~~Annual Vappu Spring Festival May Day Celebration Matinee Concert~~
Rent Romus' Life's Blood Ensemble CD release concert of "The Otherworld Cycle"
A New Music Odyssey inspired by Ancient Finnish Mythology
Advance Tickets or at the Door
The festivities begin with a 4:00pm matinee concert by Bay Area saxophonist & composer
Rent Romus’ Life’s Blood Ensemble performing ”The Otherworld Cycle,” a culmination of over 14 years of research into the intersection between modern composition, improvisation, & Finnish traditions in music. The evening program begins with a buffet supper at 7:00pm, followed by dancing at 8:00pm. The Kaleva All Stars, led by
Heikki Koskinen, will provide music for dining & dancing. A silent auction will begin at 6:00pm to benefit the Hall’s film program. The Helsinki Café will be open downstairs for social gathering.
Vappu or May Day is an annual international celebration. It is a holiday in Finland to celebrate & usher in spring, as well as a traditional workers’ & students’ day. The name of the celebration comes from the German “Walpurgis day,” & is celebrated in many countries under a variety of names. Vappu is a major holiday, like Christmas Eve & Midsummer (Juhannus). Today Vappu belongs to everybody, with its carnival-like atmosphere featuring sima (drink), tippaleipä (pastry), & cheerful partying. Vappu celebrations in many places in Finland begin early at sunrise welcoming Vappu with traditional choral singing.
About the music “The Otherworld Cycle,” performed by the Life’s Blood Ensemble, was written by saxophonist & producer
Rent Romus.
The ensemble features bassists Jason Hoopes & Bill Noertker; drummer/percussionist Timothy Orr; & Rent Romus saxophones, kantele, flutes, & bells. It is expanded to include some of the Bay Area’s top improvisers: Ron Heglin & Bob Marsh voice; Heikki Koskinen recorder, trumpet, & kantele; Joshua Marshall tenor saxophone; Suki O'Kane & Mark Pino percussion; Mika Pontecorvo flutes; & Shanna Sordahl cello. The Otherworld thematic abstractly reference the Finnish “Body of Memory” embedded in Romus’ musical psyche refracted through the multifaceted lens of improvisation & postmodern jazz.
Cost: $10 student/senior $15 general