{"id":3095,"date":"2014-02-05T23:23:55","date_gmt":"2014-02-05T23:23:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/joelasqo.com\/blog\/?p=3095"},"modified":"2015-05-28T01:17:18","modified_gmt":"2015-05-28T01:17:18","slug":"msppiano-full-renga-kai-%e9%80%a3%e6%ad%8c%e4%bc%9a-w-beckman-bickley-condry-deuter-kreith-lasqo-moskow-santomieri-and-wilsey-plus-dancer-nan-busse-sun-09-feb-simm-series-sf-730pm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joelasqo.com\/blog\/2014\/02\/05\/msppiano-full-renga-kai-%e9%80%a3%e6%ad%8c%e4%bc%9a-w-beckman-bickley-condry-deuter-kreith-lasqo-moskow-santomieri-and-wilsey-plus-dancer-nan-busse-sun-09-feb-simm-series-sf-730pm\/","title":{"rendered":"MSP\/Piano: Full Renga-kai (\u9023\u6b4c\u4f1a) w Beckman, Bickley, Condry, Deuter, Kreith, Lasqo, Moskow, Santomieri and Wilsey, plus dancer Nan Busse, Sun 09 Feb, @ SIMM Series, SF, 7:30pm + Set 2: Eli Wallace Trio @ 8:30pm"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

9 musicians and 1 dancer welcome you to the Year of the Horse - \u65b0\u5e74\u5feb\u6a02\uff01<\/p><\/div>\n

\u65b0\u5e74\u5feb\u6a02\uff01Join us as we welcome the Year of the Horse<\/strong> with a kaleidoscope of unfolding lowercase sound and movement.<\/p>\n

By a scheduling coincidence, the opening of the Year of the Horse falls close to our first 2014 performance of a full Renga-kai<\/em> (<\/strong>\u9023\u6b4c\u4f1a<\/strong>)<\/strong>, a game-like music and dance ritual derived from the ancient Japanese collaborative poetry form renga<\/em> (<\/strong>\u9023\u6b4c<\/strong>) <\/strong>\u2014 so we hope this accidental juxtaposition of these two great East Asian cultures reflects the potential for wider unexpected harmonies.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Outsound: A New Sonic Collective for the 21st Century<\/p><\/div>\n

Time & Place: Outsound\u2019s SIMM Series<\/strong> at 7:30pm, Sun 09 Feb<\/span><\/strong> (Set 1) at the Musicians Union Hall, 116 9th St @ Mission, SF (map)<\/strong><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Line-up:\u00a0Nancy Beckman<\/strong><\/a> (shakuhachi,\u00a0small percussion), Tom Bickley<\/strong><\/a> (Paetzold contrabass recorder, electronics\/radios), Rachel Condry<\/strong><\/a> (clarinets), Patti Deuter<\/strong> (piano\/toy piano\/radio), Ben Kreith<\/strong> (violin), Joe Lasqo<\/strong><\/a> (laptop, piano, m\u1e5bdangam & solka\u1e6d\u1e6du),\u00a0Sangita Moskow<\/strong><\/a> (sarod), Dean Santomieri<\/strong><\/a> (guitars), Jennifer Wilsey<\/strong><\/a> (percussion) + dancer\u00a0Nan\u00a0Busse<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Examiner.com<\/strong> preview of this show: here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Carol Simmons, polymer clay, 36 Permutations on Black (carolsimmonsdesigns.com)<\/p><\/div>\n

Expanding on John Cage’s “renga-piece” techniques, we’ve created a kaleidoscopic new piece called Renga-kai<\/em> (<\/strong>\u9023\u6b4c\u4f1a<\/strong>)<\/strong>, for 9 electro-acoustic musicians, plus dancer.<\/p>\n

The piece will comprise 36 short duets which will pair each musician with every other and employ game-like shifting-time rules, using an extended methodology that generates fresh combinations of timbres, instruments, and events in much the same way as a mobile in moving air does among its sculptural elements.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

