CONTINUUM
Description
The NOVA FELLOWSHIP quintet was formed at the initiative of producer Antoine Rajon for a premiere at the 2026 NUITS SONORES festival, paying tribute to the brief but fruitful collaboration between musicians Kieran Hebden (aka Four Tet) and Steve Reid.
A lowkey yet essential figure in the American music scene, African-American drummer Steve Reid (1944–2010) left his mark on the history of free jazz, funk, and rock. His collaborations included the Sun Ra Arkestra, Albert Ayler, and Miles Davis (on *Tutu*), as well as James Brown (on the classic “Pop-Corn”) and Martha & the Vandellas. The end of his career was highlighted by his collaboration with English musician Kieran Hebden—an iconic pioneer of electronic music known as Four Tet—with whom he recorded four hybrid, experimental, and spiritual albums between 2006 and 2010.
NOVA FELLOWSHIP, a group of friends who have collaborated in several bands, recorded the album CONTINUUM in a series of live sessions at Studio Pigalle in Paris, with Kieran Hebden in attendance—he had been impressed by the group’s debut concert at Nuits Sonores.
On this album, NOVA FELLOWSHIP covers three 1970s classics by Steve Reid & the Master Brotherhood, three tracks by Four Tet, and an original composition by the duo Kieran Hebden & Steve Reid, “Morning Prayer,” which appears on their first joint album.
Missouri-born drummer Zach Morrow brings to the band the energy he has cultivated in recent years while touring with poet Aja Monet. Inheriting Steve Reid’s versatility, his playing exudes all the colors of Great Black Music.
The “all-around” pianists Tony Tixier—arranger of an explosive version of the tracks “Nova” and “Free Spirits” created by Steve Reid—and Rob Clearfield, known in particular for his work alongside Makaya McCraven, create hypnotic bass lines and captivating synthetic textures on their shared keyboards and synthesizers.
Eritrean-American trumpeter Hermon Mehari and Italian saxophonist Francesco Geminiani—both Paris-based musicians who are very active on the European scene—form a powerful horn section.
On “Morning Prayer,” Francesco uses for the first time a flute of his own design that resembles an ocarina, called the Nautilus. This instrument, carved by him from maple wood and depicted in a stylized form on the album cover, was designed in accordance with the Fibonacci sequence and the golden ratio. Its use celebrates the mystical and exploratory nature of the duo formed by Kieran Hebden and Steve Reid, whose musical chemistry has left a lasting impression on everyone who has had the chance to attend one of their concerts.
Tracklist
A2. LIQUEFACTION
A3. NOVA/FREE SPIRITS
A4. AND THEY ALL LOOKED BROKEN HEARTED
B1. LIONS OF JUDAH
B2. MORNING PRAYER
B3. PLASTIC PEOPLE
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