Jair-Rôhm Parker Wells

Who is Jair-Rôhm Parker Wells?

Jair-Rôhm Parker Wells is an American Free improvisation bassist, composer and conceptualist. He is one of the founding members of the improvising band Machine Gun which featured Thomas Chapin. He resided in Stockholm, Sweden from 1985 until 2010. Presently residing in Bangkok, Thailand, he has been active internationally as a promoter of improvised and experimental music performing and recording extensively. He has collaborated with Karl Berger, Daniel Carter, Jaron Lanier, John Sinclair and Tony Scott among others.

Raised in southern Germany, Jair-Rôhm moved to New York in 1978. After touring the United States for a year with a top forty band he attended Tulane University in New Orleans. While at Tulane, he regularly performed with local jazz and rhythm and blues artists. He also performed as a member of Tulane University's Tulanians, met and studied with Richard Payne and discovered the music of Harry Partch. He returned to the New York area in the fall of 1980 where he met and started work study under saxophonist/composer Ken Simon. During this period Jair-Rôhm also met Anthony Braxton and became involved in the study of his music.