John Cage and D.T. Suzuki (\u9234\u6728 \u5927\u62d9 \u8c9e\u592a\u90ce)<\/p><\/div>\n

As is well known, John Cage was heavily influenced by Zen Buddhism and Japanese culture in general. This led to a fascinating series of “renga pieces” based on the Japanese <\/strong>collaborative improv poetry form, renga<\/em> (<\/strong>\u9023\u6b4c<\/strong>)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Fu Nanihito Renga, an example of a 100-section \/ 100-artist renga form, 1525 A.D., Kanazawa-city collection (\u8ce6\u4f55\u4eba\u9023\u6b4c\u3001\u5927\u6c385\u5e74\uff081525\uff09\u91d1\u6ca2\u5e02)<\/p><\/div>\n

With beginnings in the time of the Man\u2019y\u014dsh\u016b<\/em> (<\/strong>\u4e07\u8449\u96c6<\/strong>)<\/strong>, c. 760 A.D., renga<\/em> evolved into a very sophisticated game played by connoisseurs who used its 5-line stanzas in an interplay of group-improvised linked verses, exchanged among the members of a (usually sake<\/em>-soaked) poetry party.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Renga paper of poet Nishiyama S\u014din (\u897f\u5c71\u5b97\u56e0\u9023\u6b4c\u61d0\u7d19)<\/p><\/div>\n

Japanese poetry fiends took renga<\/em> to remarkable heights of sophistication, defining an elaborate aesthetic of seasonal symbolism, pivot-stanzas referring to moon and cherry blossoms, and special gold-and-silver dusted papers of different shapes, sizes and colors to brush their poems onto whilst sipping from cups of sake<\/em> brought to them sushi-boat-style by special garden streams constructed for this purpose.<\/p>\n

Renga-kai<\/em><\/strong> (\u9023\u6b4c\u4f1a<\/strong>)\u00a0is a new form extending rules based on some of the \u201crenga<\/em> pieces\u201d of John Cage, and their unique transformations \u2014 not only of Japanese verse forms for alcohol-soaked group poetry improv, based on structures of 5 + 7 + 5 + 7 + 7 \u2014 but also of concepts like \u201cduet\u201d, \u201clistening\u201d and \u201ctime\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Time displacement: \u00d8<\/p><\/div>\n

It generates a game that, like go<\/em> (\u7881), is rich in strategy despite relatively simple rules.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Time displacement: t-1<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Time displacement: t-\u0968<\/p><\/div>\n

Expanding on game-like rules Cage developed for his luminous and serene “renga-pieces”, we use the 36-stanza kasen<\/em> (<\/strong>\u6b4c\u4ed9<\/strong>)<\/strong> form of renga<\/em>, re-imagining each 5-line stanza as a duet in 5-line musical units, each filled with 5 or 7 sound-events which replace the 5 or 7 syllables of the original poetic form.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Time displacement: t-\u4e09<\/p><\/div>\n

Our renga-rules allow the players to create an interlinked joint control of fluid time, creating meditative, ever-shifting ripples in highly-focused 31-event sound-poems which will be uniquely different in each performance.<\/p>\n

The 36-stanza the kasen<\/em> form includes three \u201cmoon stanzas\u201d and two \u201cflower stanzas\u201d, which will be interpreted by\u00a0dancer Nan Busse<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Modern<\/a>

Modern Renga Banquet at the Shusuitei in the Kyoto Imperial Park (\u9023\u6b4c\u306e\u4f1a\u5e2d\u301c\u4eac\u90fd\u5fa1\u82d1\u5185\u306e\u62fe\u7fe0\u4ead\u306b\u3066\uff09<\/p><\/div>\n

And we\u2019ll honor the\u00a0renga<\/em><\/strong> tradition of alcohol-assisted creativity, by demarcating these sections with ceremonial libations (which may lead to some interesting musical results\u2026).<\/p>\n

The full ensemble:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Nancy Beckman<\/p><\/div>\n

