If you care about the improvised music of this century, you probably have a strong attachment to the output of Pi Recordings. Since 2001, when it burst onto the scene with a pair of sit-up-and-take-notice studio releases by composer and multi-reedist Henry Threadgill, Pi has become an absolutely essential part of the infrastructure, an independent label with a clear vision and an imposing standard of excellence.
Next month, the label will celebrate its anniversary with two nights of programming at Roulette in Brooklyn. (Here’s the info: Night 1 | Night 2.) Before those festivities commence, I wanted to check in with Seth Rosner and Yulun Wang, the label’s joint proprietors. They maintain the functional equilibrium of a buddy cop duo, quick to find consensus but unbothered by internal conflict. Their push-pull rapport has been one important key to Pi Recordings’ longevity and ongoing success.
We talked last week over Zoom. It wasn’t our first such interview: the last time, it was conducted at shouting volume during a busy night at the Blind Tiger Ale House in Greenwich Village. That was for the sake of a 10th-anniversary story in the New York Times (gift link). Hard to believe it was 15 years ago.
The NYT piece also drew on conversations with a handful of artists on the label roster, chiefly Tyshawn Sorey, Jen Shyu, and Steve Lehman. “I don’t think there’s any other label — major, indie, mainstream or otherwise — that has had such a consistent string of recordings widely considered, at least among critics, to be among the most important releases of the year,” Lehman said. Recall that this was in 2011, before the first Pi releases by Matt Mitchell, David Virelles, Anna Webber or Miles Okazaki.
My latest conversation with Rosner and Wang took place on the day that Pi announced a new double album by Okazaki, titled Boomtown. (I’ve only listened once through so far, but that’s enough to get excited.)
At this point I should say for the record that I wrote liner notes for a forthcoming Pi release: Sorey’s Members... Don't!, due out on May 29. I already raved about it here:
Take the disclaimer at face value, but while we’re at it, I’ll also note that after more than two decades of professional acquaintance, I’d also call Seth and Yulun friends. Call it an occupational hazard, but I think the interview is richer for it.
