It’s impossible to overstate how the ambient and “art rock” oeuvre of David Bowie, Brian Eno and Robert Fripp influenced a generation; add the painterly minimalism of Harold Budd, whose own place in the firmament shimmers with gems like Avalon Sutra and, with Eno, the epic Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror, and we have all the ingredients for the exploratory wonders that permeate the aptly titled ART DECADE (after Bowie’s haunting meditation from 1977’s Low).
The album is a wide-ranging collaboration that unites composer, producer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist Evan Ziporyn with Toronto’s renowned ContaQt ensemble, led by percussionist Jerry Pergolesi. Featuring all-new interpretations of these classics from the early ’70s psych-prog output of King Crimson, Bowie’s “Berlin trilogy,” and Eno’s Ambient 1-4 series, Art Decade is more than just a tribute album.
“Our goal is not to ‘elevate’ or legitimize this music,” Ziporyn and Pergolesi reveal in the album’s liner notes. “Its towering artistic achievement and profound influence on an entire generation is self-evident. Instead, by revisiting and inhabiting these groundbreaking works, we hope to ensure they remain a vibrant, celebrated part of the musical repertoire, retaining their punkish sense of gleeful adventure as they continue to subvert expectations and venture into uncharted territory.”
And none other than Robert Fripp himself has voiced his approval. “‘Larks’ Tongues In Aspic, Part Two’ is a triumph,” he says. “‘Red’ also, with the strings ripping away and conveying the spirit of the piece — they stomp things along and convey a wonderful manic quality...By the end, all is good. The world may or may not be in a better place, but it feels like it is.”
released October 17, 2025
Produced by Evan Ziporyn, Jerry Pergolesi and Joao Carvalho
Recorded at Revolution Studios, Toronto ON
Engineered by Joao Carvalho
Jason Dufour - Assistant Engineer
Stephen Koszler - Assistant Engineer
Chris Kung - Assistant Engineer (Editing)
Luke Schindler - Assistant Engineer
Christine Stoesser - Assistant Engineer
Additional recording at:
Woodstock Recording Workshop, Saugerties NY (Dave Cook, engineer)
Good Noise Studios, Palm Springs CA (Fabian Metelmann, engineer)
Additional online recordings engineered by Allison Wiebe, Andrew Noseworthy, Evan Ziporyn, Jerry Pergolesi, Mary-Katherine Finch, and Sarah Fraser Raff
Mixed by Dave Cook (tracks 2,3,4,5,6,7) and Joao Carvalho (track 1)
Mastered by Joao Carvalho at JCM Mastering, Toronto ON
Allison Wiebe - piano, Rhodes, organ
Andrew Noseworthy - electric guitar, electric bass
Evan Ziporyn - clarinet, bass clarinet
Jerry Pergolesi - drums, percussion, trumpet
Mary-Katherine Finch - cello
Sarah Fraser Raff - violin
WITH
Gerry “Ghost” Leonard - guitar (“Moss Garden”)
Joao Carvalho - guitar (“Red”)
Alex Kotyk - double bass (“Red” and “Larks’ Tongues In Aspic, Part Two”)
Rob MacDonald - guitar (“Evening Star”)
“Larks’ Tongues In Aspic, Part Two” uses “Balloon Squeak Sound Effects #1 & #2" by leonseptavaux from
freesound.org, licensed under CCBYNC 4.0
We would like to acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, as well as funding support from the Ontario Arts Council and the Government of Ontario.