\u2014\u00a0Nancy Beckman<\/strong><\/a> (shakuhachi & percussion)<\/p>\n

Nancy creates performance pieces, plays and teaches the shakuhachi, and performs with the Cornelius Cardew Choir<\/em><\/strong>. Her education includes an undergraduate degree in East Asian Studies from Wesleyan University, a master\u2019s in interarts from SFSU and ordination to teach shakuhachi from My\u014dan-ji<\/em><\/strong> (\u660e\u6697\u5bfa<\/strong>, the famous \u201cTemple of Light & Darkness\u201d of shakuhachi history) in Kyoto.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Gate of Light & Darkness at My\u014dan-ji (\u660e\u6697\u5bfa\u9580)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Tom Bickley and friend<\/p><\/div>\n

\u2014 Tom\u00a0Bickley<\/strong><\/a> (Paetzold contrabass recorder, electronics\/radios)<\/p>\n

Tom Bickley (bio \/ site) <\/em><\/strong><\/a>composes electro-acoustic music, plays and teaches recorder, performs with Three Trapped Tigers<\/em><\/strong> (with recorder players David Barnett<\/a> and Judy Linsenberg<\/a>), co-founded and directs the Cornelius Cardew Choir<\/em><\/strong>, is a curator emeritus of the Meridian Gallery music series, and is on the Library Faculty (music, philosophy and political science) at CSU East Bay. His education includes degrees in music, theology, and library and information science and the Certificate in Deep Listening.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Rachel Condry<\/p><\/div>\n

\u2014 Rachel\u00a0Condry<\/strong><\/a> (clarinets)<\/p>\n

Rachel Condry<\/em><\/strong><\/a> is an Oakland based clarinetist, improviser, composer and educator.\u00a0 Her work advocates for small sounds, lost or forgotten in the noisy drones of the modern soundscape.<\/p>\n

Rachel\u2019s musical interests span from pop to classical to free improvisation to acousmatic composition. She is often found collaborating with other disciplines such as art, poetry and dance.<\/p>\n

She writes open scores and performs with the improvising quartet, Gestaltish<\/em><\/strong> who are preparing to release their first album. In 2005, Rachel made her Carnegie Hall debut with The Matt Small Chamber Ensemble<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, a group that blends jazz and classical approaches with free improvisation.\u00a0 She\u2019s also a founding member of the San Francisco Composers Chamber Orchestra<\/em><\/strong><\/a> with whom she has frequently been featured as a soloist, as well as the principal clarinetist of the Golden Gate Park Band<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, the oldest civic band in the nation.\u00a0 Rachel holds an MFA from Mills College and a BA and BM from Oberlin College and Conservatory.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Patti Deuter performs Cage's "Four Walls" @ Berkeley Arts Festival<\/p><\/div>\n

\u2014 Patti\u00a0Deuter<\/strong> (piano, toy piano, radio)<\/p>\n

Often found in Paris as well as California, ringleader of the original Satie\/Cage Vexations<\/em><\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>at Berkeley Arts, and a student of\u00a0Eliane Lust’s<\/a>, Patti is an indefatigable macherin<\/em> of the new music and piano scenes of the Bay Area.<\/p>\n

From her studio-cottage nestled in the trees, where everything is keyed to one of four vibrant synesthetic colors (forming, I would say, a visual rootless 13th chord in second inversion\u2026 Scriabin would approve), passionate strains of Rzewski, Cage, Wolff, and other masters of 20th and 21st century piano escape to infuse the air.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Ben Kreith plays by the water, as the ancient masters of the Chinese g\u01d4q\u00edn (\u53e4\u7434) zither did to sharpen their ears<\/p><\/div>\n

