Thumbscrew

Friday, September 12, 2014
concert 7:30 PM
doors 7:00PM
Joe’s Cafe
6014 Kingsbury Ave., 63122 (map)
(SW corner of Kingsbury and Des Peres)
  • Mary Halvorson — guitar
  • Michael Formanek — bass
  • Tomas Fujiwara — drums
Under the title Thumbscrew, three foremost voices of NYC’s new jazz scene have come together to explore the crossroads of improvisation and composition. Comprised of Mary Halvorson (guitar), Michael Formanek (bass), and Tomas Fujiwara (drums), Thumbscrew functions as a vehicle to navigate both the modal complexities of jazz composition as well as the challenges of collective spontaneity. Thumbscrew’s sound originates from the interconnecting bonds its members have forged, playing in many and various formats over the years, such as composer/cornetist Taylor Ho Bynum’s large groups as well as Anthony Braxton’s experimental/compositional ensembles. Their 2014 self-titled release on Cunieform Records was described as “exploring open, undulating grooves through a frequent tightening and loosening of their interplay along serpentine lines” by Dusted Magazine.Known for her unmistakable tone and approach to guitar playing, Mary Halvorson has been described by NPR Music as “A guitarist who sounds like no other, Halvorson can astound and confound, with craggy phrasing, strange pitch-bends and pedal effects galore”.

A definite inspiration for bassist Michael Formanek’s creativity and versatility would be the broad generational range of distinguished musicians with whom he has performed, from Stan Getz and Freddie Hubbard throughout the ‘70’s-‘80’s, to Tim Berne and Marty Ehrlich during the ‘90’s and beyond.

Drummer Tomas Fujiwara works with rhythm as a pliable substance, resulting in a versatility that allows him to be continually active in collaborations with many different emerging voices, such as Matana Roberts and Matt Mitchell.

Check out this interview with Mary Halvorson!

Buy tickets for Thumbscrew Trio

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New Music Circle Showcase

Ingrid Laubrock + Tom Rainey (duo)
Tyler Damon/Chris Trull/Kevin Harris (trio)
Nathan Cook (solo)

Tuesday, May 20, 2014
concert 7:00 PM, doors 6:30PM
William A Kerr Foundation
21 O’Fallon St (map)
St. Louis, MO 63102
NMC will host a special community outreach event on the evening prior to this showcase — Please see below for information.
This year’s annual NMC Showcase concert will see three separate sets by local, regional, and touring musicians. Performances include: touring duo Ingrid Laubrock and Tom Rainey, a collaborative trio of Tyler Damon/Kevin Harris/Chris Trull, and a solo performance by Nathan Cook.

Ingrid Laubrock / Tom Rainey (NYC)
German-born saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock and drummer Tom Rainey are perhaps two of New York City’s most active jazz improvisers and sought after collaborators. Both may be found on any given night performing with names such as Anthony Braxton, William Parker or Mary Halvorson.

Performing last year in a NMC concert featuring pianist Kris Davis, Laubrock/Rainey will make a return to STL amidst a United States tour. Given Tom Rainey’s voluminous recording credits and the artistic caliber of the musicians with whom he has performed (Tim Berne, Craig Taborn, among others), he could easily be placed on the A-list of drummers closely identified with the New York City modern creative jazz scene, from the late ’80s onward. Ingrid Laubrock’s saxophone phrasings swiftly range from pensive melodiousness to the tough muscularity of free-jazz. She is at once capable of recalling the fierce tones of Albert Ayler and the spontaneous tonal sequences of Eric Dolphy.

Tyler Damon / Chris Trull / Kevin Harris (Bloomington, IN/ St. Louis)

Drummer Tyler Damon (Bloomington, Indiana) will also make a return to St. Louis after playing a concert last summer at the St. Louis Art Museum in a power-house trio with Darin Gray and Mars Williams. Tyler has been described by Darin Gray as “the up-and-coming young drummer in the midwest, and a voice that will be active for years to come.” This showcase will see Damon pairing with guitarist Chris Trull and electronic musician Kevin Harris. As a member of local experimental-rock groups such as Yowie and Grand Ulena, Chris Trull’s razor sharp guitar intonations employ unique tunings and scalings with mathematical dexterity. Whether curating this years sound-installation series at CAM, building elaborate audio/visual systems, or performing in countless collaborations and solo performances, Kevin Harris has remained a gem of the the St. Louis experimental community.

Nathan Cook (St. Louis)

St. Louis sound-artist and label proprietor Nathan Cook will round out this event with a performance combining electronic, acoustic, and playback sounds. Since arriving in St. Louis in 2008, Cook has become one of St. Louis’s most prolific artists on the underground experimental scene, consistently performing and collaborating with other artists, composing sound installations (as featured currently at Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis) and releasing two volumes to date on his Close-Far label of cassette compilations that exclusively feature local experimental acts.

Plus, Free Workshop!

NMC will host a special community outreach event on the evening prior to this showcase. Ingrid Laubrock and Tom Rainey will collaborate in two short improvised sets with a variety of St. Louis’s diverse music community, and partake in a Q+A session. Confirmed local names include Dave Stone (saxophone), Mabel Suen (guitar/saxophone), and Alex Cunningham (violin).
This event is free and takes place on Monday, May 19th from 7pm – 8:30pm at Blank Space (2847 Cherokee St. — map).

