No Idea Festival Announced

Source: No Idea.

17th annual No Idea Festival 2020
Austin, Texas – February 20-23, 2020, various venues.
* Additional programming February 18 in Shreveport, LA and February 19 in Dallas, TX

The 17th annual No Idea Festival brings together musicians and sound artists from across the US, Japan, Germany, Italy, Mexico, and Norway to Austin, Texas to collaborate for 3 nights and 2 afternoons in the fields of free improvisation, composition, free jazz, installation, noise, and sonic interventions.

HIGHLIGHTS
Thursday, February 20, 2020
Venue: The Museum of Human Achievement, 3600 Lyons Rd. 78702 // 8pm to 11:30pm
German-born, New York City-based saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock leads an ensemble with Norwegian double bassist Ingebrigt Haker Flaten and Mexico City drummer Gibrán Andrade. Laubrock enjoys numerous accolades for her pioneering work in jazz including winning Downbeat Annual Critics Poll twice (best Rising Star Soprano saxophonist 2015, best Tenor saxophonist in 2018). Haker Flaten himself has been recognized on both acoustic and electric bass in Downbeat Magazine’s Annual Critics Poll (2012-2014). Though colleagues for several years, this will be the first time the three artists perform together in a trio.

Friday, February 21, 2020
Venue: The Museum of Human Achievement, 3600 Lyons Rd. 78702 // 8pm to 11:30pm
A special solo performance by San Francisco-based acoustician, composer, and French horn player Anne Guthrie. Anne’s singular skillset derived from extensive studies in architectural acoustics and contemporary composition, gives voice to an unparalleled electronic music focused on exploiting the natural acoustic phenomena of unique architectural spaces through minimal processing of field recordings. This will be Anne’s first time performing in Austin.
*Note: Accompanying her performance, Anne will give a lecture and Artist Talk as part of the Acoustics Department in Engineering’s lecture series at UT Austin on Friday at 4pm. The event is free and open to the public. Also performing Friday evening is a special Record Release event for the international trio Anáhuac featuring No Idea Founder and percussionist Chris Cogburn, Mexico City double bassist Juan García, and Berlin avant-turntablist Ignaz Schick. The trio will celebrate their 3-part release on Austin’s famed record label Astral Spirits.

Saturday, February 22, 2020 (Afternoon Program)
Venue: Cloud Tree Studios & Gallery, 3411 E 5th St, 78702 // 1pm to 3pm
An afternoon of first-time collaborations featuring Italian avant-saxophonist Mario Gabola and San Francisco electric guitarist and composer Zachary James Watkins (Black Spirituals), among others.

Saturday, February 22, 2020 (Evening Program)
Venue: The Museum of Human Achievement, 3600 Lyons Rd. 78702 // 8pm to 11:30pm
New York City jazz legend Mat Maneri’s groundbreaking work combining microtonalism and jazz will be the highlighted set on Saturday night. Mat brings his duo with NYC avant-microtonal drummer Randy Peterson. Praised for his high degree of individualism and his work with 20th-century icons of improvised music, this Mat Maneri performance is not to be missed. Saturday also features a historic North American debut solo performance by pioneering Norwegian accordionist Kalle Moberg. Known in Norway within classical and contemporary music and for his prestigious position as kapellmeister at the Royal Palace in Oslo, Moberg is lately reaping recognition for his technique-centric work vastly expanding upon the preexisting perceived acoustic possibilities of the accordion

Sunday, February 23, 2020 (Afternoon Program)
Venue & Time: TBA
As part of No Idea Festival’s special Site-Specific Sunday program, Japanese sound artist Takahiro Kawaguchi will perform in an idiosyncratic location To Be Announced (January 27). Tokyo-based Kawaguchi uses a selection of instruments and implements for playing and composing, which he makes from everyday materials. His artistic focus extends beyond the playing of sound, to an emphasis on what he calls “Composing the Whole Space” through the arrangement of sound and light.

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS
Musicians and sound artists from across the US, Japan, Germany, Italy, Mexico, and Norway collaborating with a handful of Texas’ premiere creative musicians.

Takahiro Kawaguchi — objects, light → Tokyo
Makoto Oshiro — objects → Tokyo
Mat Maneri — violin, viola → NYC
Randy Peterson — drumset → NYC
Anne Guthrie — French horn, electronics → San Francisco
Zachary James Watkins — electric guitar, electronics → San Francisco
Kalle Moberg — accordion → Oslo, Norway
Ingebrigt Håker Flaten — acoustic double bass → Austin
Ingrid Laubrock — soprano + tenor saxophones → NYC
Ignaz Schick — turntable → Berlin
Oliver Steidle — drumset → Berlin
Mario Gabola — feedback saxophone, electronics → Naples, Italy
Maurizio Argenziano — electric guitar → Naples, Italy
Gibran Andrade — drumset → Mexico City
Juan García — acoustic double bass → Mexico City
Chris Cogburn — percussion, electronics → Austin