Larum

Larum—formed by composer/sound artist Micah Frank and saxophonist/composer Chet Doxas—is a collaborative project rooted in improvisation, sonic exploration, and experimental process. As the group’s founding and permanent members, Frank and Doxas frequently record and perform with rotating guests. For this release, they are joined by musician and 12k label founder Taylor Deupree.

The idea for this project had been simmering for years. Micah Frank first encountered Cornelius Cardew’s Treatise and became fascinated by the challenge of interpreting it through electronics. The score spent long stretches tucked away in a drawer, occasionally resurfacing as a quiet provocation. Frank returned to it often, waiting for the right moment, the right collaborators, and the right method to bring it to life.

Over time, he shared the concept with Doxas, drawn together by the score’s abstract structure and expressive potential. But the opportunity to explore it never quite materialized—until a recent tour brought all three musicians together.

Each was performing separate sets on the tour, but one evening Frank and Doxas decided to try something different. They pulled out page 73 of Treatise and performed it spontaneously. The results were striking enough that they invited Deupree to join them the following night. What began as a casual experiment quickly evolved into a cohesive collaboration, with the trio continuing to perform together for the remainder of the dates.

The recordings on this album capture two culminating performances: one at Public Records, Brooklyn’s renowned hub for experimental and electronic music, and the other at the Bowery’s Fridman Gallery, a space known for its commitment to contemporary art and sound. Both sets were recorded live.

Rather than treat Treatise as an open-ended improvisational free-for-all, the trio drew on Cardew’s own writings, which encouraged performers to devise a logical, individualized system for interpretation. They anchored each piece to the score’s central horizontal line, using it as a timeline. Points of geometric convergence became harmonic rendezvous, while the surrounding forms suggested dynamic shape, instrumental density, and pacing.

This album reframes Treatise not as a static artifact of mid-century experimentalism, but as a living document—adaptable, unpredictable, and rich with possibility in the hands of artists attuned to both structure and spontaneity. With this modern realization, Larum hopes to affirm the work’s timelessness and prove that Treatise remains as vital and valid today as when it was first conceived.