Steve Adams, Lisa Mezzacappa, Jason Levis

The members of Bay Area improvising ensemble duo B. (bassist Lisa Mezzacappa and drummer Jason Levis) and multi-instrumentalist Steve Adams have a long, intertwined history traversing many years and projects. never but dream the days is a welcome by-product of the trio’s interactions as part of the duo B. Experimental Band, a large ensemble which Mezzacappa and Levis lead and which Adams has been part of. Just before the 2020 Covid lockdown, the band played several shows commemorating Anthony Braxton’s 75th birthday—and during the lockdown, Levis and Mezzacappa brought the ensemble online, for weekly remote improvisation sessions involving nearly 20 sheltering-in-place musicians. Adams, Mezzacappa and Levis continued to connect in the abstract space of the internet as a trio even as the world opened back up, and the stellar communication and musical chemistry of their online sessions led to a desire to convene in person for a live recording. This session, documented in 2022 over a single afternoon at Myles Boisen’s storied Oakland recording studio, reveals a shared sense of focused, concise and disciplined improvisation. These players approach in-the-moment creation as experienced and imaginative composers, and the collection of pieces on this release displays an uncanny sensitivity to form.


Steve Adams, sopranino, alto and baritone saxophones; alto and bass flute; electronics
Lisa Mezzacappa, acoustic bass
Jason Levis, drum set