Jason Moran and Steve Coleman star in Arthur Jafa’s ‘dismembered jazz ensemble’, cut to vinyl at Serpentine finale

Performing across London and live-cut on The Vinyl Factory’s lathe.

American filmmaker Arthur Jafa celebrated the culmination of his solo show – A Series of Utterly Improbable, Yet Extraordinary Renditions – with a special, one-night-only Listening Session on Saturday 9th September, presented by The Vinyl Factory and Serpentine Gallery.

For the unique live event, Jafa enlisted jazz luminaries Jason Moran, Steve Coleman, Morgan Craft, Micah Gaugh and Melvin Gibbs to perform simultaneously at secret locations across London. As they played, the music was live streamed into the Serpentine’s Sackler Gallery where Okwui Okpokwasili was performing live. The collaborative recording was then cut direct-to-disc by The Vinyl Factory’s mobile lathe.

“Dismembered jazz ensemble” saxophonist Steve Coleman and vocalist Kokayi Carl Walker perform for a special live show and lathe cutting, during Arthur Jafa’s solo exhibition closing weekend, presented by The Vinyl Factory and @serpentineuk 🎷 ______ @anamibia

A post shared by The Vinyl Factory (@thevinylfactory) on Sep 13, 2017 at 3:47am PDT

The recordings will be released this October, as part of a VF special edition package, to commemorate Jafa’s exhibition.

Step inside these unlikely recording studios to see what unfolded, and watch the live-lathe cutting in action:

Jason Moran at The Dirty House, a renovated 1930s warehouse in Shoreditch which houses British artists Tim Noble and Sue Webster’s studios. Photos by Lewis Ronald.

Jason Moran at The Dirty House. Photos by Lewis Ronald.

Morgan Craft at the Serpentine Galleries. Photo by Krystal Neuvill.

Micah Gaugh at the Serpentine Galleries. Photo by Krystal Neuvill.

Melvin Gibbs at the Serpentine Galleries. Photo by Krystal Neuvill.

Micah Gaugh, Morgan Craft and Melvin Gibbs at the Serpentine Galleries. Photo by Krystal Neville.

Steve Coleman at Duro Olowu London, in St. James, a hidden Lagos boutique with a constantly rotating treasure trove of art and fashion curated by Duro Olowu. Photo by Pierrick Mouton. . Photo by Pierrick Mouton.