Janel Leppin's Ensemble Volcanic Ash - 2026 - Pluto In Aquarius

(43:37; Cuneiform Records)

Releasing one album was obviously not enough for cellist Janel Leppin, so on the same day her new solo album ‘Slowly Melting’ came out we were also treated to the latest from her longstanding avant-jazz chamber unit, Ensemble Volcanic Ash. Here she is joined by her spouse, Messthetics guitarist Anthony Pirog (who of course also plays with her in Janel and Anthony), bassist Luke Stewart, saxophonist Brian Settles and drummer Larry Ferguson, all of whom played on the 2023 release ‘To March Is To Love’ (long-time contributor Sarah Hughes is absent as she moved house during recording).

Although it is an instrumental album it is actually highly political, with half of the tracks written in the leadup to the 2024 election, with the rest completed afterwards. This leads us to songs such the post-punk-tinged “Jazz Is Resistance”, where Anthony is allowed to show off his more aggressive side, which borrows its title from a phrase associated with the D.C.-based arts non-profit CapitalBop. Then there is the wonderfully chaotic and improvised piece “Cruel Motherfuckers” which is the band’s attack on ICE, and one can sense the anger and frustration inside the studio when they were channelling all that is wrong with American politics. However, the final track on the album is probably one of the more simplistic, with Leppin bringing the fuzz to bear once again as she and the band play tribute to the highly influential experimental outfit Deerhoof, in “Deerhoof Is God.” There are not that many bands who have recorded songs as named tributes to others, one which immediately springs to mind is the wonderful “R.A.M.O.N.E.S.” by Motörhead, but rest assured this is very different indeed.

Two fascinating releases by Leppin on the same day, both very much worth discovering. 

Kev Rowland, July 2026

Links:
https://janelleppin.com/
http://www.cuneiformrecords.com/