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Set 1, 8:30pm: Opera Wolf
Bay Area trio Opera Wolf does "emergent composition" & collective creative communication, performing text-based compositions, graphic-scores, & free improv pieces, drawing on influences from free jazz, contemporary classical music, & electroacoustic experimentation. Its members have all studied under Roscoe Mitchell, Fred Frith, Zeena Parkins and William Winant, and their work synthesizes timbral manipulation, melodic extension, and poetic articulations of form with their highly individual approaches to instrumental technique, reaching beyond the traditional limits of instrumentation. Opera Wolf was notably featured as part of the 2013 Outsound New Music Summit festival. Stephen Smoliar of Examiner.com described the performance as, “...a journey of auditory discovery, the best possible follow-up to the ways in which Stravinsky shocked the world 100 years ago....”
Cellist/composer/improviser
Crystal Pascucci is a classically-trained musician who works in the areas of free improv, graphic-score compositions, and chamber music, exploring non-traditional cello techniques to develop musical ideas beyond pitch & rhythm. Notable teachers include Joan Jeanrenaud, Robert Black, Anthony Braxton, & Marion Feldman. In addition to Opera Wolf, she's performed the work of Roscoe Mitchell at Yoshi’s Oakland, the work of Polly Moller at the Soundwave Festival, with Aaron Bennett’s Electro-Magnetic Trans-Personal Orchestra, the Oakland Active Orchestra, and with renowned clarinetist, Rachel Condry, in the improv duo, Chocolate for Breakfast.
Joshua Marshall is an Oakland-based saxophonist and composer/improviser. His work involves architectural innovation, narrativity, advanced extended saxophone techniques, and live digital media. He's studied with Pauline Oliveros, Evan Parker, Butch Rovan, I.M. Harjito, & Steve Adams of ROVA Sax Quartet. In addition to work with Opera Wolf, Joshua has worked with Ikue Mori, Rent Romus' Lords of Outland, Architect/Enchantress, Medium Sized Band, Josh Allen's Deconstruction Orchestra, Key West, and Modest Machine. His amazing technique gives him relaxed command of cracked multi-phonics, exotic trills, and timbre tremolos, which he uses to superb effect.
Robert Lopez is a percussionist working in ensembles spanning contemporary composition, free improv, & pop/rock. He's studied mallet/multiple/hand percussion w Michael Carney, Dave Gerhart, Brad Dutz; Ghanaian Ewe drumming w Neili Sutker, Eric Hartwell, CK Ladzekpo; and drum set w Randy Drake. Before moving to Oakland, he recorded and performed with L.A. rock acts Wild Pack of Canaries, Bobby Blunders, New Lights By Dead Vines & the Vespertines; in the Bay Area, he's worked with Opera Wolf, Quattour Elephantis, Jordan Glenn’s Mindless Thing, & his duo with Shanna Sordahl, ZE BIB!. Recent performances include the premier of ‘Work Around the World’ by Aaron Gervais at Other Minds Festival 18, a duo appearance with Moe! Staiano at the14th SF Electronic Music Festival, & with the avant-rock group Grex at the 2014 Switchboard Music Festival, following the recording & release of their full-length album Monster Music.
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Set 2, 9:30pm:
Bruce Ackley — Lisle Ellis — Joe Lasqo —
Donald RobinsonBruce Ackley has been critical to the Bay Area free improv scene since the Sound Clinic with Lewis Jordan & George Sams in the 70s, a time when he also began playing with Larry Ochs & Jon Raskin, leading to the founding of the world-renowned ROVA Saxophone Quartet. Although Bruce has mainly devoted his time ROVA, he has done notable side projects with John Zorn, Eugene Chadbourne, Henry Kaiser, Dino J.A. Deane, Joseph Sabella, Stefano Scodanibbio, Miya Masaoka (正岡みや), Rohan de Saram, George Cremaschi & Garth Powell.
Veteran of 40+ recordings (including Down Beat ✰✰✰✰✰ The Ornette Coleman Songbook), bassist and computer musician Lisle Ellis. has worked with Paul Bley, Peter Brötzmann, Andrew Cyrille, Anthony Davis, Ben Goldberg, Frank Gratowski, Joëlle Léandre, Rudresh Mahanthappa (ರುದ್ರೇಶ್ ಮಹಂತಪ್ಪ), Miya Masaoka (正岡みや), Myra Melford, Bob Ostertag, William Parker, ROVA Saxophone Quartet, Stefano Scodanibbio, Cecil Taylor, William Winant, Pamela Z, & John Zorn, among many others.
Lisle Ellis' long-term working relationship with
Donald Robinson, in groupings such as the Glenn Spearman Trio, What We Live and various Biggi Vinkeloe bands, has created one of free jazz's most subtly driving and telepathic rhythm sections, described as "the best bass-drums tag team on the scene" by Jazz Times, and this telepathy will be in full force tonight.
Laptopist/pianist Joe Lasqo studied classical music in India; computer music at MIT, Columbia, Berkeley/CNMAT; has been a long-time avant jazz musician; & has lived, played & listened in many East Asian and European countries (now in SF). Special interests include applying AI techniques from expert systems, natural language processing, & computational linguistics to music; and the intersection of traditional Asian musics with modernism. Besides many collaborations with local & international musicians, Joe's had a solo residency for 3¾ years+ at San Francisco's Viracocha. His album, Turquoise Sessions, is on Edgetone, + new releases w Beth Custer, Thomas Dimuzio & Biggi Vinkeloe coming in soon.
Master drummer
Donald Robinson, whom Coda Magazine has described as a “percussion Dervish”, has numbered among his most notable collaborators Alan Silva, Anthony Braxton, Oliver Lake, Glenn Spearman, Larry Ochs, Cecil Taylor, Wadada Leo Smith, George Lewis, Bobby Few, Raphé Malik, Joe McPhee, John Tchicai, Marco Eneidi, Miya Masaoka (正岡みや), & Matthew Goodheart. After coming up in the hothouse of the Paris free jazz scene, Don has been a stalwart of both the SF Bay Area and northern and central European avant-garde jazz scenes.
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Cost: Sliding scale/donation