NewMusicCircle

Thank you to the amazing crowd who came out to the our presentation of The Necks at KDHX…what a show! This April will see the last two concerts of our 57th season, and we will co-host two other special events this month as well – all of which are not-to-miss affairs, so please mark these down on your calendar now!

TYSHAWN SOREY’S ALLOY TRIO

Saturday, April 16th we will present Tyshsawn Sorey’s Alloy Trio at The Stage at KDHX. Combining elements of progressive jazz and composition, NYC percussionist/composer Tyshawn Sorey sculpts a signature style for bass, drums and piano. Sorey is a 2015 Doris Duke Impact Award recipient. Details on the concert are here and the Facebook event is here.

“…but Alloy is something else again. In its drift and clarity, it’s more connected to a modern-classical music tradition — of, say, Xenakis and Feldman. It’s gestural, and philosophical, and sometimes hard to get a fix on; it also sounds excellent in the close confines of the Vanguard.”  – The New York Times

EXPERIMENTAL FILMS FROM POLAND (1940-1980) WITH LIVE SCORES BY 18&COUNTING, VERNACULAR STRING TRIO, AND CHRIS SMENTKOWSKI.

Tuesday, April 26th will see a collaborative presentation with St. Louis Public Library and Polish cultural presenter, St. Louis Polonia.  St. Louis acts, 18&Counting (Stan Chisolm), Vernacular String Trio (Cunningham, Andreotti, Weinstein), and Chris Smentkowski will each perform live scores to experimental films from Poland (1940-1980). This event will be free and open to the public. Details for the concert are here.

UPCOMING CO-PRESENTATIONS…

On Thursday, April 7th we will partner with The Luminary to present Tyondai Braxton. Formerly the front man of experimental-rock favorite Battles, Braxton creates works of mind-blowing scope, ranging from intimate solo pieces to large-scale symphonic works, incorporating electronic and modern orchestral elements. His critically acclaimed album Central Market has been performed by orchestras around the world, and his new multimedia installation HIVE recently premiered at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City and was released on Nonesuch Records. Fresh from a duo collaboration with Philip Glass, Braxton brings this ecstatic solo show, exploiting the edges of our ability to perceive the nuances of pop music production and pushing through the chasm of digital music to rediscover the human. Details on the concert are here. 

On Thursday, April 21st NMC will support a special visit by percussionists Hamid Drake (Chicago) and Adam Rudolph (NYC) at Joe’s Cafe. Hamid Drake has graced St. Louis several times with his musical energy…last time was at our presentation of William Parkers In Order to Survive Quintet at Mad Art Gallery, and this event will mark a St Louis debut performance by Adam Rudolph. Details on the concert are here. 

By the close of the 1990s, Hamid Drake was widely regarded as one of the best percussionists in jazz and avant improvised music. Incorporating Afro-Cuban, Indian, and African percussion instruments and influence, in addition to using the standard trap set, Drake has collaborated extensively with top free-jazz improvisers. Other collaborations include Don Cherry, pianist Herbie Hancock, saxophonists Pharoah Sanders, Fred Anderson,Archie Shepp and David Murray and bassists Reggie Workman and William Parker (in a large number of lineups).

Adam Rudolph (born September 12, 1955) is a jazz composer and percussionist performing in the post-bop and world fusion media, perhaps most notable to date for his work with Yusef Lateef. Rudolph has released several albums as leader and has also recorded with such musicians as Sam Rivers, Wadada Leo Smith, Pharoah Sanders, Bill Laswell, and Herbie Hancock.

Thank you to the amazing crowd who came out to our first concert of 2016, Susan Alcorn and Frank Rosaly at Joe’s Cafe. It was a packed house and we appreciate the support! While our February may be quiet, stay tuned…because we have two grand-slam concerts planned for March….

On Saturday, March 5th, we partner with Washington University’s School of Music to present Chicago’s Spektral Quartet. Founded in 2010, the Spektral Quartet is widely regarded as one of Chicago’s most charismatic and forward-thinking chamber ensembles. Since its inception, the Spektral Quartet has welcomed the discourse between the masterworks of the traditional canon and works written this decade, this year, or even this week. Their performance will include works by two european composers, Hans Thomalia and Beat Furrer.

