Tuesday, January 25, 2022

NEC's Winter-Spring 2022 Master Classes and Residencies Feature Musical Trailblazers

Live from the NEC Campus in Boston – Select Events Streaming Worldwide 
 
New England Conservatory (NEC) announces the winter-spring 2022 series of master classes and residencies by world-class artists. Happening across classical music, jazz, contemporary improvisation, and composition, trailblazing visiting artists include composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, flutist/saxophonist/composer Anna Webber, bassist/composer Dave Holland, pianist Jason Moran, violinist Edward Dusinberre, singer/songwriter Gabriel Kahane, pianist Kirill Gerstein, cellist Paul Katz, violist Dimitri Murrath, collaborative pianist James Baillieu, Irish music violinist Liz Knowles, cellist Guy Johnston, pianist Jonathan Biss, conductor and coach Teresa Rodriguez, violinist Karla Donehew Perez, and guitarist Grisha Goryachev.

Select events in January will be publicly viewable via livestream only, due to Covid precautions. In person audiences will be welcomed back to the halls beginning in February (subject to change). All livestreams and other streamed performances are free and can be found on the NEC website. Some performances will be broadcast via NEC’s YouTube channel for on-demand viewing.
 
More information about master classes: https://necmusic.edu/Master-Classes-Residencies
 
For detailed information, including Covid precautions, please visit https://necmusic.edu/concerts.
 
Event dates and details subject to change.

WINTER-SPRING 2022 MASTER CLASSES AND RESIDENCIES

Tuesday, January 25 | Kirill Gerstein Piano Master Class
4:00 p.m., Williams Hall and streaming
 
The multifaceted pianist Kirill Gerstein has rapidly ascended into classical music’s highest ranks.  With a masterful technique, discerning intelligence, and a musical curiosity that has led him to explore repertoire spanning centuries and styles, he has proven to be one of today’s most intriguing and versatile musicians. His early training and experience in jazz has contributed an important element to his interpretive style, inspiring an energetic and expressive musical personality that distinguishes his playing.
 
This master class is made possible through the generous support of the Richard P. and Claire W. Morse Visiting Artist Fund.

Thursday, January 27 | James Baillieu Voice and Collaborative Piano Master Class
12:00 p.m., Williams Hall and streaming

Described by The Daily Telegraph as "in a class of his own," James Baillieu is one of the leading song and chamber music pianists of his generation. Baillieu is a Professor at the Royal Academy of Music, a coach for the Jette Parker Young Artist Program at the Royal Opera House, a course leader for the Samling Foundation, and is head of the Song Program at the Atelier Lyrique of the Verbier Festival Academy. He also is International Tutor in Piano Accompaniment at the Royal Northern College of Music. He has given solo and chamber recitals throughout the world and collaborates with a wide range of singers and instrumentalists including Benjamin Appl, Jamie Barton, Ian Bostridge, Allan Clayton, Annette Dasch, Lise Davidsen, the Elias and Heath Quartets, Dame Kiri te Kanawa, Adam Walker, and Pretty Yende. 

Anna Webber Residency
Monday, February 7 | Anna Webber Master Class
1:00 p.m., Eben Jordan and streaming
 
Anna Webber is a flutist, saxophonist, and composer whose interests and work live in the aesthetic overlap between avant-garde jazz and new classical music. She was recently named a 2021 Berlin Prize Fellow and was voted the top “Rising Star” flutist in the 2020 DownBeat Critic’s Poll.
 
