sfSoundSalonSeries:
Scott R. Looney in a duo with
Jon RaskinWe are sorry to report that due to unforseen events Georg Graewe has had to cancel his trip to California. The show at the Center for New Music on September 20th will still happen and pianist Scott Looney will be joining
Jon Raskin. Jon and Scott have worked in several different groups together but this will be their first duo concert together.
Scott R. Looney has always been interested in the creation and performance of compelling sounds across a broad spectrum of contemporary, improvised, and experimental music. He has studied composition and improvisation with Roscoe Mitchell, Wadada Leo Smith, Morton Subotnick, David Rosenboom, and Frederic Rzewski, obtaining his MFA in Composition from California Institute of the Arts. http://www.scottrlooney.com/
Highlights of Rova founding member
Jon Raskin's early career include his '70s participation in new music ensembles directed by John Adams (San Francisco Conservatory of Music) and Dr. Barney Childs (University of Redlands). Before Rova, Raskin served as music director of the Tumbleweed Dance Company (1974-77), was a founding member of the Blue Dolphin Alternative Music Space and participated in the creation of the Farm- an art project that included a city farm, a community garden, Ecology Center, Dance and Theater companies and organized the creation of a city park. Highlights as a member of Rova include composing a collaborative work for SF Taiko Dojo/Rova, working with Howard Martin on the installation work “Occupancy”, composing music for Mr. Bungle/ Rova, organizing the 30 year Anniversary Concert of John Coltrane's Ascension, performing the music of Miles Davis at the Fillmore with Yo Miles! , the Glass Head Project with Inkboat and the ongoing Electric Ascension Project.
Raskin has received numerous grants and commissions to work on a variety of creative projects: NEA composer grant for Poison Hotel, a theater production by Soon 3 (1988); Reader's Digest/Meet the Composer (1992 & 2000); Berkeley Symphony commission (1995) and Headland Center for the Arts Residency 2009.
Besides over 30 recordings with Rova, Raskin's recording experience include Anthony Braxton, Eight (+3) Tristano Compositions 1989 For Warne Marsh (1989) and The Bass & the Bird Pond with Tim Berne (1996), Wavelength Infinity- A Sun Ra Tribute, Between Spaces with Phillip Gelb, Dana Reason & Pauline Oliveros, Terry Riley's In C 25th Anniversary, and solo work on the Art Ship Series. His currents CD's include Let's go Juke Box Suite (Not Two) with the Rova Saxophone Quartet , JR Quartet (Rastascan) with Liz Allbee, George Cremaschi and Gino Robair, Music + One (Rastascan) a Improvisation compendium for improvisers to play along with and Kaolithic Music, Jaw Harp Music recorded in a 587 Gallon Vase (Evander Music) He is working on several new recordings, one with a JR Quartet for release in 2009, a Rova project of Graphic scores composed by Steve Adams and
Jon Raskin, a compilation from the 2 + 2 series that Phillip Greenlief and
Jon Raskin presented at the 21 Grand Performance Gallery in Oakland and a poetry and music project with Carla Harryman called "Open Box."
Other groups: The
Jon Raskin Trio, Vijay Anderson – drums, Lisa Mezzacappa – bass and
Jon Raskin – alto sax. The Long Table Project, Phillip Greenlief – alto sax, John Hanes – drums,
Jon Raskin – bari sax, Dan Seamans – electric bass, John Shiurba – electric guitar.
http://www.jonraskin.com
Cost: $15 [$10 members/underemployed]
Videos featuring musicians playing at this event
Scott R. Looney, Lisa Mezzacapa, and Donald Robinson at Berkeley Arts Fest space - May 31, 2014