Proliferasian

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Proliferasian 

Proliferasian performs cutting-edge music rooted in Chinese music and avant-garde jazz, representing the merging of two genres. Encompassing both rhythmic intricacy in its compositions and the fluidity and spontaneity in creative improvisation, Proliferasian is a unique voice rising from the west coast of Canada. The musicians explore the contrasting, complimenting, and sometimes contradicting natures of multiple influences. The result is a new “musical species” that proliferates and transforms continuously. Proliferasion may take inspiration from Asian music, literature, landscapes, legends, or paintings, but its music will definitely break any preconceptions of Asian cultures.

Formed in 2012, Proliferasian consists of some of Vancouver’s most innovative musicians: Lan Tung (erhu/Chinese violin & vocals), JP Carter (trumpet and electronics), Colin Cowan (bass), and Kevin Romain (drums). Proliferation has collaborated with Taiwan’s Little Giant Chinese Chamber Orchestra at the Sound of Dragon Music Festival, the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, and Festival International Musique Ac-tulle Victoriaville. 

Musicians 

Lan Tung – erhu/Chinese violin & vocals 

Crossing between Vancouver’s new music, improvised music, and world music scenes, erhu performer and composer Lan Tung is the artistic director of the Orchid Ensemble, Sound of Dragon Society, and Proliferasian. 

Lan has appeared as a soloist with Orchestre Metropolitain (Montreal) and Symphony Nova Scotia, and as a soloist/composer with Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Turning Point Ensemble (Vancouver), Upstream Ensemble (Halifax), Atlas Ensemble (Amsterdam & Helsinki), and Little Giant Chinese Chamber Orchestra (Taipei). Lan has produced numerous projects, collaborating with composers, musicians, dancers, media artists, and animators from different cultures.

Trained at Taiwan’s Chinese Cultural University, Lan has subsequently studied graphic score with Barry Guy, improvisation with Mary Oliver, Hindustani music with Kala Ramnath, Uyghur music with Abdukerim Osman, and Horsehead fiddle with Bayar, in addition to her studies of Chinese music since a young age. 

At the Vancouver Creative Music Institute (2007-2009), she has studied and performed with Han Bennink (Holland), Barry Guy, Evan Parker, John Butcher (UK), Francois Houle, Paul Plimley…etc. Lan's compositions are released on numerous CDs, winning an International Independent Music Awards and multiple nominations by the JUNO Awards, Canadian Independent Music Awards, Canadian Folk Music Awards, and Western Canadian Music Awards. 

JP Carter – trumpet & effects 

JP Carter is a multiple Juno award-winning trumpet player and composer from Vancouver with over 30 years of playing experience. Carter’s singular approach to the trumpet and versatility as an improvisor and composer make him a vital contributor to the Vancouver music community. 

JP incorporates a variety of techniques into his trumpet playing, utilizing and experimenting with acoustic (traditional, extended) and electronic (effected, amplified) methods to create a wide spectrum of sounds. He is a member of several Vancouver-based groups, including Destroyer, Dan Mangan + Blacksmith, Fond of Tigers, Tony Wilson 6tet, Mary Margaret O’Hara & Peggy Lee’s Beautiful Tool, Gordon Grdina’s Haram, Michael Blake’s Variety Hour, and the various New Orchestra Workshop ensembles. 

JP’s main projects as a composer/performer continue to be In-habitants, Aeroplane Trio, and Carsick. These three long-standing original projects have all released albums on Vancouver’s Drip Audio label. Most recently, JP has been working on a solo amplified trumpet project. In 2017, he has released a self-produced document of this solo work entitled “Toy & Tool”. 

Kevin Romain – Drums 

Drummer and composer Kevin Romain has established himself as one of the most in-demand drummers in Vancouver’s creative music scene. After relocating from Windsor, ON in 2007, Kevin studied jazz and contemporary music at Vancouver Community College. 

Since then he has toured regularly across North America as well as Europe and West Africa. He has studied with Mark Guiliana, Tomas Fujiwara, Bernie Arai and Dylan Van Der Schyff, and has shared the stage with notable musicians such as new music luminary Anthony Braxton and the late legendary West African percussionist Doudou N’Diaye Rose. Kevin has travelled to Dakar, Senegal to study Sabar music and perform in the Deggi Daaj Festival of Drumsets and Dance, completed a solo residency at the prestigious Banff Center in Alberta, received a professional development grant from the BC Arts Council to study in New York City for six months, and played two full scale tours in the USA. 

Kevin is now based in East Vancouver and maintains a presence in Brooklyn’s creative music scene. He can be heard performing regularly with art pop ensemble Only A Visitor, new music iconoclasts We Just Stole A Car, and indie rock group Mega Bog among many others, and also leads two jazz trios under his own name. Kevin has garnered acclaim as a unique voice in the free improvisation community and is currently writing an instructional book detailing his polyrhythmic concept entitled Natural Time Through Precision. 

Colin Cowan – Bass 

Colin appears to be well-immersed in many sectors of both the Vancouver and national music/arts scenes. He was originally born in New Brunswick, and since leaving at the age of 18, has lived, performed, composed, collaborated and studied many realms of music and performance art for extended periods in Toronto, Halifax, California, London (UK), Germany, and Australia. 

He took parts in an array of exciting international festivals, programs, and workshops during those years. Some of those credits include studying the contrabass with New York’s Mark Helias, taking a residence at The Banff Centre, learning and performing at Toronto’s The Second City, producing a month long five-star show at the Ediburgh Fringe Festival, and playing main stage at UK’s Glastonbury Music Festival. 

The bands he currently plays basses with locally & internationally in-clude Black Mountain, Dalava, Aram Bajakian Trio, Sun Ra’s Stars System, DADA PLAN, Tiny Pyramids, Woodpigeon, Tishomingo String Band, Moriarty Trio, Jenn Bojm, and Rob Butterfield. Cowan plays the guitar/song-writes/sings/produces records inde-pendently in his band Colin Cowan & The Elastic Stars. He is also the creator/ manager/ curator/ permanent resident artist of China Cloud Studios. www.elasticstars.com