Wednesday June 17, 8pm
Michael Dessen and Friends
Michael Dessen, trombone
Kyle Bruckmann, oboes
Steve Adams, saxophones
Tim Perkis, electronics
Scott Walton, contrabass and piano
Lisa Mezzacappa, contrabass
SoCal trombonist, improviser and composer Michael Dessen visits Berkeley for a rare Bay Area performance, collaborating in a series of mixed ensembles, from duo to sextet, in new improvised collaborations with Bay Area stalwarts
Tim Perkis,
Kyle Bruckmann,
Steve Adams and
Lisa Mezzacappa, plus a jog down memory lane with longtime musical associate Scott Walton.
Michael Dessen is a composer and trombonist who creates music for improvisers, and explores the artistic potential of technologies including live electronics, telepresence and networked scores. Working with his own electro-acoustic trio and many collective projects, Dessen’s composing includes networked “scorestreams” that are displayed dynamically on screens for performers to interpret. As an improviser, he collaborates with diverse bands in addition to performing solo on digibone, an animistic world of slide trombone and live electronics. Dessen’s music has been supported by commissions from organizations including Chamber Music America and the Fromm Foundation. He has published writings on the role of African American traditions within late-twentieth century experimental music worlds, and he is a music faculty member at the University of California, Irvine, where he co-founded a new PhD program in Integrated Composition, Improvisation and Technology (ICIT). Dessen’s teachers include Yusef Lateef, George Lewis, and Anthony Davis, and he is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music (BM), the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (MM), and the University of California, San Diego (PhD).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eb1vbdNFQgc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJqi4-V4hDk
Cost: $15-20 sliding scale