"I don't like work - no man does - but I like what is in the work - the chance to find yourself. Your own reality - for yourself not for others - what no other man can ever know. They can only see the mere show, and never can tell what it really means." In 2012, Mere very kindly asked me to master their debut album 'Mere' for Gizeh Records. Made up of Gareth Davis (bass clarinet), Thomas Cruijsen (guitar), and Leo Fabriek (drums), I was given due notice that the album was a live recording of improvised free jazz, so basically pretty wild in every facet. As a long term friend and collaborator, I thought I knew what to expect from a Gareth Davis related project: namely, the unexpected! As the first of a three part live recording, I was desperate to hear the full works in all their glory. Gareth, Thomas, and Leo duly sent over the two remaining parts (Mere II and III), and alongside cover art by Frederic D. Oberland, they complete the Mere trilogy to beautiful effect. To say this is a privilege for Home Normal to be releasing them would be a huge understatement. It has taken almost three years to get to the point of release. Beyond the intricacies of the interplay, and subtleties of incredible musicianship, the albums (three) as a whole represent a unique long-form experience which is both deep within and far beyond our selves; the perfect antithesis to the diagnosis of modern-day apathy.