Tuesday, February 8 | Anna Webber conducts NEC Jazz Composers’ Orchestra
7:30 p.m., Jordan Hall
 
As part of her NEC residency, trailblazing composer, flutist and saxophonist Anna Webber conducts The NEC Jazz Composers' Orchestra in her recent works for big band. She also performs with a quartet of jazz department students in a program of music from her recent release IDIOM as well as other small group pieces.  Webber’s interests and work live in the aesthetic overlap between avant-garde jazz and new classical music. 
Anna Webber © Evan Shay

Tuesday, February 8 | Paul Katz Cello Master Class
7:00 p.m., Brown Hall
 
NEC Faculty Paul Katz is known to concertgoers the world over as cellist of the Cleveland Quartet, which, during an international career of 26 years, made more than 2,500 appearances on four continents. As a member of this celebrated ensemble from 1969 to 1995, Katz performed at the White House and on many television shows, including "CBS Sunday Morning," NBC's "Today Show," "The Grammy Awards" (the first classical musicians to appear on that show), and in "In The Mainstream The Cleveland Quartet," a one-hour documentary televised across the U.S. and Canada.

Thursday, February 10 | Dimitri Murrath Viola Master Class
10:00 a.m., Williams Hall and streaming
 
Born in Brussels, Belgian-American viola player and NEC Artist Diploma alum Dimitri Murrath has made his mark on the international scene, performing regularly as a recitalist and soloist in venues including the Kennedy Center, Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room, Royal Festival Hall, and Théâtre de la Ville. A first-prize winner at the Primrose International Viola Competition, he has won numerous awards, including second prize at the First Tokyo International Viola Competition and the special prize for contemporary work at the ARD Munich Competition. He is a recipient of a 2014 Avery Fisher Career Grant through which he recorded and released his first solo album recording music by Vieuxtemps, Clarke, and Hindemith.
 
This master class is made possible through the generous support of the Richard P. and Claire W. Morse Visiting Artist Fund.

Thursday, February 10 | Grow Your Art Pitch Night
6:00 p.m. ET and streaming 
 
NEC students and recent alumni compete for up to $7,500 to help develop the business side of their musicianship. The competitive application process is modeled on real-world grants, and finalists present at this live pitch event, a collaboration between NEC’s Jazz Studies and Entrepreneurial Musicianship departments.
 
Grow Your Art is made possible through the generous support of an anonymous donor.

Date TBA | Grisha Goryachev Guitar Master Class
7:30 p.m., Pierce Hall and streaming

A native of St. Petersburg, Russia, Grisha Goryachev is renowned for his extraordinary musical sensitivity and technical virtuosity in both classical and flamenco styles. Grisha is one of very few guitarists in the world who is reviving the tradition of solo flamenco guitar in a concert setting that was practiced by legendary flamenco masters such as Ramón Montoya and Sabicas. Grisha received his Bachelor, Master and Doctor of Musical Arts (dissertation pending) degrees from NEC, where he studied under guitar virtuoso Eliot Fisk.

Tuesday, March 1 | Jason Moran Master Class
2:00 p.m., Plimpton Shattuck Black Box Theatre
 
Wednesday, March 2 | Solo concert featuring  Jason Moran and students
8:00 p.m., Burnes Hall
 
NEC Jazz faculty member Jason Moran, “the most provocative thinker in current jazz,” (Rolling Stone), will perform on this concert of solo works as will his students.  One of the most influential and innovative pianists in jazz, Moran is a boundary defying artist whose work is influenced by classical, blues, funk, hip-hop, rock and the art world. A MacArthur fellow, Moran also serves as the Kennedy Center’s Artistic Director for Jazz. 
Jason Moran © Andrew Hurlbut / NEC

Sunday, March 6 | Karla Donehew Perez Violin Master Class (NEC Prep)
11:00 a.m., Keller Room

A founding member of the Catalyst Quartet, Karla Donehew Perez maintains a busy performance schedule throughout the United States and around the world. Born in Puerto Rico, Donehew Perez began playing the violin at age three and made her solo debut with the Puerto Rico Symphony at 9 years old. As a chamber musician, she has performed with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and collaborated with artists such as Joshua Bell, Zuill Bailey, Awadagin Pratt, Anthony McGill, Stewart Goodyear, Frederica von Stade, Garry Karr, and members of the Guarneri, Juilliard, and Takács quartets. Donehew Perez has been guest concertmaster at the Tucson Symphony and spent two years as a fellow at the New World Symphony, where she was often concertmaster or principal second violin.
 
