Avant Music News

From NYTimes.com:

Axiom, made up of Juilliard students and led by Jeffrey Milarsky, was founded in 2006 to perform masterworks of the 20th and 21st centuries. But its name suggests a second function. An axiom, after all, is a proposition regarded as self-evident and beyond argument. With each work the musicians of Axiom not only perform the new canon but help define it as well. With players who are at the peak of their technical prowess and hungry to prove themselves, the ensemble brings powerful advocacy to its repertory.

Related articles

• Music Review: Juilliard String Quartet at Alice Tully Hall (nytimes.com)

From the Chicago Reader:

For fans of forward-looking, contemporary classical music, two concerts this weekend offer a bounty of exciting, rarely performed works. Both take place in venues that serve booze and aren’t the sort of tony spots you’d expect to hear string quartets, but on Friday Ensemble dal Niente presents “Hard Music Hard Liquor” at Mayne Stage, while on Sunday afternoon the Empty Bottle hosts the latest installment of the (Un)familiar Music Series, curated by Doyle Armbrust of Spektral Quartet. The second is a benefit for the great New York label New Amsterdam Records, whose offices and most of its stock were decimated by Hurricane Sandy, and it just happens to function as a veritable roll call of Chicago’s new music community.

From Sonic Circuits:

Dec. 18: Benefit for the Sonic Circuits Festival of Experimental Music — Lost Civilizations experimental music project (featuring Jerry Busher, Doug Kallmeyer and Emily Chimiak), Dominic Fragman and the D.C. Improvisers Collective at Dynasty Ethiopian Restaurant

Tuesday December 18, 2012 at 8:00pm
Dynasty Ethiopian Restaurant
2210 14th St NW
Washington, DC

The Lost Civilizations experimental music project, featuring Jerry Busher on percussion and Doug Kallmeyer on bass and electronics (http://www.soundclick.com/lostcivilizations) is performing at Dynasty Ethiopian Restaurant. Violinist Emily Chimiak is tentatively scheduled to sit-in with Lost Civilizations. The evening’s bill will feature a solo set by the remarkable percussion virtuoso Dominic Fragman (http://www.dominicfragman.com/) and a set by the D.C. Improvisers Collective (http://dcimproviserscollective.com/).

This performance is a benefit for the Sonic Circuits Festival of Experimental Music (http://www.dc-soniccircuits.org/), which needs to raise funds to meet an unanticipated shortfall in revenues from its 2012 Festival at the Atlas Performing Arts Center.

“The Lost Civilizations experimental music project – Live at Audiofest 2012″ was just released on the Italian “Ozky e-sound” netlabel (http://archive.org/details/oz061), its third Ozky e-sound release, the earlier two being http://www.archive.org/details/oz033 and http://www.archive.org/details/oz047.

A very nice review and video of our Oct. 7 performance at Mellow Mushroom in STPP Fest MMXII is posted at http://bit.ly/Orw7oC ; a free download of the entire performance is available at http://bit.ly/UNH562.

FB “event”: http://www.facebook.com/events/563437763681707/

English: Trevor Watts on alto saxophone, performing at Eddie’s Attic in Decatur GA USA on 25 Oct 2007 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

From London’s Vortex:

SUNDAY 16/12/2012 – 20:00 (doors open 19:30)

MOPOMOSO FREE IMPROVISATION NIGHT

It’s that time of year again! Mopomoso’s end of year celebration of all things improvised. Last year saw 52 musicians playing in 28 short sets. A great way to become acquainted with what’s happening in this vibrant area of music making in a relaxed and friendly setting, discover new players or revisit old friends. So far confirmed are:

Steve Beresford, Adam Linson, John Russell, Elaine Michener, Olie Brice, Rachel Musson, Adam Bohman, Dave Solomon, Kay Grant, Julie Kjaer, Ricardo Tejero, Dominic Lash, Terry Day, Jez Parfett, Daniel Thompson, Matt Hiutchinson, Satoko Fukuda, Henry Lowther, Tania Chen, Poulomi Desai, Blanca Regina, Tasos Stamou, Matthias Kispert, Moshi Honen, Alice Eldridge and Adrian Northover.

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MONDAY 17/12/2012 – 20:30

TREVOR WATTS, TONY BEVAN, JOHN EDWARDS, EDDIE PREVOST

Comprising two legends of Improvised music – Trevor Watts (soprano and alto saxophones) and Eddie Prevost (drums), plus Tony Bevan (soprano and bass saxophones) and John Edwards (double bass), two younger veterans with their own international reputations, it’s hard to describe the quartet as anything but a supergroup.

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THURSDAY 20/12/2012 – 20:30

EVAN PARKER QUARTET

Evan Parker’s monthly free improvisation residency with saxophonist Paul Dunmall with John Edwards (bass) and Mark Sanders (drums).

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SATURDAY 22/12/2012 – 20:30

JOHN ETHERIDGE: BLUE SPIRITS XMAS SHOW

The unassumingly virtuosic guitarist John Etheridge explores the classic guitar ‘n’ Hammond sound with Pete Whittaker (organ) and Mark Fletcher (drums). The trio will also get into the Festive spirit with a bluesy take on some seasonal favourites.

Capable of playing anything from straightahead jazz, through blues and what used to be called ‘progressive’ rock, to Frank Zappa material, Blue Spirits allows John to relax into a relatively informal groove, playing soul-jazz type material and the odd standard with his trademark fluency.