\u2014 Ben\u00a0Kreith<\/strong> (violin)<\/p>\n

Violinist Benjamin Kreith<\/em><\/strong> has performed as a chamber musician, soloist and orchestra player throughout the US and Europe. He\u2019s premiered solo works at the Strasbourg and Marseille festivals and performed as a guest artist with the Ying<\/em><\/strong><\/a> and Muir Quartets<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ben helped to found the Ensemble CGAC<\/em><\/strong> in Santiago de Compostela, and has also performed with sfSound<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, Barcelona 216<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, and the Harvard Group for New Music<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. Recently he spent several years in Montana as a member of the Cascade Quartet<\/em><\/strong><\/a> and concertmaster of the Great Falls Symphony<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. He has taught at the Escola de M\u00fasica de Barcelona<\/em><\/strong><\/a> and served as artist-in-residence at the University of California, Davis.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Joe Lasqo @ Meridian Gallery, 11 Jan 2012 (Photo: PeterBKaars.com, http:\/\/www.peterbkaars.com)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u2014 Joe\u00a0Lasqo<\/strong><\/a> (MSP\/laptop, piano, m\u1e5bdangam & solka\u1e6d\u1e6du)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Sangita Moskow<\/p><\/div>\n

\u2014 Sangita\u00a0Moskow<\/strong><\/a> (sarod)<\/p>\n

Sangita Moskow\u2019s<\/em><\/strong><\/a> musical career reflects a personal global consciousness and delight in the wonderful variety of artistic expression.<\/p>\n

Her sarod studies took place between 1969-1985 with classical North Indian maestro Ali Akbar Khan. Vocal training is a major component of classical Indian music study, and Sangita found herself combining vocals with the sarod early on.<\/p>\n

Collaboration with Swiss clarinetist Hermann B\u00fchler<\/a> has inspired many compositions, some featured on their CD, Sojourn<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. Sojourn<\/em><\/strong> toured Europe for more than a decade and also received Swiss support for a 17-concert tour in Mexico.<\/p>\n

<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Yakshi<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, the duo of Sangita & Mihai Manoliu, produced a CD of compositions and improvisations, preserving the rasa<\/em> (\u0930\u0938, emotional power or \u201cflavor\u201d) of Indian r\u0101gas via Manoliu\u2019s use of modified tunings for the guitar to supply a harmonic underpinning for the sarod.<\/p>\n

Planet Tree Music Festival<\/a> producer\/pianist\/composer Lawrence Ball<\/a> and Sangita duo-perform totally improvised music based on Indian r\u0101gas, with the timbral overlaps of the sarod and piano providing a fertile ground. Their last performance occurred at the Planet Tree Music Festival at Pete Townsend\u2019s studio on the outskirts of London.<\/p>\n

Collaboration with electronic\/ambient artist Robert Rich resulted in the CD Yearning<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, a combination of al\u0101p (\u0905\u0932\u093e\u092a,\u00a0unmetered free rhythm) on sarod with an electronic soundscape to create a unified field between Hindustani tradition and electronics; Yearning<\/em><\/strong> was voted a top CD for meditation and yoga by Yoga Journal<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Although primarily known as a sarodist, Sangita began her Indian studies as a percussionist on the North Indian classical tabla drums. She studied with Phil Ford, Pandit Shankar Ghosh (\u09b6\u0982\u0995\u09b0 \u0998\u09cb\u09b7)<\/a> and Zakir Hussain (\u0632\u0627\u0643\u064a\u0631 \u062d\u0633\u064a\u0646)<\/a>. She plays tabla with mandolinist Phil Lawrence<\/a> and can be heard on the CD Mandolin Mandalas<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. Sangita played for a year in Lou Harrison\u2019s gamelan orchestra at Mills College, and studied more gamelan in Bali. In 2010 Sangita began learning the bodhran, the drum that accompanies Irish music.<\/p>\n

Not content with East-West synthesis, Sangita also pursues East-East<\/em> synthesis, especially in combination with the Japanese shakuachi, performing with shakuhachist Stephen Ross<\/a> in Hawaii, England, Europe and locally in a long musical collaboration.\u00a0These Still Waters<\/em><\/strong>, Sangita\u2019s CD collaboration with the late New York shakuhachi player Genji It\u014d (\u4f0a\u85e4\u6e90\u6b21) is another wonderful example of Sangita\u2019s East-East work and one of my personal favorites.<\/p>\n