This master class is made possible through the generous support of the Robert and Jane Morse Endowed Chamber Music Fund.

Tuesday, March 8 | Guy Johnston Cello Master Class
2:00 p.m., Pierce Hall and streaming
 
Guy Johnston is one of the most exciting British cellists of his generation. His early successes included winning the BBC Young Musician of the Year, the Shell London Symphony Orchestra Gerald MacDonald Award and a Classical Brit. He has performed with many leading international orchestras including the London Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, NHK Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony, Britten Sinfonia, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo, Moscow Philharmonic and St Petersburg Symphony. Guy was privileged to perform as part of the Wigmore Hall and BBC Radio 3 special series of concerts, live streamed during the COVID-19 pandemic. He gave weekly outdoor impromptu recitals in his home village in Dorset, which was featured by BBC during the UK lockdown.
 
This master class is made possible through the generous support of the Richard P. and Claire W. Morse Visiting Artist Fund.

March 13-18 | Teresa Rodriguez Collaborative Piano and Opera Residency
This is available for NEC students only. There are no public master classes associated with this residency

Mexican pianist, conductor, and coach, Teresa Rodriguez, joins NEC's Collaborative Piano and Opera programs for a week-long residency with private coaching. Students will have the opportunity to work with Ms. Rodriguez on repertoire by Spanish and Central American composers.
 
This residency is made possible by the Ruth S. Morse Fund for Visiting Scholars in Voice.

Gabriel Kahane Residency
Tuesday, March 29 | Gabriel Kahane Songwriting Master Class
7:00 p.m., SLPC Room G01  

NEC's Contemporary Improvisation Department hosts a residency with singer-songwriter, pianist, and composer Gabriel Kahane.  Over the past decade, Kahane has established himself as a distinct and penetrating voice, responding in his music to many of the most compelling issues of our time.  He is also well known for his work bridging the worlds of folk and classical music, with commissions that include string quartets and symphonic compositions, tours with Andrew Bird and the Punch Brothers and recordings with Sufjan Stevens, Phoebe Bridgers and Blake Mills. 

Wednesday, March 30 | Gabriel Kahane leads a discussion of his music   
2:30 p.m., Pierce Hall

April 4-8 | Ellen Taaffe Zwilich – 2022 Malcolm Peyton Composer Artist-in-Residence
 
Composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich is the recipient of numerous prizes and honors, including the 1983 Pulitzer Prize in Music (the first woman ever to receive this coveted award). A prolific composer in virtually all media, Zwilich’s works have been performed by most of the leading American orchestras and by major ensembles abroad. As NEC’s Malcolm Peyton Composer Artist-in-Residence, she will lead master classes and workshops with NEC’s composition department April 4-8, 2022.
 
This residency is made possible through the generous support of the Malcolm Peyton Composer Artist-in-Residence Fund.

Monday – Wednesday, April 4 - 6 | Irish Music Residency with Liz Knowles
Details TBA. 
 
Liz Knowles has brought her distinctive sound–the fire and finesse of Irish fiddle music combined with the tonal richness of the classical violin–to concert stages and festivals across the world. Liz was a fiddler for “Riverdance,” a member of the renowned Cherish the Ladies and today she performs with another all-star female super-group, the highly acclaimed String Sisters, as well as the trio Open the Door for Three. She recently co-produced an album for Liz Carroll for the Art Institute of Chicago for their exhibition "Ireland: Crossroads of Art and Design, 1690-1840.” She’s also collaborated with the Bang-on-a-Can Orchestra, Bobby McFerrin, and Paula Cole.

Dave Holland Residency
Tuesday, April  5 | Dave Holland Master Class
2:00 p.m., Pierce Hall and streaming https://necmusic.edu/events/dave-holland-master-class-0
 
This residency is made possible through the generous support of an anonymous donor.
 
