The American bassist Mark Helias has been pivotal to the New York impro-scene since 1977. In that year he joined the quartet of wind instrumentalist Anthony Braxton, one of the most respected composers and improvisers in the genre. Helias, with his robust, creative playing, drove the music of greats like Ed Blackwell, Anthony Davis and Gerry Hemingway. Helias is also a productive composer. Apart from having composed the music for ten albums, he has also written two film soundtracks, several chamber music pieces and works for larger ensembles. Open Loose is a project with saxophonist Ellery Eskelin and drummer Tom Rainey. With this band Helias explores the possibilities of free-from improvisation in which the compositions form a kind of web that holds the music together. The three musicians have developed a common language which makes their music both adventurous and cohesive.
