Dependent Origination is a phrase the Buddha used to describe the interconnectedness of all phenomena. In this case it is a hard-hitting group of instrumentalists that gather when conditions are favorable to musically celebrate the joy of living and creative expression. While personnel may vary from incarnation to incarnation and has included the likes of pianist Wayne Horvitz, trumpeter Hugh Ragin, and multi-percussionist Nathan Hubbard in the past, tonight’s concert is a special continuation of musical friends and promises to be an inspired evening, equal parts dynamic playing and deep listening.
Alex Cline: a master percussionist who has been a driving force of West Coast jazz since the late 1970’s. Twin brother to guitarist Nels Cline, he has played with a who’s-who of jazz greats, including John Carter, Bobby Bradford, Julius Hemphill, Arthur Blythe, Vinny Golia, Henry Grimes, Horace Tapscott, Wadada Leo Smith, Don Preston, Richard Grossman, Joseph Jarman, Tim Berne, and Charlie Haden. Alex is a phenomena and true wizard of rhythm and texture. He plays with amazing insight and volition, able to infuse each beat and sound with the signature of his beautiful nature. Alex is also an accomplished composer/bandleader with numerous albums under his leadership available online. These days he can be heard with such artists as Jeff Gauthier, Ross Hammond, G.E. Stinson, with Open Gate Theatre, with his group Alex Cline’s Band of the Moment, and even sometimes with his brother Nels.
Peter Kuhn: (saxophone and clarinets) gained a notable foothold in New York’s avant-garde jazz scene in the late seventies and early eighties, collaborating with some of the music’s most heralded artists (Billy Bang, William Parker, Frank Lowe, Lester Bowie, Denis Charles, Eddie Gale and Wayne Horvitz, among others) and released albums on numerous labels including Hat Hut (Ghost of a Trance) and Soul Note (The Kill) with an upcoming release schedule on NoBusiness Records. After a hiatus from the jazz life Pete is enjoying performance with a deeper clarity of expression and musical intention.
Dave Sewelson: (baritone saxophone) was born in Oakland and moved to the East Coast in the 1970’s where he has remained an active member of the avant jazz scene. He has distinguished himself as a fresh voice on the baritone sax who plays with urgency, finesse, and great musical humor. He is a longtime colleague and co-collaborator with bassist William Parker, an original member of the Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra and the Microscopic Septet and Fast n Bulbous, and has played or recorded with Wayne Horvitz, Robin Holcomb, Saheb Sarbib, John Zorn, Bill Horvitz, Jim Ryan, Mofungo, and Elliott Sharp, among others. His own projects include The Daves, Sewelsonics, and Smooth FreeJazz.
Dan Clucas: is the hardest-working cornetist in Southern California. He is irrepressibly inventive and fantastically expressive. While he enjoys a fresh original voice in his music, Clucas also strives to acknowledge the imprint of past masters, from Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington to Ornette Coleman and Sun Ra. He has studied with Bobby Bradford and Wadada Leo Smith and has performed and recorded over the last two decades with such L.A. luminaries as Nels Cline, Steuart Liebig, Vinny Golia, Joe Baiza, Alex Cline, Rich West, and Michael Vlatkovich, to name a few.
Scott Walton: (bass) is a name that should be familiar to Bay Area residents. An accomplished composer, teacher, and high-demand musician, he is a solidly deep-dish bassist who remains active in a variety of musical settings. He has performed and recorded with George Lewis, Alex and Nels Cline, Myra Melford, Wadada Leo Smith, John Carter, Vinny Golia, Anthony Davis, Peggy Lee, Bobby Bradford, Gerry Hemingway, J.D. Parran, and Al Cohn, among many others, and was a member of the influential collaborative San Diego-area quartet Cosmologic for many years.
Cost: $15