Thursday,  April 7 | Dave Holland Residency Performance with Jazz Ensembles
7:30 p.m., Brown Hall and streaming
 
As part of his week-long residency, visiting artist-in-residence bassist, composer and bandleader Dave Holland presents a concert with student jazz ensembles.  Holland’s passion for musical expression of all styles, and dedication to creating consistently innovative music ensembles have propelled a professional career of more than 50 years, and earned him top honors in his field including multiple Grammy awards and the title of NEA Jazz Master in 2017. 
 
This residency is made possible through the generous support of an anonymous donor.
Dave Holland © Andrew Hurlbut / NEC

Thursday, April 21 | Jonathan Biss Piano Master Class
3:00 p.m., Williams Hall and streaming

Jonathan Biss, Mildred Levinson Piano Artist-in-Residence, presents a master class featuring students from the NEC Piano Studios. Biss is a world-renowned pianist who shares his deep curiosity with music lovers in the concert hall and beyond. In addition to performing with leading orchestras, he continues to expand his reputation as a teacher, musical thinker, and one of the great Beethoven interpreters of our time. He is Co-Artistic Director alongside Mitsuko Uchida at the Marlboro Music Festival, where he has spent fourteen summers. He also led a popular online course via Coursera, which has reached more than 150,000 people from nearly every country. He has written extensively about the music he plays and has authored four audio- and e-books, including “UNQUIET: My Life with Beethoven” (2020), the first Audible Original by a classical musician.
 
This master class is made possible by Edith Michelson Milender in honor of her mother Mildred Levinson ‘29.

Sunday, May 1 | Edward Dusinberre Violin Master Class
2:00 p.m., Brown Hall and streaming
 
As first violinist of the Takács Quartet, Edward Dusinberre has won a Grammy and awards from Gramophone Magazine, the Japanese Recording Academy, Chamber Music America and the Royal Philharmonic Society. Outside of the quartet, he has made a recording of Beethoven's violin sonatas nos. 9 ("Kreutzer") and 10 on the Decca label, and recently performed "Costa Concordia," a concerto composed for him by Jeffrey Nytch, inspired by the tragic story of violinist Sándor Fehér who drowned on the cruise ship of that name in 2012. Dusinberre is also an author. His book—”Beethoven for a Later Age: The Journey of a String Quartet”—takes the reader inside the life of a string quartet, melding music history and memoir as it explores the circumstances surrounding the composition of Beethoven's quartets and the Takács Quartet's experiences rehearsing and performing this music. 
 
This master class is made possible through the generous support of the Richard P. and Claire W. Morse Visiting Artist Fund.

About New England Conservatory (NEC)  
Founded by Eben Tourjée in Boston, Massachusetts in 1867, the New England Conservatory (NEC) represents a new model of music school that combines the best of European tradition with American innovation. The school stands at the center of Boston’s rich cultural history and musical life, presenting concerts at the renowned Jordan Hall. As an independent, not-for-profit institution that educates and trains musicians of  Propelled by profound artistry, bold creativity and deep compassion, NEC seeks to amplify musicians’ impact on advancing our shared humanity, and empowers students to meet today’s changing world head-on, equipped with the tools and confidence to forge multidimensional lives of artistic depth and relevance.

As an independent, not-for-profit institution that educates and trains musicians of all ages from around the world, NEC is recognized internationally as a leader among music schools. It cultivates a diverse, dynamic community, providing music students of more than 40 countries with performance opportunities and high-caliber training from 225 internationally esteemed artist-teachers and scholars. NEC pushes the boundaries of music-making and teaching through college-level training in classical, jazz and contemporary improvisation. Through unique interdisciplinary programs such as Entrepreneurial Musicianship and Community Performances & Partnerships, it empowers students to create their own musical opportunities. As part of NEC’s mission to make lifelong music education available to everyone, the Preparatory School and School of Continuing Education delivers training and performance opportunities for children, pre-college students and adults.

