Oaktown Jazz Workshops
55 Washington St, Oakland, CA 94607

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Karl Evangelista's Apura with Special Guest Andrew Cyrille (US Premiere)

Filipino-American guitarist/composer Karl Evangelista presents Apura (Tagalog for Very Urgent), a thrilling new work meant to explore the relationship between jazz-based musical improvisation and social transformation in an era of worldwide political upheaval.

Apura uses original composition and daring improvised sounds to tie the revolutionary music of the past to the activist music of the present day, touching on American, South African, and Filipino musical traditions.

Combining the strengths of legendary drummer Andrew Cyrille (in for the great Louis Moholo-Moholo) and Asian American jazz icon Francis Wong with firebrand bassist Lisa Mezzacappa and experimental powerhouse Evangelista, Apura celebrates and advances the spirit of intercultural collaboration pioneered by the likes of the Brotherhood of Breath, Asian Improv aRts, and Milford Graves's Dialogue of the Drums.

*Video will remain live for 2 days after premiere

On Karl Evangelista's Apura! (Album Available Now on Astral Spirits)

"Up-and-Comers of the Year: Karl Evangelista (Guitar), Debuts of the Year: Apura!" - New York City Jazz Record

"Apura! is another modern classic, sure to sit alongside the many records that inspired it, and hopefully the future albums it spawns." - Free Jazz Blog (Lee Rice Epstein)

"An overarching theme of freedom emerges from Apura! - freedom that is joyous but does not come easily... the quartet plays with a lot of variables - old and new, tight and loose, tension and release - to form a compelling and enjoyable set. Strong recommendation." - Avant Music News (Mike Borella)

Presented by Oaktown Jazz Workshops

Producers
Artist: Karl Evangelista
Co-Producer: Francis Wong (Asian Improv aRts)

Funded in part by: Asian Improv aRts, Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center, Zellerbach Family Foundation

Band Members and Instrumentation:

Karl Evangelista - guitar
Andrew Cyrille - drums
Lisa Mezzacappa* - bass
Francis Wong - saxophone
*Mezzacappa joins in place of Alexander Hawkins

Artist/Group Bio(s):

Karl Evangelista
Filipino-American guitarist/composer Karl Evangelista has been called one of the most original instrumentalists and composers of his generation (Signal to Noise), ranking among a new wave of musicians pushing the traditions of jazz and experimental music into the 21st century.
Evangelista has garnered wide acclaim for his work with the likes of boundary-breaking duo Grex, Fred Frith, Louis Moholo-Moholo, Trevor Watts, Scott Amendola, Ben Goldberg, Tatsu Aoki, and Francis Wong. He has presented at the Great American Music Hall, the United States of Asian America Festival, and Myra Melfords New Frequencies Festival, and he is a prolific educator, community organizer, and arts activist throughout the Bay Area.

Andrew Cyrille
Master musician Andrew Cyrille is one the most celebrated drummer-composers in the history of jazz, performing with the likes of Mary Lou Williams, Coleman Hawkins, Illinois Jacquet, Kenny Dorham, Freddie Hubbard, Walt Dickerson, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Horace Tapscott, Muhal Richard Abrams, John Carter, Joe Lovano, Dave Douglas, Vijay Iyer, and Nigerian percussionist Babatunde Olatunji.

Andrew's contributions to free jazz and improvised music are legendary, including an iconic 11-year collaboration with pianist Cecil Taylor, several percussion groups featuring notable drummers such as Kenny Clarke, Milford Graves, and Rashied Ali, and work in both ensembles under his own leadership and the all-star Trio 3.

Lisa Mezzacappa
Lisa Mezzacappa is a San Francisco Bay Area-based composer, bassist, bandleader, and producer. Called “one of the most imaginative figures on the Bay Area creative jazz scene” by The Mercury News and “a Bay Area treasure” by KQED public radio, she has been an active part of California’s vibrant music community for more than 18 years. Mezzacappa’s activities as a composer and bandleader include ethereal chamber music, electro-acoustic works, avant-garde jazz, music for groups from duo to large ensemble, and collaborations with film, dance and visual art.

Mezzacappa has released her music on the New World, Clean Feed, NoBusiness, Leo, and NotTwo record labels, and she has been artist-in-residence at the Cité International des Arts in Paris, Fr; Djerassi Resident Artists Program, Headlands Center for the Arts and the Banff International Jazz Workshop.

Francis Wong
For over two decades Francis Wong has performed his innovative brand of jazz and creative music alongside such luminaries as Jon Jang, Tatsu Aoki, Genny Lim, William Roper, Bobby Bradford, John Tchicai, James Newton, Joseph Jarman, Don Moye, and the late Glenn Horiuchi.
Wong is renowned as co-founder of Asian Improv aRts, and he has been recognized as a California Arts Council Artist in Residence, a Meet The Composer New Resident, and a Rockefeller Next Generation Leadership Fellow.

Websites:
Andrew Cyrille: https://www.andrewcyrille.com/
Karl Evangelista: https://www.karlevangelista.com
Lisa Mezzacappa: https://www.lisamezzcappa.com
Francis Wong: https://www.franciswong.net

Asian Improv aRts: https://www.asianimprov.org/
Album (Available on Astral Spirits): https://apura.bandcamp.com

Cost: $10-15

Audio samples in which musicians at this event play:

Videos featuring musicians playing at this event