Divine Comedy

When Atlanta’s resident Hefty Records representative Scott Herren (Savath + Savalas) played a recording of the Samadha Trio over the phone for label owner John Hughes III, the decision to include the band in its Immediate Action 12-inch series was instantaneous. According to the trio’s piano/alto sax player Chris Case, within an hour of passing a CD-R of the group’s live performance (which included, notably, a live adaptation of Dante’s epic, The Divine Comedy) along to Herren, the deal was done. Immediate Action is a series of limited-edition singles released by the Chicago-based label to give lesser-known acts a platform for their talents.
Formed only a year ago by Case, drummer Keith Leslie and upright bass/clarinet player Peter Hickey, the group has sculpted a sound that merges elements of free jazz with electronic minimalism and religious allegory. The name of the group itself refers to a sect of Eastern monks called the Samadhi.
“I’m not an overtly spiritual person,” Case says. “It’s fertile ground for material and I’m infatuated with it, but I’m not a practicing Hindu or Buddhist or anything like that.”
The first song on the trio’s 12-inch, “Hour 36,” contains excerpts of the group’s take on The Divine Comedy. But while Dante may have been known for adorning his work with the phrase, “Abandon hope all ye who enter here,” The Samadha Trio’s take on his vision throughout the 4-song EP is less foreboding.