Feb. 22–27, 2022: SCULPTING SOUND: Twelve Musicians Encounter Bertoia at Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas

Nasher Sculpture Center Announces ‘SCULPTING SOUND: Twelve Musicians Encounter Bertoia’ 
 
Unprecedented, six-night concert series brings world-renowned musicians to play Harry Bertoia’s sounding sculptures 

The Nasher Sculpture Center announces ‘SCULPTING SOUND: Twelve Musicians Encounter Bertoia’, a series of six historic concerts, from February 22–27, 2022, bringing together twelve master musicians to explore the expressive range of Harry Bertoia’s sounding sculptures, in complement to the exhibition Harry Bertoia: Sculpting Mid-Century Modern Life on view at the Nasher January 29 – April 23, 2022. 

“‘SCULPTING SOUND’ is one of the most exciting and generous extensions to an exhibition that we have ever offered the public,” says Director Jeremy Strick. “Alongside their own instruments, this extraordinary group of musicians will bring Bertoia’s sounding sculptures into their full aural potential within the museum, unifying the disciplines of sculpture and music, as Bertoia intended. The results of this exceptional occasion will certainly astound, marking a historic moment within both fields.” 

Harry Bertoia created hundreds of sounding sculptures—comprised of metal rods in various metals anchored to bases, as well as gongs and “singing bars”—that could be touched, struck, and strummed to create a range of tonal sounds. Bertoia recorded eleven albums using this work, and although nearly unknown to the public at large, these records proved deeply influential in the world of leading-edge music and sound design and garnered a growing list of admirers among some of the most celebrated musicians in the world. 

Extending and enriching this musical legacy, ‘SCULPTING SOUND,’ conceived and curated by poet and record producer David Breskin, will pair twelve critically acclaimed, award-winning musicians over six nights, each night dedicated to a particular instrument that will be played with the Bertoia sounding sculptures. 

Exploring new realms of the Sonambient, the term that Bertoia coined to express the physical sensation of being immersed in the vibrations of the sounding sculptures, the concert series will include electric guitarists Nels Cline & Ben Monder, trumpeters Ambrose Akinmusire & Nate Wooley, saxophonists Ingrid Laubrock & JD Allen, Brandon Seabrook & Jen Shyu on acoustic strings, drummers Marcus Gilmore & Dan Weiss, and pianists Kris Davis & Craig Taborn

‘SCULPTING SOUND’ Concert Schedule
7 p.m. each night at the Nasher Sculpture Center 

February 22: Electric Guitar Night: Nels Cline & Ben Monder
February 23: Trumpet Night: Ambrose Akinmusire & Nate Wooley 
February 24: Saxophone Night: Ingrid Laubrock & JD Allen
February 25: Acoustic Strings Night: Jen Shyu & Brandon Seabrook 
February 26: Drums / Percussion Night: Marcus Gilmore & Dan Weiss 
February 27: Piano Night: Kris Davis & Craig Taborn 

Individual tickets are $30 and ticket packages for all six nights are available for purchase HERE

Concerts will be recorded live.

ABOUT THE ‘SCULPTING SOUND’ MUSICIANS February 22 | Electric Guitar Night:

Nels Cline | A true guitar polymath, Nels Cline’s recording and performing career spans jazz, rock, punk and experimental music with over 200 recordings, including 30 as a leader, to his credit. His many accolades include being anointed by Rolling Stone as both one of 20 New Guitar Gods and one of the top 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. Cline’s first recording was Elegies with composer Eric Von Essen, who played duets with Cline. There followed a series of recordings with New York avant-garde alto saxophonist Tim Berne and with Berne’s mentor Julius Hemphill before Cline hit a prolific streak in the ‘90s with a string of releases by the Nels Cline Trio. The guitarist’s 1999 release,Interstellar Space Revisited (The Music of John Coltrane), was an explosive duet with drummer Gregg Bendian. He followed with a string of eight uncompromising releases through the 2000s for the Cryptogramophone label, including 2002’s debut by the Nels Cline Singers, Instrumentals, and their 2004 follow-up, The Giant Pin, that put him on the avant- garde map. Cline’s profile was elevated to a whole other level after joining Wilco in 2004. For his ambitious 2016 Blue Note debut, Lovers, Nels defied all expectations by delivering a sumptuous chamber- orchestra feast of mood music that was an unapologetically romantic paean to the Great American Songbook. For his 2018 follow-up on Blue Note, Currents, Constellations, he pared it down to a quartet, dubbed The Nels Cline 4, and showcased a tight two-guitar interplay with his six- string partner Julian. His 2016 double album debut on Blue Note, Lovers, was called “quietly ravishing” by The New York Times, while his 2018 follow-up, Currents, Constellations, was called “vibrant, adventurous” by Stereogum. 
Ben Monder | Ben Monder has performed with a wide variety of artists, including Jack McDuff, Marc Johnson, Lee Konitz, Billy Childs, Andrew Cyrille, Paul Motian, Maria Schneider, Louis Cole, Marshall Crenshaw and Jandek. He also contributed guitar parts to the last David Bowie album, Blackstar. He is a current member of the celebrated group The Bad Plus and continues to perform original music internationally in both solo and trio settings. Ben has appeared on over 200 CDs as a sideman and has released seven as a leader: Day After Day (Sunnyside, 2019) Amorphae (ECM, 2015), Hydra (Sunnyside, 2013), Oceana (Sunnyside, 2005), Excavation (Arabesque, 2000), Dust (Arabesque, 1997), and Flux (Songlines, 1995). 

