WTF is Extradition?

Article by: Juniana Lanning

Photos by: Glenn Sogge and Chad Lanning

WTF is Extradition? I am not writing a review, as I am a member of Extradition myself, but I can’t deny that someone needs to try to explain what’s going on in this corner of Portland.

We recently had our 10-year anniversary, but it still seems we are somewhat of a secret anomaly. Whenever I tell friends that there is an Extradition concert coming up, and they ask me what that is, I always struggle to explain it. I hope to do that here. I’ve been feeling there is a looming sense, as we come out the other side of the pandemic (a place of much reflection), that there is a longing for a new and different sort of musical experience. For many, this may be it.

As a taste, on June 20th we released an album: Extradition Plays Corner, Parte II. It is 15 1/2 hours long, 80 tracks, and has 22 participating musicians. There are 54 pages of liner notes to give folks something to look at while they listen. Yes, I know this sounds excessive, but we feel it’s just what’s necessary. Our super-hero of an organizer, and founder, Matt Hannafin, is madly dedicated to honoring the composers that have perhaps not had the exposure they deserve. We musicians cannot deny that we are doing something truly honorable and essential, if not a little crazy. There is a deep dedication within this group.

So, what is Extradition, exactly? On the Bandcamp site, Hannafin describes the group: “...an ensemble dedicated to exploring the history and depth of the American experimental tradition and the global disciplines of open composition, guided improvisation, and other forms it helped inspire. Based in Portland, Oregon, USA, we produce quarterly concerts and intimate recital events that unite composition and improvisation, deliberation and chance, clarity and silence.”

Deliberation, chance, clarity, and silence; why shouldn’t music include these varied qualities? The composers the ensemble represents certainly honor them. Their scores demand a wide range of sound-producing methods. While our instrumentation includes classical instruments like cello, oboe, saxophone, trombone, and double bass, you may also find us playing rocks and leaves, boomboxes, laptop, or pots and pans. We are fortunate that Hannafin has the skills and reach to pull together whatever players are called for. The scores range from a simple poem to a complicated chart of lines and numbers, to a series of Etch-a-Sketch drawings. There is an infinity of ways to describe the potentiality of music, and it is great fun for us to explore them through the guidance of these innovative composers and present that music to curious and skilled listeners.

Earlier, I suggested we may be crazy. That was a little truth, but probably hyperbole. In truth, I feel Extradition keeps many of us sane. It’s a place of escape from the over-stimulation of daily life. It’s a place for deep focus, acceptance, freedom for intuition, and grace. A place to play, but also to take with all seriousness what the busy waking mind might call nonsense. Our hope is that these qualities come through to our audience, so we are able to share in it together. There is so much gentle power in a room full of people listening together.

For more info, including recordings and concert schedule, visit https://extraditionpdx.com