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International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) with Claire Chase

Friday, April 4th, 2014
concert 7:30 PM
doors 7:00 PM
The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts
3716 Washington Boulevard (map)
St. Louis, MO 63108
  • Claire Chase — flute
  • David Bowlin — violin
  • Kyle Armbrust — viola
  • Katinka Kleijn — cello
  • Randall Zigler — bass
The International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), described by the New York Times as “one of the most accomplished and adventurous groups in new music,” is dedicated to reshaping the way music is created and experienced. ICE functions as performer, presenter, and educator, advancing the music of our time by developing innovative new works and new strategies for audience engagement. ICE redefines concert music as it brings together new work and new listeners in the 21st century. Since its founding in 2001, ICE has premiered over 500 compositions – the majority of these new works by emerging composers – in venues ranging from alternative spaces to concert halls around the world.

A 2012 MacArthur Fellow, Claire Chase is a soloist, collaborative artist, and arts entrepreneur. Over the past decade Chase has presented the world premieres of over 100 new works for flute, many of them tailor-made for her. In 2013 Chase released Density, for which The Washington Post praised her as “One of the most electrifying flutists on the planet.”

ICE presents a performance inspired by the current Pulitzer exhibition, Art of Its Own Making, which “explores the autonomous object as something simultaneously enduring and ephemeral, synchronic, and diachronic.” The performance will include the following works:

  • George Brecht, Flute Solo(1962)
  • Mario Diaz de Leon, Luciform (2012)
  • Nam June Paik, Dragging Suite
  • Ken Friedman, Explaining Fluxus(1986)
  • Ken Friedman, Cardmusic for Audience
  • Wolfgang Rihm, Verzeichnung-Studie, for viola, cello, and bass (1986)
  • Ben Vautier, Three Pieces for Audiences(1964)
  • Ben Vautier, Look (1964)
  • Emmett Williams, In Unison (1962)
  • Sofia Gubaidulina, String Trio, (1988)
  • Mieko Shiomi, Event of Midnight (1963)
  • Yoko Ono, Lighting Piece (1955)

Buy tickets for ICE International Contemporary Ensemble

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This event is made possible by The Phoebe Dent Weil Charitable Foundation

A Special artist talk and Q+A with Claire Chase will take place at the Regional Arts Commission (6128 Delmar Blvd. 63112) on Thursday, April 3rd, from 6:30pm-7:30pm.
This event is free and open to the public.

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Joshua Abrams’ Natural Information Society

Saturday, February 22, 2014
7:30 PM
Joe’s Cafe
6014 Kingsbury Ave. (map)
(SW corner of Kingsbury and Des Peres)
St. Louis, MO 63112
Park on Des Peres Ave.
  • Josh Abrams — guimbri
  • Lisa Alvarado — harmonium
  • Frank Rosaly — drums
  • Emmett Kelly — electric guitar
  • Ben Boye — autoharp
  • Mikel Avery — drums
Bassist, composer, and collaborator Joshua Abrams has been an essential voice of Chicago’s vibrant music scene for the past fifteen years, playing and recording as leader and sideman in a wide range of projects and spanning all genres (Hamid Drake, Tortoise, Tony Conrad, Sam Prekop, Jandek, Craig Taborn, Bill Dixon, Kevin Drumm, Bonny “Prince” Billy).Abrams’s most recent project, Natural Information, represents yet another fascinating entry in his composing oeuvre, gathering aesthetic input from all over the globe and melding these influences into his own vivid personal statements. At the heart of Abrams’s sound here is the guimbri, a three-stringed animal hide bass, traditionally used by the Gnawa of North Africa in healing ceremonies. Combining quintet formats with adroit use of sampling techniques, Abrams creates intricate psychedelic environments that join the hypnotic character of Gnawa guimbri music with more contemporary musics and methodologies. Comparisons to “Brown Rice” era Don Cherry, Sandy Bull’s “Blend” recordings, and Can’s “Magic” albums are well drawn.

For more information on this concert, visit our Facebook page, or check out these articles:

St. Louis Jazz Notes Joshua Abrams Video Showcase
St. Louis Magazine Joshua Abrams interview

Order tickets online.

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Olivia Block, Sandra Gibson and Luis Recoder

Performing:

  • Dissolution, solo piece for 4-channel electronic sound by Olivia Block
  • Untitled, for dual 16mm projection and electronic sound by Sandra Gibson, Luis Recoder, and Olivia Block.
Friday, November 15, 2013
doors 7:00 PM, concert 8:00 PM
Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis
3750 Washington Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63108
Map
Block, Gibson, Recoder
New York filmmakers and artists, Sandra Gibson and Luis Recoder will present an original piece of “live cinema” using film projectors and simple mechanical means to create slowly shifting abstract light sculptures, and will be joined by Chicago electronic musician and sound artist, Olivia Block. Gibson and Recoder often manipulate, modify, and construct their own apparatus to produce ethereal light effects. For example, in Untitled (2008) they constructed an electronic humidification system to mist glass panes situated in front of two projectors running monochromatic 16mm films, creating beautiful and constantly changing abstractions on the screen.

Olivia Block combines field recording, scored segments for acoustic instruments, and electronically generated sound. Her release Mobius Fuse was voted one of the best albums of the decade by Pitchfork. In a recent feature article in the The Wire magazine, Block’s compositions were described as finely “nuanced textures of environmental material and occasional surges of sonic power blended with an elegant instrumental architecture”.

Since 2007 Gibson Recoder, and Block have continued their film and sound collaborations around the world, including recent performances at the Tate Modern and Chicago Underground Film Festival.

Special FREE following-day workshop and artist talk:
Saturday, November 16, 2013. 1pm – 3pm at CAM.

New Music Circle and Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis will host a workshop and talk with artists Olivia Block, Sandra Gibson, and Luis Recoder. The artists will demonstrate their extended techniques and approaches to film and sound. This event is free and open to the public.

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