February 23 | Trumpet Night:

Ambrose Akinmusire | Described by NPR Music as “one of the most acclaimed jazz artists of his generation, a trumpeter of deep expressive resources and a composer of kaleidoscopic vision,” Ambrose Akinmusire has made a home at the crossroads of different musical forms and languages, from post-bop and avant-garde jazz to contemporary chamber music and hip-hop to singer-songwriter aesthetics. His 2018 release Origami Harvest features rapper Kool A.D. with the Mivos String Quartet and was named a top album of 2018 by The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Los Angeles Times and more. In addition to winning the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition in 2007 and the Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Solo Competition the same year, Akinmusire has frequently topped the JazzTimes and Downbeat annual critics polls. He has received the Doris Duke Performing Artist Award (2014); Le Grand Prix de l’Académie du Jazz (2014); Germany’s ECHO Jazz Award (Instrumentalist of the Year/Brass); and The Netherlands’ Paul Acket Award.
Nate Wooley | Nate Wooley is considered one of the leading lights of the American movement, redefining the physical boundaries of the horn, and has gathered international acclaim for his idiosyncratic trumpet language. Since moving to New York in 2001, he has become one of the most in-demand trumpet players in the burgeoning Brooklyn jazz, improv, noise, and new music scenes. He has performed regularly with John Zorn, Anthony Braxton, Eliane Radigue, Annea Lockwood, Ken Vandermark, Evan Parker, and Yoshi Wada. He has premiered works for trumpet by Christian Wolff, Michael Pisaro, Annea Lockwood, Ash Fure, Wadada Leo Smith, Sarah Hennies and Eva-Maria Houben. In recent years, he has built a reputation as a composer of music epic in scope and social in design. His series of solo works based on the International Phonetic Alphabet, The Complete Syllables Music, was compared to the literary work of Georges Perec and hailed as “revolutionary solo repertoire” by All About Jazz. 

February 24 | Saxophone Night:

