{"title":"SML","description":"\u003cp\u003eSML is the Los Angeles quintet of bassist Anna Butterss, synthesist Jeremiah Chiu, saxophonist Josh Johnson, percussionist Booker Stardrum, and guitarist Gregory Uhlmann, representing the core of a new school within the LA jazz and improvised music scene on International Anthem Recording Co. The band formed at ETA, the beloved Highland Park, Los Angeles venue that closed at the end of 2023, best known for Jeff Parker's 2022 album \u003cem\u003eMondays at the Enfield Tennis Academy\u003c\/em\u003e, with both Butterss and Johnson being part of Parker's quartet that held down a regular gig at ETA. Their debut album \u003cem\u003eSmall Medium Large\u003c\/em\u003e began as a collection of long form improvisations recorded during two separate two-night stands at ETA in October 2022 and April 2023, engineered and recorded in stereo direct to Nagra by Bryce Gonzales before being compiled, arranged, and edited with additional production and studio composition by SML across their various home studios throughout 2024.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReleased 28 June 2024, \u003cem\u003eSmall Medium Large\u003c\/em\u003e represents a stunning expansion of the Teo Macero and Miles Davis editing concept explored on classics like \u003cem\u003eIn a Silent Way\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eOn The Corner\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eGet Up With It\u003c\/em\u003e, whilst stylistically recalling the proto-trance repetitions of Harmonia, Holger Czukay's re-assembly technique with Can, and the polyrhythmic floating patterns of Susumu Yokota. The album landed on multiple Best of 2024 lists including Tone Glow, Passion of the Weiss, and Bandcamp Daily, with Pitchfork calling it \"an exciting milestone\" and Glide describing it as \"awe-inspiring\". The band starts every performance without musical direction, improvising completely and intuitively, with each member being a seasoned producer whose proclivities filter the always-evolving elements of the group concept. Their second album \u003cem\u003eHow You Been\u003c\/em\u003e appeared in November 2025, crafted via extensive post-production of recordings from performances in late 2024 and early 2025 across various venues including Chicago's Empty Bottle, representing a breakthrough in the musical language of the group. The musicians of SML encompass infinitely overlapping combinations within the LA scene including Jeff Parker's ETA IVtet, the Uhlmann Johnson Wilkes trio, and Anna Butterss's own band heard on 2024's \u003cem\u003eMighty Vertebrate\u003c\/em\u003e. The band has performed at Rewire, Brdcast, Warm Love Cool Dreams, Winter Jazz Fest, and Pickathon, with a March 2026 artist residency at Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"sml-how-you-been-2025-international-anthem-vinyl-lp","title":"SML - How You Been (2025 International Anthem Vinyl LP)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSML - \u003cem\u003eHow You Been\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eVinyl LP - 2025 International Anthem Recording Company\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe collaborative quintet SML (comprising saxophonist\/electronics artist Josh Johnson, modular synthesizer player\/sampler Jeremiah Chiu, guitarist Gregory Uhlmann, bassist Anna Butterss, and drummer Booker Stardrum) presents their latest album, compiled from four live performances across Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle between July 2024 and March 2025. The group's approach merges experimental electronic music with jazz improvisation, Johnson's processed saxophone and electronics interacting with Chiu's modular synthesis and live sampling, Uhlmann's effects-laden guitar, Butterss' electric bass, and Stardrum's drums and percussion. Released on 7 November 2025 by International Anthem Recording Company, this black vinyl LP was lacquer cut at SST and pressed at Germany's Pallas plant, the twelve tracks demonstrating contemporary creative music's synthesis of acoustic improvisation and electronic processing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe album's compositional approach reflects collective creation, the material composed, compiled, edited, and overdubbed by the ensemble after capturing performances at Zebulon in Los Angeles (8 and 9 July 2024, engineered by Bryce Gonzales), The High Low in Los Angeles (11 November 2024, engineered by Bryce Gonzales), Empty Bottle in Chicago (3 March 2025, engineered by Dave Vettraino), and Tractor Tavern in Seattle (20 March 2025, engineered by Dr. Jon). This method allows the spontaneity of live performance to inform studio refinement, the group shaping improvised material into coherent compositions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe instrumentation creates textures that blur boundaries between jazz, electronic music, and experimental composition. Johnson's saxophone, filtered through electronics and synthesizers, meets Chiu's modular synthesis and live sampling to create layered sonic environments, while Uhlmann's guitar effects, Butterss' electric bass, and Stardrum's percussion provide both foundation and colour. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43211874730043,"sku":null,"price":65.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0630\/3203\/3339\/files\/SML_HowYouBeen.jpg?v=1770960532"}],"url":"https:\/\/lushliferecords.com.au\/collections\/sml.oembed","provider":"Lush Life Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}