Avant Music News

From the Bohemian in Exile:

Monday, Jan. 10th: Salim Washington, Kenn Thomas, Ali Colding, Joel Peterson at The E & B Brewery Lofts (AKA the home of CCS Fine Arts Chair, Leon Johnson- 1551 Winder, in Eastern Market)

Detroit native Salim Washington is back in town and doing a few surprise performances, including this final one
in the intimate setting of Leon Johnson’s Eastern Market loft. An exciting performer on saxophone, flute and oboe,
Salim is also a noted composer, educator (at the Brooklyn College Conservatory) and co-author of “Clawing at the Limits of Cool: John Coltrane, Miles Davis and the Greatest Jazz Collaboration Ever.” His big tenor sound demonstrates his commitment to the tradition; as a composer he draws on many eras of music, with an ear towards the “spiritual jazz” sound of later Coltrane (both John and Alice), grooving-era Pharaoh Sanders and the eclecticism of one of Detroit’s greatest contributors to jazz, Yusef Lateef.

Joining Salim will be three locals from the creative music scene. The phenomenal Kenn Thomas will put our baby-grand piano, currently residing in the loft, back to good use. One of the area’s best kept secrets, Kenn’s vocabulary is a unique mixture of jazz, “classical” and the folk musics of Africa and Asia. Ali Colding is often heard providing the hard-swinging drums behind people like Faruq Z. Bey, Hakim Jami, SKeeter Shelton and Akhnek Kenneth Green. He evokes the classic poly-rythmic sound of Elvin Jones, as well as the “Fire Music” innovators. I’ll be covering the double-bass.

New Date! Feb 1: Acid Birds (with Charles Waters, Andrew Barker and Jaime Fennelly)
Charles Waters and Andrew Barker have come a long way since I first met them in 1995 in Atlanta. They
subsequently relocated to New York and hooked up with some major figures in music, joining William Parker’s
Little Huey Creative Orchestra and performing with Sirone (of The Revolutionary Ensemble), Ken Vandermark,
Sabir Mateen, Daniel Carter, Matthew Shipp, Thurston Moore, Kelly Hogan, Tara Jean O’ Neal, Joe McPhee and
many others.

Jamie Fennelly is featured on harmonium and electronics, contributing an unexpected combination of drones and
textures that has lead one critic to place their sound as “between Anthony Braxton and Cornelius Cardew.”

From chicagotribune.com:

A consortium of Chicago jazz musicians long associated with the Velvet Lounge, which was shuttered on Dec. 1, is setting up shop a few blocks away. The artists will launch their new venture Jan. 21 at the L26 Restaurant and Lounge in the Chicago South Loop Hotel, 11 W. 26th St. That’s at the bustling corner of 26th and State Streets, four blocks south of the late Chicago saxophonist Fred Anderson’s iconic Velvet Lounge.

Related articles

• In memoriam: Fred Anderson, 1929 – 2010 (timeoutny.com)

From NYTimes.com:

Drew Gress’s 7 Black Butterflies / Tim Berne’s Los Totopos (Friday) Featuring the alto saxophonist Tim Berne, the trumpeter Ralph Alessi, the pianist Craig Taborn and the drummer Tom Rainey. That group plays one set here, at 8 p.m.; at 10 Mr. Berne leads his own working band, Los Totopos, with the pianist Matt Mitchell, the multireedist Oscar Noriega and the drummer Ches Smith. The Stone, Avenue C and Second Street, East Village , thestonenyc.com; $10. (Chinen)

Walter, Halvorson & Evans Trio / Mostly Other People Do the Killing (Thursday) At 8 p.m., Littlefield, 622 Degraw Street, between Third and Fourth Avenues, Gowanus, Brooklyn , (718) 855-3388, littlefieldnyc.com; $8 in advance, $10 at the door. (Chinen)

Tony Malaby (Wednesday) In one set, at 8 p.m., he will reconvene the album’s alert and inventive rhythm team of William Parker on bass and Nasheet Waits on drums; then at 10 he’ll play a solo saxophone recital. The Stone, Avenue C and Second Street, East Village , thestonenyc.com; $10 per set. (Chinen)

Michael Musillami Trio (Wednesday) With the bassist Joe Fonda and the drummer George Schuller. At 9 p.m., University of the Streets, 130 East Seventh Street, second floor, East Village , (212) 254-9300, universityofthestreets.org; $10. (Chinen)

