Patricia Brennan Septet - Breaking Stretch is a septet comprised of some of the most creative leading improvisers of the time. The core instrumentation of this septet is Patricia Brennan’s original More Touch quartet featuring Kim Cass on bass, Marcus Gilmore on drums and Mauricio Herrera on percussion with the addition of three horn players: Adam O’Farrill on trumpet and electronics, Jon Irabagon on alto and sopranino saxophones and Mark Shim on tenor saxophone. This group is inspired by the concepts of roles of expansion and defiance of expectations. The common goal is to stay true to the nature of the music regardless of the expectations each instrument presents by pushing the sonic and technical boundaries of the ensemble and the individual. The septet’s debut recording was released on September 6, 2024 on Pyroclastic Records.
„On the album Breaking Stretch, some of my favorite bands growing up were fiercely rhythmically driven—from salsa ensembles such as Fania All-Stars and danzoneras (Acerina y su Danzonera), to 70’s wind and brass rock groups (Earth Wind & Fire; Blood, Sweat & Tears; and Chicago). In those bands, each player was an integral part of the band’s rhythmic identity—and each had both the opportunity and responsibility to be a rhythmic force inside the music. Breaking Stretch expands on the percussive and rhythmic signature of my More Touch quartet. That quartet (with Kim Cass, Marcus Gilmore and Mauricio Herrera ) is now joined by three horns carrying unique rhythmic capabilities: Adam O’Farrill on trumpet, Jon Irabagon on alto and sopranino saxophones, and Mark Shim on tenor. On this album, I seek to create depth through the exploration of density and
shifting rhythmic layers, and by using orchestral techniques that create what might be called broadness: essentially, depth through width, width through depth. For instance, I use extreme ranges, asking the horn players to explore the outer edges of their sonic envelopes in my written material and their improvisations. In doing so, a certain harmonic resonance gives the illusion of a larger-than-seven sound. I’m seeking to push sonic boundaries up-to-but-not-over the tipping point, while staying true to the inherent nature of the music. I’m interested in essence, not effect. This record continues my journey of inner search and exploration. The titleBreaking Stretch distills this inspiration. The word breaking refers to pushing the sonic and technical limits of each instrument to a breaking point, past the normal expectations for the role of the instruments within the ensemble. Among other things, in mathematics, stretch is a function that makes a graph narrower or wider. Through different methods of expansion and contraction, I seek to make the music mile-wide and simultaneously mine-deep. The
generative, triggering tension in the music unifies opposites: broadness and depth, rupture and flexibility, breaking and stretching.“ - Patricia Brennan
PATRICIA BRENNAN SEPTET: Breaking Stretch
Line Up
Patricia Brennan, vibraphone
Jon Irabagon, alto and sopranino saxophone
Mark Shim, tenor sax
Adam O’Farrill, trumpet
Kim Cass, bass
Dan Weiss, drums
Keisel Jimenez, percussion
Jon Irabagon, alto and sopranino saxophone
Mark Shim, tenor sax
Adam O’Farrill, trumpet
Kim Cass, bass
Dan Weiss, drums
Keisel Jimenez, percussion
LISTEN
Tourdates
10.08.2025 busy