After a series of private performances at the musical rituals of the secret society IBIM, Don Robinson and I are presenting the initial findings of our paranormal researches into rhythm at 8pm Wed 26 Jun, 2013 at Berkeley Arts Festival (2133 University Avenue, Berkeley, CA).
It’s a great pleasure for both of us to once again play at the East Bay’s essential hub for new and creative music, a venue that’s delivered an amazing stream of cutting-edge music to the Bay Area community — especially in this very hot double bill with Tango № 9 (Set 2, 9pm).
Don Robinson performing w the Kris Tiner Trio @ In The Flow Festival, Sacramento, 14 May 2012 (photo by George Thomson)
Described by Coda as a “percussive dervish”, Don Robinson is a technical master of the drums. He is a stalwart of the of San Francisco Bay Area avant-garde jazz scene, playing and recording with many of the area’spast and current improvisational players, from saxophonists John Tchicai, Marco Eneidi and Larry Ochs to koto player Miya Masaoka (正岡みや) and pianist Matthew Goodheart, and with prominent visitors like Cecil Taylor, Wadada Leo Smith, George Lewis, trumpeter Raphé Malik and Canadian pianist Paul Plimley. Much of this work has featured the combination of Robinson and bassist Lisle Ellis as rhythm section: ‘the best bass-drums tag team on the scene’ (Jazz Times). His longest musical association, dating from the 1970’s, was with the late tenor saxophonist Glenn Spearmann.
Don Robinson (up), Fred Frith (down), & Larry Ochs (L) @ Starline Social Club, 31 Aug 2012
Born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1953, Don first studied classical percussion at the New England Conservatory. During the early 1970’s he served his musical apprenticeship in the jazz world of Paris, studying with Kenny Clarke and playing with Alan Silva, Anthony Braxton, Oliver Lake and Bobby Few among many others. He first played with Spearmann as a duet partner during this period in Paris, an association which continued through various configurations and many recordings until the saxophonist’s death in 1998.
Don Robinson (L) & Larry Ochs (R)
Fresh from a European tour with Larry Ochs of ROVA Saxophone Quartet, Don will be joined by myself on laptop & piano.
Don Robinson & Biggi Vinkeloe perform @ Eld Records / Studio Fabriken, Göteborg, Sweden
In working with Don, I’ve reached back into my percussion studies in South India as a performer on the mṛdangam (மிருதங்கம்) & into the stochastic rhythm theories of Xenakis, projecting these rhythmic structures through the prisms of signal flow code & keyboard — my drum kit has hammers, strings & recursive filters.
Vidwan V. Nagabhushanachar (V. ನಾಗಭೂಷಣಚಾರ್, L) & Joe Lasqo (R)
Position for strokes NAM and DHIM on the mṛdangam (மிருதங்கம்)
Klangfarben - Einfluss der Grundströmung auf den Klang der Blockflöte
Together, Don and I open a sophisticated new space of interlocking rhythmic energy, distressed tālas, and unexpected re-mappings.
Free jazz, Indian, or electronic?
Rhythmelodics or „Klangfarben-Hoquetus“?
Whatever you decide it is, you’ll not have heard anything like it before…
Tango № 9 (Photo by Kat Nyberg)
Set 2: Tango № 9 (9pm)
Catharine Clune – violin
Zoltan DiBartolo – voice
Joshua Raoul Brody – piano
Greg Stephens – trombone
special guest: Isabel Douglass – accordion
Presenting music old and new, Tango № 9 embarks on a fascinating musical adventure, borrowing from the rich tango tapestry, beginning with Astor Piazzolla and then adding a touch of Kurt Weill, a dash of humor and a pinch of West Coast modernism.
Tango № 9 (Photo by Kat Nyberg)
Tango № 9, born in the Mission District in 1988, began by exploring where Piazzolla and jazz met. Today, it has become an all-star Bay Area ensemble, recognizable by its unique instrumentation of violin, trombone, piano, and voice. The group delves deeply into the world of tango, recording 4 critically acclaimed albums, presenting numerous concerts and is constantly exploring different facets of the tango.
If you don’t know their music, I would warmly recommend any of the following brilliant albums (if you do know their music, you’ll be coming to this show….):
All of the musicians in this marvelous group are superb, but as a pianist, my mouth never fails to drop open at the dizzying command of ALL 20th-C piano styles on the part of Joshua Raoul Brody (also an early member of the infamous Club Foot Orchestra).
Join us for an energizing evening that will leave your ears much wider…
Hope to see you there!
Joe