the woods of rural Cortez, Colorado with his two dogs. There, he finished a book, titled “Becoming Music, Conduction & Improvisation as forms of QiGong.” He sent Hwang a copy in 2020. Hwang responded by sending Deane copies of his musical recordings. The two decided to collaborate on a musical project – – despite the pandemic.

On “Uncharted Faith” Hwang plays a Tucker Barrett solid-body violin. Deane contributes electronics such as Sensei Morph touch controller, Spacecraft granular synthesizer software, Akai MPC Live Digital Audio Workstation. The equipment sounds high-tech, but the themes the instruments are used to create are timeless.

In six songs, and almost 50 minutes, the Hwang and Deane create enthralling soundscapes that become more poignant considering the duo’s backstory. Of particular interest are “Parallel Universe,” one of the shorter songs on the recording that sets the tone for the “futuristic” feel of the recording. “Uncharted Faith,” the title track, is the longest song at almost 20 minutes. It elevates and engages listeners. For some audiences, there may be more than one moment of “How did they do that?”

To read more go to:
https://lemonwire.com/2022/09/16/jason-kao-hwang-and-j-a-deanes-uncharte...

From Musical Memoires 11 2022
JASON KAO HWANG & J.A. DEANE – “UNCHARTED FAITH” – Tone Science Music

Jason Kao Hwang, Tucker Barrett solid-body electric violin with a Richard Barbera bridge, Atomic amplifier 12 multi-FX processor (overdrive, distortion, fuzz, wah-wah, phaser, whammy, pitch shift, delay); J.A. Deane, electronics (Sensei Morph touch controller, Spacecraft granular synthesizer software, Akai MPC Live Digital Audio Workstation).

When I heard this album, I felt as though I was being transported from Earth to outer space. It’s an Avant-garde production with emphasis on electronics. J.A. Deane was an electronic master. Unfortunately, he passed away before this album came to fruition. Dino (as his friends called him) had a long history of being in the music business, starting with a stint with Tina Turner. In the 1980s, he was playing with the Butch Morris Ensemble. More recently, after the death of his longtime partner, Colleen Mulvihill, J.A. Deane left Denver, Colorado and moved into a tiny house placed in a remote, rural field in Cortez, Colorado. His mission was to write and complete his biography. In December of 2020, he sent the finished product to his friend and fellow musician, Jason Kao Hwang. In return, Hwang sent J.A. Deane a couple of his duo albums, including one with Karl Berger. That was a recording Deane was particularly drawn to and he soon contacted Jason to suggest they record a duo project together. That’s how this album came to be.

“Despite the pandemic, we agreed to collaborate. I heard his zoom concert for the Red Room in Baltimore. Dino’s phantasmagoric symphonies, vivid and luxuriant, with unique sounds, were stunningly beautiful. … Dino proposed that I send him five to ten minutes of solo acoustic violin improvisations. He would work with it, then send me tracks to overdub. In March of 2021, I sent him my tracks. Every track on this CD, from both Dino and myself, are completely improvised,” Jason Kao Hwang reminisced.

I am completely in awe of Jason Kao Hwang’s lovely and quite unique approach to playing the electric violin. He masterfully incorporates his spontaneous creativity and technical abilities into the modern music that he and J.A. Deane have composed. Hwang’s most recent releases include “The Human Rites Trio” and “Conjure.” Both recordings have received critical acclaim. I completely understand why the El Intruso International Critics Poll voted him #1 for violin and viola music recordings in 2012, 2013, 2018, 2019 and 2020. His rich, sensuous sound punctuates this current production with beauty and surprise.

J.A. Deane was a pioneer of live electronics. He worked for some time with a popular San Francisco art/punk band called ‘Indoor Life.’ Deane originated the technique of ‘live sampling.’ He often incorporated this technique live and onstage. Today, live sampling permeates this generation’s music. Deane would record members of the band singularly while they were performing live, then manipulate the audio and play it back as though it were an instrument. He also created theatrical sound designs for many artists. He and his longtime love (Colleen) created over fifty works of musical art. Other artists who he collaborated with are Sam Shepard and Julie Hebert. In November of 2020, J.A. Deane published his book, “Becoming Music: Conduction and Improvisation as forms of QiGong.” In 2021, J.A. Deane transitioned from this world to the next, but he leaves behind a legacy of electronic music and innovation for us to enjoy.