Jason Ajemian has acquired a high profile in the improvised music scene over the years, performing with Rob Mazurek, Ken Vandermark, and currently with Marc Ribot and Matana Roberts. Ajemian"s curiosity has ranged far and wide- he"s just as comfortable in the hushed folksy setting of Born Heller, his duo with Josephine Foster, as he is in the breath-processed arrangements of his large ensemble, Who Cares How Long You Sink. Given such a variety of musical interest, a detour like From Beyond, Ajemian"s backwards version of Black Sabbath"s "Into the Void" for chamber ensemble, begins to seem like an obvious stop on this bassist"s journey from the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains to Chicago then New York City and his current home in the Great White Whale. Jason Ajemian & the HighLife stopped into Dave Matthew"s studio in Scottsville, Virginia, (managed by a childhood friend of Ajemian"s) to record Ajemian"s latest score. In keeping with the belief in immediacy and improvisation, the album was recorded in one take with no overdubs. The only exception is the opening text piece: a letter to Daddy read by Champagne, two characters who are simultaneously a presence in the ongoing story of the HighLife and actual band members. The text reveals the conclusion of Daddy"s testimonial "His Name on Records", in which his voice is delayed and panned. Every other sound on the album was captured in the moment.