Among other collaborators too numerous to note in detail, ones which may be of particular interest to readers of this blog are:\u00a0Tom Nunn<\/a>, Polly Moller<\/a>, Aurora Josephson<\/a>, Karen Stackpole<\/a>, Loren Kiyoshi Dempster<\/a>, Genny Lim<\/a> and Pan Asian Orchestra<\/em><\/strong>, Doug Carroll<\/a>, and Guillermo Galindo<\/a>, with whom she has given some stunning recent performances at Berkeley Arts Festival and the Chapel of the Chimes Garden of Memory.<\/p>\n

Sangita\u2019s received more than 10 awards for musical composition from the ASCAP Foundation as well as a Subito grant from the American Composers Forum.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Dean Santomieri at Berkeley Arts, 12 Aug 2011 (Photo by Neo Serafimidis)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u2014 Dean\u00a0Santomieri<\/strong><\/a> (guitars & voice)<\/p>\n

Dean Santomieri<\/em><\/strong><\/a> has been working with electronic music and musique concr\u00e8te<\/em> since 1971, as well as creating multi-image pieces, videos, and super-8 and 16mm films. Dean formed the electro-acoustic performing duo Donkey Boy<\/em><\/strong> in the 90s with Luther Bradfute<\/a>, which employed live electronic music, slides or video, story-telling, costumes, and props in their many Bay Area performances. He\u2019s collaborated with Joyce Todd to form the baroque performance group Theater of Memory<\/em><\/strong>, and also performed with Malcolm Mooney<\/a> (the original singer with the German prog-rock group Can<\/em><\/strong>) & The 10th Planet<\/em><\/strong>, providing electronics and guitar. Dean formed a multi-media group with musicians Bruce Anderson, Karen Stackpole<\/a> and David Kwan, for live performance of his short stories (narration accompanied by live music and video). This ensemble\u2019s initial show, The Boy Beneath the Sea<\/em><\/strong>, was performed numerous times in the Bay Area, leading to his first CD release, followed by Crude Rotation<\/em><\/strong> and others.<\/p>\n

More recently, Bay Area audiences have been captivated by Dean\u2019s telepathic duo work with violinist and electronics maestra\u00a0Thea Farhadian<\/a>, and Dean will in fact have just returned from playing with Thea in Berlin for this show. I was highly honored to have Dean & Thea play in last spring\u2019s Vexations [Re-vex’d]<\/em><\/strong><\/a> improv marathon as well.<\/p>\n

Another notable collaboration to which Dean has recently added impressive ectoplasmic heft is the uniquely paranormal ensemble Ghost In The House<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, where his unclassifiable musical narratives show what happens when Ken Nordine\u2019s<\/a> word jazz meets Jung\u2019s Red Book<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Jennifer Wilsey<\/p><\/div>\n

\u2014\u00a0Jennifer Wilsey<\/em><\/strong><\/a> (percussion)<\/p>\n

Improviser\/composer\/educator Jennifer Wilsey<\/em><\/strong><\/a> currently performs with improvising ensembles The Bloom Trio<\/em><\/strong> (with W. Allaudin Mathieu<\/a> and George Marsh<\/a>), Timeless Pulse<\/em><\/strong> (with Pauline Oliveros<\/a>, Thomas Buckner<\/a>, George Marsh<\/a>, and David Wessel<\/a>), and Gestaltish<\/em><\/strong> <\/em>(Gretchen Jude<\/a>, Rachel Condry<\/a>, Jacob Peck<\/a>).\u00a0In addition to ongoing activities as a concert percussionist, Jennifer\u2019s past projects included work with The Good Sound Band<\/em><\/strong>, Wrestling Worms<\/a>, Petr Kotik and the S.E.M. Ensemble<\/a>, Stuart Dempster<\/a>, and Anna Halprin<\/a>, among others.\u00a0Jennifer\u2019s recordings can be heard on the Deep Listening, Mutable, Cold Mountain Music, and Pitch-A-Tent labels.<\/p>\n