On March 26th we will be working with our friends at KDHX to present a St. Louis debut concert by The Necks. Hailing from Australia The Necks stand out from other groups their region has produced. Combinging moments of ambient music, left-field jazz, and experimental rock, this stylistically deceptive trio has maintained a unique voice throughout its career. Their 18th album was released in January 2016 on the Northern Spy label (have a listen to it here).

Please join New Music Circle for our 2016 opening concert on Friday, January 22nd, featuring Baltimore pedal steel guitarist, Susan Alcorn, and Chicago percussionist,Frank Rosaly.

KDHX wrote a feature about the concert and an interview with Susan Alcorn here

concert details
Friday, January 22nd
at Joe’s Cafe (map)
7:00pm doors / 8:00pm concert
All ages. Please Park on Des Peres. Please arrive early for to find proper seating.
Drinks will be available for donation (beer and wine served)
Tickets available at door or advance tickets here
RSVP on FB: https://www.facebook.com/events/681633668606185/

+ Special FREE event (just added)!

Please join us for coffee and drinks this Thursday (9/21) from 7pm – 8pm at Foam (corner of Jefferson and Cherokee) for a special free event. Susan Alcorn and Frank Rosaly will collaborate in short improvised performances with four St. Louis musicians. This event is FREE and open to the public, and will begin at 7pm and end by 8pm. RSVP on FB HERE.

Collaborations will include:
Susan Alcorn with Chris Trull (guitarist of experimental rock band Yowie and Grand Ulena)
Frank Rosaly with Louis Wall (percussionist and producer of Texas Room) and JJ Hamon(electronic musician and instrument builder).

After a long holiday break we are kicking off  2016 with a not-to-be-missed opening concert!  Please join NMC on Friday, January 22nd at Joe’s Cafe for our 2016 opening concert, featuring Baltimore pedal steel guitarist/composer, Susan Alcorn, and Chicago percussionist, Frank Rosaly.  Both artists will partake in workshops and other special events, so please stay tune for updates.

New Music Circle audiences may recall hearing percussionist Frank Rosaly at a performance in 2013 with Joshua Abrams’s Natural Information Society at Joe’s Cafe. As we heard, unusual percussive devices such as found objects and electronic sounds are often included in his arsenal, and he is capable of transitioning from the most subtle sounds to intense outbursts, all in the same breath. Rosaly now devotes much of his time to performing, composing and teaching, as well as organizing musical events. His collaborations include work with Matana Roberts, Ken Vandermark, and Roscoe Mitchell.

Baltimore pedal steel guitarist, Susan Alcorn, will make her first time visit to St. Louis! Alcorn is a Baltimore based composer and instrumentalist who has received international recognition as an innovator of the pedal steel guitar. Alcorn elicits an expansive range of sounds from her instrument, from accessible country glissandos to Theremin like science fiction “noir” effects. Though mostly a solo performer, she has collaborated with numerous artists including Pauline Oliveros, Joe McPhee, Ellen Fullman, Evan Parker, and Thurston Moore. Her most recent album, Soledad, was released in 2015 on Relative Pitch.

Our December presentation at KDHX will feature NYC jazz/modern classical musicians,  Swiss pianist Sylvie Courvoisier and violinist Mark Feldman.  Collaborators for 15 years they are regarded as two of the most boundary-pushing composer/performers working today. Virtuosos on their respective instruments, and telepathic improvisers, their quest for an “organic integration of classical and modern jazz” results in a new form of music that seamlessly blends classical composition with the spontaneity of improvisation. Together they have released albums on John Zorn’s Tzadik label and ECM, and have collaborated with artists such as Zorn, Yusef Lateef, Fred Frith, and Evan Parker. Courvoisier and Feldman will also be in town a day early to participate in a free workshop at Jackson Pianos (please see our events page for more information).

Watch a recent live clip of Sylvie Courvoisier and Mark Feldman here…