Gogo Penguin / WA, USA 11.18.2025 Complete

The new generation piano trio GoGo Penguin, who have garnered support across genres, are evolving at a pace faster than fans could have imagined, becoming bolder, more complex, more intricate, and more ambient. Their emotional, full-length live performance, brimming with infinite possibilities, is now available in the highest sound quality! This release marks the arrival of John Scott, the band’s second album since replacing original drummer Rob Turner. Scott, known for his machine-like precision and technical prowess (including his support work with the legendary Ethiopian drummer Mulatu Astatke), is a highly technically gifted drummer, but with a more live-oriented, aggressive, and powerful style. Six months after the release of “Necessary Fictions,” following solo shows in Tokyo and Yokohama in March and the Jazz Middelheim Festival in Antwerp, Belgium in June, this two-disc set features a full live performance from November 18, 2025, at the Neptune Theatre in Seattle, including tracks from their current album, “Necessary Fictions.” The album boasts meticulous mastering by the label, resulting in an ultra-high-fidelity sound that makes you feel as if you’re actually there—a must-have for all music fans! Incidentally, Penguin’s live performances are more often festival appearances than solo shows, and the duration of each performance is usually short. Therefore, recordings like this one, which completely capture a full solo performance lasting an hour and a half, are rare, and it’s no exaggeration to say that this is the first time the full scope of a Penguin full concert has been revealed! They originally create songs based on sketches made with sequencing software, and by following a production process closer to that of a track maker than a player, they pull out complex phrases via laptop that would be impossible to come up with through ordinary studio sessions, and then trace them into the form of a piano trio, creating a dynamism that cannot be expressed through programming, and further incorporating improvisation, effortlessly executing a flawless ensemble with superhuman technique that seems almost superhuman, and showcasing it live. Each member’s playing skills and rich repertoire have reached an incredible level. On the other hand, as the members themselves have stated, they don’t use technique for the sake of technique; their ensemble, like a finely honed blade, is supported by an aesthetic of subtraction, and they are committed to the possibilities of live performance, using absolutely no programmed music… In the finer details, from the live drum and bass to the glitch noises at the end of the performance that resemble computer bugs, everything is reproduced with live performance. You may occasionally encounter moments that sound like the needle has skipped, but that’s just how the performance is, so please bear with it. It’s no exaggeration to say that this rhythm section is at the pinnacle; John possesses both incredibly precise, machine-like technique and a wildness that emphasizes the live feel, making it impossible to stop listening… And what’s even better is the superb high-fidelity sound quality that lets you hear every detail of his drumming! The growth in technique and playing style in drums and bass in recent years is extraordinary compared to other instruments, and it’s surprising how much Nick and John’s playing has evolved since their Antwerp performance about six months ago on the same label! Meanwhile, Chris’s piano playing, the pillar of Penguin, is also the essence of the band. Inheriting the legacy of Evans, Keith, Svensson, and Sakamoto, GoGo Penguin delivers lyrical, beautiful, and romantic music that directly strikes the heartstrings! Appearing as a replacement for E.S.T., whose history ended with the death of Esbjörn Svensson, GoGo Penguin is the piano trio—no, the music—you must hear now!!!