She received her BA in Music from UC Santa Cruz and MFA in Improvisation from Mills College, and is a Deep Listening Certificate holder.\u00a0As an educator, Jennifer teaches percussion, percussion pedagogy,\u00a0and directs the Percussion and Improvisation Ensemble at Sonoma State University.\u00a0At Mills College she teaches Advanced Musicianship while serving as the Musicianship Program Coordinator.\u00a0She also maintains a private studio,\u00a0offering creative music lessons in Santa Rosa and Oakland,\u00a0California.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Nan Busse<\/p><\/div>\n

\u2014\u00a0Nan Busse<\/em><\/strong><\/a> (dancer)<\/p>\n

<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Nan Busse, performing with Bruce Ackley, Steve Adams, Nava Dunkelman, Joe Lasqo, Cheryl Leonard, and Thollem McDonas, Center for New Music, San Francisco, 15 Jan 2014<\/p><\/div>\n

Nan Busse<\/a> has been creating dance-based art works since receiving her MFA from UC-Irvine (\u201ca long time ago\u2026\u201d). Collaborating with choreographer Christopher Beck<\/a>, she made pieces performed at Centerspace (Project Artaud) and New College; and with her partner, poet Tobey Kaplan<\/a>, participated in the Link<\/em><\/strong> inter-disciplinary performance series.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Emily Mizuno (L), Nan Busse (M), and Peggy De Coursey (R) prepare backstage for the performance of Nguy\u1ec5n Dance Company at the Metropolitan Theatre in H\u1ed3 Ch\u00ed Minh City, Vi\u1ec7t Nam<\/p><\/div>\n

Since about 1999 she has been unable to stop dancing \u2013 thanks to Yvonne Caldwell, Evelyn Thomas<\/a>, Roger Dillahunty<\/a>, Georgia Ortega<\/a>,\u00a0John Tanner<\/a>, and the great Cassie Terman<\/a>, and has toured in Vi\u1ec7t Nam and the US with Nguy\u1ec5n Dance Company<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. She works as an Education & Arts Therapist in the East Bay.<\/p>\n

Set 2 (8:30pm)<\/span><\/em><\/strong>: Eli Wallace Trio<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Following the super-cooled lowercase-space of Renga-kai<\/em><\/strong> will be the\u00a0Eli Wallace Trio<\/em><\/strong>, a monster trio of Eli Wallace<\/a> (piano), Karl Evangelista<\/a> (guitar), & Jon Arkin<\/a> (drums) for some hot jazz.<\/p>\n

The Eli Wallace<\/a> trio combines a visceral and unfettered approach to improvisation within the framework of Eli’s original pieces. Influenced by language from free and post-bop jazz musicians, post jazz, and noise rock, the music pushes the element of spontaneous interaction to a new zenith, unpredictable yet cohesive. The birth of this group resulted from a casual jam session, one that burst with too much excitement and mirth to not produce a lasting relationship. Eli subsequently composed tunes as a vehicle to develop and hone their group sound and interplay, creating a diverse topography of musical landscapes that’s constantly evolving yet still firmly rooted.<\/p>\n

The material in this show will be fresh from a recording session of these songs, such as Hedgehog<\/em><\/strong> and Bipartisan Discourse<\/em><\/strong> \u2014 great tunes which I had the pleasure of hearing this group perform recently at Mynah Music<\/strong> in Oakland.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Eli Wallace<\/p><\/div>\n

Since moving to the Bay Area from New England not too long ago, pianist and composer Elli Wallace’s<\/a> ebulliently energetic ideas and great chops have put him at the forefront of Bay Area jazz’s new generation of players.<\/p>\n

