Steven Bernstein Fest: STEVEN BERNSTEIN'S MTO WEST, Shows at 6:00pm & 8:30pm
A master of the previously obscure slide trumpet, Steven Bernstein is a fearless improviser, composer and arranger. For this four-night residency presents two of his most explosive ensembles.
“When the time comes, Bernstein clicks an invisible switch and the band pops into semi-flawless unison. At that point, you might imagine yourself in Harlem in 1929,” says the Village Voice about trumpeter Steven Bernstein’s expansive Millennial Territory Orchestra, an ensemble inspired by the pre-swing era territory bands that crisscrossed the country in the 1920s and 1930s. Loose, rambunctious, and fun with an irreverent take-no-prisoners approach, the MTO grapples with tunes ranging from Basie and Mingus to Prince and the Grateful Dead to an entire album devoted to the funk of Sly and the Family Stone on 2011’s MTO Plays Sly. Presenting the West Coast debut of his MTO material, the New York-based Berkeley High alum pays homage to his early years by christening a new version of this unpredictable assemblage featuring a host of Bay Area jazz luminaries.
PERSONNEL
Steven Bernstein slide trumpet
Jenny Scheinman violin
Ben Goldberg clarinet
Howard Wiley tenor & soprano saxophone
Briggan Krauss baritone & soprano saxophone
Jeff Cressman trombone
Tony Scherr bass
Kenny Wollesen drums