Peggy Lee & Cole Schmidt - Forever Stories of: Moving Parties (2024)

Peggy Lee and Cole Schmidt’s latest album, Forever Stories of: Moving Parties, is a celebration of musical connection and change. The album features Melbourne based Canadian, Lee on cello and Vancouver based Schmidt on guitars, with contributions from an array of guest musicians, including Erika Angell, Wayne Horvitz, Frank Rosaly and Sunny Kim. Drawing from themes of change, connection, and the evolving nature of creative expression, the album reflects Lee and Schmidt’s journey as musical partners and their shared vision of blending composed material with improvisational freedom.

The project began in 2019 when Lee and Schmidt started performing as a duo with a rotating roster of drummers, which allowed for a constantly fresh and dynamic performance environment. "This project was born out of Cole and I playing in each other's bands," explains Lee. "We decided to regularly get together to play as a duo, regardless of whether there was an upcoming gig or not. We would improvise and workshop new compositional ideas." Schmidt adds, "The initial idea came together as a way of expanding on a book of music we had started working on, to include others' improvising voices. It's about welcoming change, blame, mercy, and the agency to try things differently"

The album's recording process reflects the adaptive spirit that underpins the music. As Lee explains, "Two events happened that impacted our practice: I began to spend part of the year in Melbourne, and then the worldwide pandemic hit. Like many others, we continued to collaborate via home recordings sent back and forth, each contributing to and building on the other's compositions. This approach allowed us to include musicians in multiple locations, creating a multi-layered and textured sonic experience." Schmidt notes that their recording sessions took place in iconic studios in Vancouver and Montreal, environments that contributed to the album's unique sound. "We were in good hands at these studios and understood that a lot of historic musical energy and storytelling had taken place in those rooms," says Schmidt. "We hope audiences will hear the respect and balance shared in the writing, along with the generous contributions from all the guests involved."

Peggy Lee and Cole Schmidt have a longstanding history of collaboration, with roots in projects such as SICK BOSS and Echo Painting. Their musical partnership was further solidified during a 10-day residency in Montreal in 2017. Formed in 2019, the duo began as the "Cole Schmidt / Peggy Lee Trio," with an innovative approach of featuring different drummers in each performance. The onset of the pandemic shifted their work to remote collaboration, culminating in the creation of Forever Stories of: Moving Parties. The album spans genres and influences, from jazz and experimental music to classical, rock, and noise, always leaving space for improvisation. At the core of Lee and Schmidt's compositions is a commitment to inviting other voices into their work, resulting in music that feels both intentional and spontaneous.

Peggy Lee - cello
Cole Schmidt - guitars
JP Carter - trumpet & electronics (1,2,5,6,9,13)
Mili Hong - drums (1,2,4,5,9,12)
Lisen Rylander Löve - tenor saxophone, electronics, & voice (1,4,5,10)
Wayne Horvitz - piano, organ, wurlitzer, & electronics (1,3,7,8,11,13)
Meredith Bates - violin (1,2,5,7,8,10,11,13)
Frank Rosaly - electronics (2,6,8,9)
Erika Angell - voice & electronics (2,4,6,12,13)
Sunny Kim - voice & electronics (3,6,8)
Dylan van der Schyff - drums & percussion (3,5,7,8,11,13)
Melissa Hubert - flute (1,7,8,11,13)
James Goddard - alto saxophone (8)
James Meger - electric bass, synth bass, processing (6,7,9)
Sara Schoenbeck - bassoon (13)

All songs by:
Peggy Lee (3,5,7,8,12,13,14) SOCAN
Cole Schmidt (1,2,4,6,9,10,11) SOCAN

Tracklist:
1-1. Peggy Lee & Cole Schmidt - blame (05:41)
1-2. Peggy Lee & Cole Schmidt - removing clocks from a heated house (04:27)
1-3. Peggy Lee & Cole Schmidt - it will come back (03:35)
1-4. Peggy Lee & Cole Schmidt - doctor dawn (06:04)
1-5. Peggy Lee & Cole Schmidt - mercy (05:25)
1-6. Peggy Lee & Cole Schmidt - absences (05:23)
1-7. Peggy Lee & Cole Schmidt - try to waltz (02:24)
1-8. Peggy Lee & Cole Schmidt - gloop (02:46)
1-9. Peggy Lee & Cole Schmidt - sun gods (04:51)
1-10. Peggy Lee & Cole Schmidt - 702pm (01:58)
1-11. Peggy Lee & Cole Schmidt - old rookie (02:45)
1-12. Peggy Lee & Cole Schmidt - fall ride (02:25)
1-13. Peggy Lee & Cole Schmidt - for Ron Miles (03:41)
1-14. Peggy Lee & Cole Schmidt - coda (01:10)