Graduated from New England Conservatory, Boston, MA with a Master’s in Music (Jazz Composition) in 2011, Eli studied with Jason Moran<\/a>, Jerry Bergonzi<\/a>, Ken Schaphorst<\/a>, Frank Carlberg<\/a>, and Kati Ag\u00f3cs<\/a>. After relocating to the Bay Area, he’s played with numerous musicians in all different genres of music from free improvisation, to straight ahead jazz, to rock\/pop. Some of the groups with which he’s appeared include: Karl Evangelista’s<\/a> Ai-Ai<\/em><\/strong>, Jim Ryan’s<\/a> Virtual Assembly<\/em><\/strong> and Retro Blue<\/em><\/strong>, John Givens\u2019<\/a> No Lovely Thing<\/em><\/strong>, and Bill Wolter’s<\/a> Inner Ear Brigade<\/em><\/strong>. He also appeared on Dan Meinhardt’s<\/a> first album Gone West<\/em><\/strong>, released in 2012.<\/p>\n

His own recent project is a series of pieces composed specifically for solo piano that embraces his interest in jazz, improvisation, and contemporary avant-garde classical music; it culminates in a nuanced and complex combination of carefully notated passages intertwined with torrid and visceral guided improvisation. As a composer he has been commissioned to write music for jazz big band, solo piano, chamber orchestra, and dance performances; he was also awarded Honorable Mention after submitting his piece “Influx Rebellion?” to the EarShot Jazz Composers Orchestra Institute Readings (in affiliation with Columbia University and the American Composers Orchestra).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Karl Evangelista<\/p><\/div>\n

As well as organizing the incendiary Light a Fire Series<\/strong>, Filipino-American guitarist\/composer Karl Evangelista<\/em><\/strong><\/a> ranks among a new wave of creative musicians grounded in jazz, 20th century experimentalism, and popular song, exploring the place of multiculturalism and ethnic co-existence in an increasingly post-cultural, trans-idiomatic cultural space. As the creative force behind boundary breaking group Grex<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, Evangelista has been called \u201cessential current-and-future listening, his music \u201ca near-seamless blend of modern jazz, contemporary structuralist composition, indie rock, and blues rock\u201d (Tiny Mix Tapes<\/em>). This complex, powerful aesthetic fosters an \u201cotherworldly experience\u201d that is \u201ccompletely original\u201d (Eugene Weekly<\/em>).<\/p>\n

Karl has explored the possibilities of intercultural dialogues across a vast spectrum of academic and professional situations. He\u2019s worked in a wide variety of ensembles with or under the direction of, among others, e.g.\u00a0Achyutan (Marvin Patillo)<\/em><\/strong>, Scott Amendola<\/a>, Steve Berlin<\/a> (Los Lobos<\/em><\/strong>), India Cooke<\/a>, Fred Frith<\/a>, Eddie Gale<\/a>, Ben Goldberg<\/a>, Matthew Goodheart<\/a>, Phillip Greenlief<\/a>, Darren Johnston<\/a>, Lewis Jordan<\/a>, Myra Melford<\/a>, Hafez Modirzadeh (\u062d\u0627\u0641\u0638 \u0645\u062f\u06cc\u0631\u0632\u0627\u062f\u0647)<\/a>, Bill Noertker<\/a>, Zeena Parkins<\/a>, John-Carlos Perea<\/a>, Gino Robair<\/a>, Daniel Schmidt<\/a>, Marcus Shelby<\/a>, Aram Shelton<\/a>, David Slusser<\/a>, Damon Smith<\/a>, Karen Stackpole<\/a>, Moe! Staiano<\/a>, and AIR<\/em><\/strong> co-founder Francis Wong (\u738b\u4e16\u660e)<\/a>, and has performed in new arrangements of works by Luciano Chessa<\/a>, Christian Jendreiko<\/a>, Polly Moller<\/a>, AACM<\/em><\/strong> co-founder Muhal Richard Abrams<\/a>, and Art Ensemble of Chicago<\/em><\/strong> co-founder Roscoe Mitchell<\/a>. Karl\u2019s interest in fostering cross-cultural musical dialogues has also led to grant-based research (\u201908) on The Blue Notes<\/em><\/strong>, a group of South African exile musicians, multiple guest lectures at UC Berkeley, and continued work at the community-based East Bay Center for the Performing Arts. \u00a0Karl holds a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies from UC Berkeley and an MFA in Improvised Music from Mills College.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Jon Arkin<\/p><\/div>\n

