Luggage Store Creative Music Series
1007 Market Street SF
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8pm Sound Underground(Miami FL)
Jonah Udall - guitar David Leon - saxophones, Alec Aldred - trumpet
9pm Wiggle Room
Bruce Ackley - saxophones, Cheryl E. Leonard - natural instruments, Tom Djll - electronics/trumpet

Largely self-taught, Bruce studied saxophone briefly with Lee Hester and Noel Jewkes, and clarinet with Beth Custer and Ben Goldberg. Throughout the 1970s he was involved with the emerging free improvisation scene in San Francisco, and formed Sound Clinic with Lewis Jordan and George Sams in 1975. He began playing with Larry Ochs in 1973 and Jon Raskin in 1975, which led to the formation of Rova in the fall of 1977.
Since that time Ackley has mainly devoted his musical life to his work with Rova, with some notable side projects. In 1977 he performed and recorded with the quartet Twins, featuring John Zorn on reeds, and Eugene Chadbourne and Henry Kaiser on guitars. During the 1980s he played regularly with trombone-electronics wizard, J.A. Deane and drummer Joseph Sabella. They formed Planet X in 1992, which performed extensively in the Bay Area and made a recording at that time. Bruce has also performed with the Italian bass virtuoso, Stefano Scodanibbio. In 1996 they performed together with koto-electronics player Miya Masaoko, and the brilliant cellist, Rohan de Seram, formerly of the Arditti String Quartet.

Glass shards and pinecones, glaciers, boxspring mattresses, a flock of accordions, circular saw blades, viola, the erhu, hyenas and whales and elk, Cheryl E. Leonard’s music finds its raw materials just about anywhere. From these diverse sources come works that embrace the spectrum of musical possibilities: improvised to composed, acoustic to electronic, diaphanous to bombastic, notes to noise. Over the last decade Cheryl has focused on investigating sounds, structures, and objects from the natural world. Many of her recent works cultivate stones, wood, water, ice, sand, shells, feathers, and bones as musical instruments. Leonard uses microphones to explore the micro-aural worlds contained within her sound sources and develops compositions that highlight the unique voices they contain. Her projects often involve constructing one-of-a-kind sculptural instruments that are played live on stage. She is particularly interested in collaborating across artistic disciplines and developing site-specific works.

Tom Djll studied electronic music with Stephen Scott at the Colorado College, working with the EMS Synthi 100 system at Packard Hall. He spent the years 1981 - 1993 working with the Serge Modular Music System before enrolling in Mills College Contemporary Music Program, where he extended his quest to develop and integrate a personally developed extended trumpet language into an electronic sound environment, while also pursuing advanced improvisation studies with Pauline Oliveros and Jack Wright. While at Mills, Djll concentrated on microtonal composition, split-tone trumpet technique, and computer music.
He also worked extensively with Chris Brown, resulting in contributions to Brown’s recordings LAVA (Tzadik) and DUETS (Artifact). Further development of trumpet languages and free improvisation with his band Grosse Abfahrt was undertaken from 1999 – 2010, with international CD releases resulting on the Emanem and Creative Sources labels, whereupon Djll gradually re-introduced electronics and traditional keyboard technique into his sound-set.

"You've got to go down in the basement and visit every note" - Wayne Shorter
These words of wisdom from the timeless saxophone legend guide the inquisitive approach this Miami-based trio takes to its unusual arrangement. Intimate and conversational, their music traverses the lengths of acoustic jazz, and beyond – blending diverse influences to create sonic textures that transcend the limits of their instrumentation.
Composed of guitarist Jonah Udall, saxophonist David Leon, and trumpeter Alec Aldred, Sound Underground was formed as a natural extension of the shared musical explorations and mutual admiration of three roommates with disparate backgrounds. They released their self-titled debut in 2014 with a tour of Eastern Europe, performing at major international jazz festivals in Bulgaria and Serbia. They have been on the rise ever since, being recognized in Downbeat magazine and touring on both sides of the U.S. – including their first appearance in California last year. Their sophomore effort, Quiet Spaces will be released this Fall.
“...a fresh sound... uncluttered and open... capable of grabbing a listener's attention and holding it indefinitely. From first note to last, this is a highly enjoyable album that leaves one thirsting for its successor.... They have a very bright future.” – AllAboutJazz.com

Cost: $6-15 sliding

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