Marc Ribot’s Sun Ship (Wednesday) The group includes the guitarist Mary Halvorson, the bassist Jason Ajemian and the drummer Chad Taylor — along with a special guest, the veteran bassist Henry Grimes. At 10 p.m., Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker Street, near Thompson Street, Greenwich Village , (212) 505-3474, lepoissonrouge.com; $15 in advance, $18 on day of show. (Chinen)

Matthew Shipp Trio (Thursday) With the bassist Michael Bisio and the drummer Whit Dickey — but not without some unaccompanied elaborations. At 8:30 and 10:30 p.m., Iridium Jazz Club, 1650 Broadway, at 51st Street , (212) 582-2121, iridiumjazzclub.com; $20 cover, with a $10 minimum. (Chinen)

Trio 3 (Saturday) With Oliver Lake on alto saxophone, Reggie Workman on bass and Andrew Cyrille on drums featuring Mark Helias filling in for Mr. Workman here. At 10:30 p.m., Iridium Jazz Club, 1650 Broadway, at 51st Street , (212) 582-2121, iridiumjazzclub.com; $25 cover, with a $10 minimum (includes sets by the Tessa Souter Quartet at 8:30 p.m. and the Kenny Werner Trio at 9:30 p.m.).(Chinen)

Related articles

• Jazz Listings for Dec. 24-30 (nytimes.com)
• Jazz Listings for Dec. 31-Jan. 6 (nytimes.com)

From New York’s Interpretations:

Interpretations Season 22:: Spring 2011

February 17 – Roscoe Mitchell 70th Birthday Celebration
Two contrasting settings featuring innovative woodwind virtuoso and Art Ensemble of Chicago founder Roscoe Mitchell. Electronic music pioneer David Wessel and Roscoe Mitchell, long time collaborators, play a set of duo improvisations, followed by the Roscoe Mitchell Quartet featuring Dave Burrell (piano), Henry Grimes (bass), and Tani Tabbal (drums).

www.akamu.net/
www.artensembleofchicago.com/roscoe.html
cnmat.berkeley.edu/people/david_wessel

February 24 – Pauline Oliveros Oracle Bones / Sylvia Smith: Percussion Theatre of Stuart Saunders Smith
Dynamic and highly intimate visions of sonic meta-resonance. Percussionist Sylvia Smith and flutist Carrie Rose perform musical theatre works from composer Stuart Saunders Smith, including his “spoken opera” By Language Embellished: I. Composer and improviser Pauline Oliveros has been an important pioneer in American music for five decades. She presents Oracle Bones, a performance corresponding to the Taoist Cardinal Directions, with Oliveros performing on accordion along with the spoken word of Ione and the koto of Miya Masaoka.

www.paulineoliveros.us
www.deeplistening.org
www.smith-publications.com

March 10 – Thomas Buckner performs Peter Garland, Michael Byron, Roscoe Mitchell, Petr Kotik, & Fred Ho
Baritone Thomas Buckner performs works by Peter Garland and Petr Kotik for voice and percussion, featuring percussionist William Winant and members of the Orchestra of the SEM Ensemble conducted by Kotik, works for voice and piano by Michael Byron and Roscoe Mitchell, featuring pianist Joseph Kubera, and a work by Fred Ho for baritone voice and baritone saxophone featuring Ho on baritone saxophone.

www.thomasbuckner.com
www.lovely.com/bios/mitchell.html
www.davidgarland.com
www.bigredmediainc.com
www.michaelbyron.com
www.pkotik.com

March 17 – Joseph Kubera & Marilyn Nonken premiere Michael Byron & Larry Polansky, plus Christian Wolff
Hailed by Village Voice critic Kyle Gann as one of “new music’s most valued performers,” Joseph Kubera is joined by pianist Marilyn Nonken, one of the most celebrated champions of the modern repertoire of her generation. Together they will premiere Larry Polansky’s epic work “Three Pieces for Two Pianos”. Kubera will premiere Michael Byron’s “Book of Horizons”, and the duo will also play “Exercise 20 (Acres of Clams)” by Christian Wolff.

www.josephkubera.com
www.marilynnonken.com
music.dartmouth.edu/~larry/

For more information on Roulette:
20 Greene Street (between Canal and Grand)
General admission: $15 / $10 students, seniors, Harvestworks & DTW members
Free for Roulette and Location One members
For reservations, call (212) 219-8242.
www.roulette.org

For more information on Interpretations:
Interpretations Online: www.interpretations.info
James Ilgenfritz, Publicist: james@mutablemusic.com
Office Phone: 212-627-0990
Cell Phone: 347.204.0899

Related articles

• Music Review: Roscoe Mitchell and The Note Factory – Far Side (seattlepi.com)
• Roscoe Mitchell: Far Side | CD review (guardian.co.uk)