On The Verge

Vorzca (Relix Revisited)

With Ray Paczkowski on the road with Trey Anastasio we revisit this August 2006 profile of his band Vorcza

Vorcza
Burlington, VT
Quirky Improv

If you’ve caught Trey Anastasio outside of Phish in the past five years, chances are you’ve seen Ray Paczkowski. Since enrolling at Middlebury College in the 1990s, the bearded organist has been a fixture on Vermont’s live music circuit, first cutting his teeth in the popular club band Viperhouse and, later, serving as first chair in Anastasio’s rotating solo group. After a stint as a milkman, in 2001 Paczkowski scored a gig in the guitarist’s horn-driven ensemble, soon after securing spots alongside Anastasio in Dave Matthews and Friends, 70 Volt Parade and his current unnamed touring band. But, left to his own devices, Paczkowski prefers more jazz-driven experimental territory, as evidenced by his current trio, Vorcza. Along with drummer Gabriel Jarrett and bassist/trombonist Robinson Morse, Paczkowski offers a quirky blend of jazz, funk and world-beat, fashioning Vorcza into a close cousin of Sun Ra. The group’s most recent release, Corner of the Morning, grounds the trio’s improvisation in a series of fresh vocal cuts, proving that, sometimes, sidemen truly have the most to say.