Originally from the Boston area, Jon Arkin<\/a> began his studies of music and percussion at an early age.\u00a0 His experiences playing in local groups led him to the University of Miami School of Music, where he studied drum set performance and composition, and won several awards for his participation in the school’s top jazz combos.\u00a0 After earning his degree in 1998, he relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area.\u00a0 In addition to leading his own groups, he has been busy as an in-demand freelance musician with many notable local, national and international artists.\u00a0 Spanning three decades, his list of recording credits includes dozens of albums and guest appearances in a wide variety of genres, as he maintains an active recording schedule as a studio musician.\u00a0 He has also established himself as a noted educator, teaching unique classes, workshops, clinics and lessons to students in the Bay Area and elsewhere, and is a frequent faculty member of the Stanford Jazz Workshop<\/strong><\/a> and the Jazzschool<\/strong><\/a> in Berkeley.<\/p>\n

His drumming style has been sought out as much for his versatility as for his uniqueness.\u00a0 A believer in the power of listening, grooving, dynamic balance, and attunement, his collaborators attest to his ability to suit the music of the moment.<\/p>\n

In addition to Eli and Karl, some of Jon has performed and\/or recorded with:<\/p>\n

Albino!<\/em><\/strong>, Michelle Amador<\/a>, Wil Blades<\/a>, Kenny Brooks<\/a>, Matt Butler<\/a>, Ian Carey<\/a>, Bill Champlin<\/a>, Eric Crystal<\/a>, Spencer Day<\/a>, Karl Denson<\/a>, Terry Disley<\/a>, Rachel Efron<\/a>, Taylor Eigsti<\/a>, Jon Evans<\/a>, Barry Finnerty<\/a>, Jesse Foster<\/a>, Joe Gilman<\/a>, Meklit Hadero<\/a>, Fareed Haque<\/a>, Steve Heckman<\/a>, Matthew Charles Heulitt<\/a>, Friday Jumbo<\/a>, Kasey Knudsen<\/a>, Julian Lage<\/a>, Heather Lauren,<\/strong> Mark Levine<\/strong>, Vusi Mahlasela<\/a>, Mitch Marcus<\/a>, Frank Martin, <\/strong>Jeff Massanari<\/a>, Justin Morell<\/a>, Gene Perla<\/a>, Randy Porter<\/a>, Lee Presson<\/a>, Realistic<\/em><\/strong>, Barry Ries,<\/strong> Jorge Santana<\/a>, Adam Shulman<\/a>, Alex Skolnick<\/a>, Dayna Stephens<\/a>, Stew & the Negro Problem<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, Ira Sullivan<\/a>, Grady Tate<\/a>, Leonard Thompson<\/a>, Harvey Wainapel<\/a>, Vince Wallace<\/strong>, Mike Zilber<\/a><\/p>\n

Join us on a journey from super-cooled neogaku poetics to super-heated jazz that will leave you tingling.<\/p>\n

\u8fd1\u3044\u5185\u306b\u3002\u3002\u3002<\/p>\n

Joe<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u65b0\u5e74\u5feb\u6a02\uff01Join us as we welcome the Year of the Horse with a kaleidoscope of unfolding lowercase sound and movement. By a scheduling coincidence, the opening of the Year of the Horse falls close to our first 2014 performance of a … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/joelasqo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3095"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/joelasqo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/joelasqo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joelasqo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joelasqo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3095"}],"version-history":[{"count":48,"href":"https:\/\/joelasqo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3095\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5329,"href":"https:\/\/joelasqo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3095\/revisions\/5329"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/joelasqo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3095"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joelasqo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3095"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joelasqo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3095"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}