Improvisation Open Jam, 8/11/2016
at The Goat Farm Arts Center
present
MUSIC: George Kotler-Wallace (lap steel, guitar, banjo, knobs and electronics), Deisha Oliver-Millar (cello, ukulele), Terry Boling (saw), Stephanie Francesca Kohler (Harmonium), Rashida Ali (flute, viola) and Christopher Salmon (banjo, fiddle)
MOVEMENT: Sadie Hawkins, Ann Marie Spexet, Ryan Mathern

Goddamn Bizzare Full Group

Improvisation Open Jam, 8/11/2016
at The Goat Farm Arts Center
present
MUSIC: George Kotler-Wallace (lap steel, guitar, banjo, knobs and electronics), Deisha Oliver-Millar (cello, ukulele), Terry Boiling (saw), Stephanie Francesca Kohler (Harmonium), Rashida Ali (flute, viola) and Christopher Salmon (banjo, fiddle)
MOVEMENT: Sadie Hawkins, Ann Marie Spexet, Ryan Mathern


Goddamn Bazaar- Duet For Cello And Banjo

D Opus

A Minor Riff

IMPROV JAM 10/1/2016

Present at rehearsal:
Deisha Oliver-Millar (cello)
Terry Boling (Singing Saw)
George Kotler-Wallace (guitar)
Renee Nelson (harp)
Walking Traffic
Cars
General Street Noise

Blue At Strangers

Living Room Rehearsal
November 7, 2016

This rehearsal we focused on the saw as the lead and taking moments of silence. 

Present:
Deisha Oliver-Millar (cello), Renee Nelson (harp), Terry Boiling (singing saw), George Kotler-Wallace (guitar)

Saw Song

Flight of Swallows - Red - Flight of Swallows. Atlanta’s Flight of Swallows have been “a thing” since 2009. Established as an exploration of structured improvisations between co-founders Deisha Oliver-Millar and Sadie Hawkins, Flight of Swallows have invited an ever-evolving cadre of musicians and movement-driven performance artists to join in creating one-time-only experiences in venues ranging from theaters, to galleries, to non-traditional public art spaces.

In 2016, the group developed CORONA BOREALIS, described by concept deviser George Kotler-Wallace as:  “ … a culture crash. The up looking down and the out looking in. [It] is a guided improvisation through motion and music, exploring the energies of the human body.”

CORONA BOREALIS is an exploration of the Chakras (Sanskrit for "wheel") through an immersive experience for the senses.

The process of CORONA BOREALIS morphed as the story of each of the moments were identified, shaped, and prepared to be told. Over months of exploratory rehearsals, the performance laboratory saw different iterations of music and mover combinations, most of which was aurally documented and made available via the Flight of Swallows SoundCloud account: www.soundcloud.com/flightofswallows. The production debuted during the 2016 Atlanta Fringe Festival, and was a juried selection for Art on the Atlanta Beltline.

Flight of Swallows enjoyed the process of creating these structured improvisations so much that it moved into the studio to record 4 out of the 7 pieces developed for live performance, plus one that was the result of a wacky chase dream. The core musicians for Flight of Swallows that recorded were: Deisha Oliver-Millar (cello), George Kotler-Wallace (guitars, pedals, knobs), Renee Nelson (harp, toy piano) and Terry Boling (singing saw) with support from Rasheeda Ali (flute), Stephanie Francesca Kohler (Harmonium, Beats), and Christopher Salmon (fiddle). Movers who inspired the music’s development were: Sadie Hawkins, Ann Marie Spexet, Kristina Guede, Tony Schott, Stephanie Francesca Kohler and Lola LeSoleil. Despite performing regularly with a broad range of collaborators since its inception in 2009, Flight of Swallows’ aural work hadn’t been professionally documented until CORONA BOREALIS.

This release is dedicated to celebrating the lives of Flight of Swallows collaborators Terry Boling, Jacosa Kato, and Sacha Dzuba.

Flight of Swallows - Red ()

Deisha Oliver-Millar - cello
George Kotler-Wallace - guitar, lap steel
Renee Nelson - harp
Ana Balka - violin

The aural section of Atlanta based music and movement troupe Flight of Swallows, left to their own devices, with nothing but soundwaves to guide them. Often there are three of them. Sometimes there's less. Sometimes there's more. Sometimes there's trouble.

Starlings Cabal was established in 2017 to create a vehicle for the musicians of Flight of Swallows to perform structured improvisational music in settings not conducive to dance and movement. The core musicians include Deisha Oliver-Millar, George Kotler-Wallace, Renee Nelson, and Ana Balka in any and all combinations.

April 18 - 3

April 18 - 2

April 18- 4

April 18- 1

Deisha Oliver-Millar - cello
Ana Balka - violin, guitar

Ana and Deisha were the music for the gallery reception. Callanwolde was a perfect backdrop, what a beautiful space. 

From the description of the event: 
The Callanwolde Fine Arts Center Gallery presents On Waters of Time, a solo exhibition by Atlanta artist Corrina Sephora, June 29 – September 1, 2017. Sephora will present a series of metal sculptures on the front lawn of Callanwolde’s Candler Mansion, along with mixed media drawings in the Gallery, all of which will reflect her predominant use of boat and water imagery. 

Sephora has worked with boat and water imagery for the past decade. Using such imagery both literally and metaphorically, and over the years, the theme has expanded in multiple directions including imagination, history, tragedy and fantasy.
Of her work, Sephora writes, “I am inspired by the Vikings and the boats that they created to send their dead to the next world; my grandfather was a sea captain, and I grew up with boats and water as my surroundings; and I am also fascinated with immigration, migration and the journeys of life. My work and collaborative projects often share and cultivate aspects of family, memory and personal history through art as a form of transformation.”

Opening reception: Thursday, June 29, 2017, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Callenwolde 2017

Song 1

Music for a Gallery Opening

Track from a music rehearsal August 9, 2017 at Sukha Artist Development Studios in Scottdale, Georgia. 

We decided to we see what a cover song might look like done in our own style of improvisation. We give you our take on the classic Edith Piaf tune "La Vie En Rose" <3

PLAYERS/

Renee Nelson - harp
Deisha Oliver-Millar - cello and loops
George Kotler-Wallace - lap steel, guitar and a bevy of pedals
Ana Balka - violin, looping and delay pedals

Roselife

Flight of Swallows is an ever-evolving group of musicians and physical performance artists specializing in the creation of one-time-only experiences.

Popular tracks by Flight of Swallows