A LECTURE/PREVIEW CONCERT OF EIGHT HOURS ‘ROUND MIDNIGHT
Friday May 27 8:00-10:30pm $20 (cash only) at door
John Schott and Reboot announce a preview and a performance of “Eight Hours ‘Round Midnight”, Schott’s epic transformation of Thelonious Monk’s immortal ballad, realized by an all-star cast of Bay Area improvisers.
In the East Bay, a May 27 concert at the Temescal Arts Center will preview the piece, with Schott leading a lecture/demonstration, and performing several excerpts of the piece with the entire ensemble.
On Shavuot, Jews are encouraged to stay up through the night studying holy texts, and in the concert, ‘Round Midnight Reconsidered, the musicians will approach the composition as Jews celebrating Shavuot tradition would a Torah passage – as an overnight study session. Announced on the 40th anniversary of Monk’s death, the piecer will be performed in full in San Francisco on June 4th, as the centerpiece of DAWN, a bold reimagining of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot by Reboot.
The ensemble of more than a dozen musicians will use Jewish approaches to textual commentary as a framing principle for their improvisations. Each of the 48 measures of ‘Round Midnight, which typically take 90 seconds to perform, will be stretched to 10 minutes length, resulting in a complete performance lasting eight hours. Each note, group of notes, and rest will be treated as an object for contemplation and commentary. This extended experience is intended to transform the music into a powerful medium for spiritual realization.
The ensemble is a powerful collection of some of the Bay Area’s most talented and fearless musical improvisers:
Cecilia Engelhart,
Aurora Josephson: vocals
Cory Wright, Nikita Manin: clarinets
Scott Larson: trombone
Crystal Pascucci: violoncello
Mark Clifford: vibraphone
Kanoko Nishi: koto
Lisa Mezzacappa, Safa Shokrai: bass
Suki O'Kane: percussion
John Hanes, Jason Levis: drums
John Schott is known for his diverse ensembles, bridging Jazz, Improv, Jewish music, and notated composition. His albums have been released by the Tzadik, New World, Knitting Factory, and Songlines labels. He was a member of seminal Bay Area band T. J. Kirk with Charlie Hunter, a quartet that performed the music of Monk, James Brown, and Roland Kirk, and currently plays in its descendant, Damn Skippy. He has performed and recorded with John Zorn, Tom Waits, Paul Dresher and Frank London.
Cost: $20
Videos featuring musicians playing at this event
avantNOIR, a suite of compositions for jazz quartet plus guests, is a musical companion to the crime novels of Dashiell Hammett and Paul Auster. All music by Lisa Mezzacappa.