JD Allen | Hailed by the New York Times as “a tenor saxophonist with an enigmatic, elegant and hard-driving style,” JD Allen is a bright light on today’s international jazz scene, with 14 albums as a leader to his credit. His unique and compelling voice on the instrument has earned Allen years of critical attention signaling his ascension to the upper ranks of the contemporary jazz world. Originally from Detroit, Allen’s apprenticeship, anchored by his lengthy tenure with Betty Carter, occurred largely in New York, where he worked with legends Lester Bowie, George Cables, Ron Carter, Louis Hayes, Frank Foster Big Band, Winard Harper, Dave Douglas, Butch Morris, David Murray, Wallace Roney, Rufus Reid and Geri Allen. Allen’s last trio album, Toys / Die Dreaming, extends his singular and well-honed approach to the trio. His solo saxophone debut, Queen City was released to great critical acclaim and a standout offering that took the listener directly into Allen's world of isolation during the Covid-19 lockdown. Off the bandstand, Allen is a compelling educator and activist. He is a founder of We Insist!, a nonprofit jazz and Black arts action community and co-founder along with Nasheet Waits and Eric Revis of We Insist! sister organization We up - Re up, a collective of jazz musicians whose primary goal is to foster jazz performance curating opportunities within non-traditional inner city and rural performance settings.
Ingrid Laubrock is a prolific composer and was named a “true visionary” by pianist and The Kennedy Center's artistic director Jason Moran, and a “fully committed saxophonist and visionary" by The New Yorker. Laubrock has performed with Anthony Braxton, Muhal Richard Abrams, Jason Moran, Kris Davis, Nels Cline, Tyshawn Sorey, Mary Halvorson, Zeena Parkins, Tom Rainey, Tim Berne, Dave Douglas, Wet Ink and many others. She has composed for ensembles ranging from solo to chamber orchestra. Awards include Fellowship in Jazz Composition by the Arts Foundation, BBC Jazz Prize for Innovation, SWR German Radio Jazz Prize and German Record Critics Quarterly Award. She won best Rising Star Soprano Saxophonist in the Downbeat Annual Critics Poll in 2015 and best Tenor Saxophonist in 2018. Ingrid Laubrock has received composing commissions by BBC Glasgow Symphony orchestra, Bang on The Can, Grossman Ensemble, The Shifting Foundation, The Robert D. Bielecki Foundation, The Jerwood Foundation, American Composers Orchestra, Tricentric Foundation, SWR New Jazz Meeting, The Jazz Gallery Commissioning Series, NYSCA, Wet Ink, John Zorn's Stone Commissioning Series and the EOS Orchestra. She is a recipient of the 2019 Herb Alpert Ragdale Prize in Music Composition and the 2021 Berklee Institute of Gender Justice Women Composers Collection Grant. 

February 25 | Acoustic Strings Night:

Brandon Seabrook | Brandon Seabrook is a guitarist, banjoist, and composer living in New York City where he has established himself as one of the most potent musicians of his generation. He has released seven albums as a leader covering everything from pulverizing art-metal to chamber music, bridging the realms of extreme rock and the classical avant-garde. He has been called upon by Anthony Braxton, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Ben Allison, Gerald Cleaver, So Percussion, Frank London, Bill Laswell, Ingrid Laubrock, and Joey Arias for his idiosyncratic physical performance style, hyperreal technique, and impeccable articulation. He has been profiled in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Premier Guitar, Downbeat Magazine, Rolling Stone, NPR, The Chicago Reader, and The Wire. Brandon is an accomplished solo artist, named Best Guitarist in New York City by The Village Voice 2012. In 2014, New Atlantis Records released his first solo album titled Sylphid Vitalizers. Brandon has presented his solo work at Pioneer Works, Sonic Transmissions Festival, Secret Project Robot, NK Berlin, Lima Jazz Festival, Dither Extravaganza, The Smell, and Laurence University. 
Jen Shyu | Guggenheim Fellow, USA Fellow, Doris Duke Artist, multilingual vocalist-composer-multi-instrumentalist-dancer Jen Shyu is “one of the most creative vocalists in contemporary improvised music” (The Nation). Born in Peoria, Illinois to Taiwanese and East Timorese immigrants and having produced eight albums, Shyu has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Theater of Korea, Salihara Theater, Rubin Museum and other venues and festivals around the world and is a Fulbright scholar speaking 10 languages. She has performed with Nicole Mitchell, Kris Davis, Val Jeanty, Wadada Leo Smith, Vijay Iyer, Chris Potter, among many others, and sang in two operas of Anthony Braxton (Trillium E and Trillium J). Her album Song of Silver Geese was among The New York Times’ Best Albums of 2017 and her recent album Zero Grasses: Ritual for the Losses has received rave reviews by Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Grammys.com, and more. She’s currently touring her solo theatrical work Zero Grasses (commissioned by John Zorn) nationally and internationally. During the pandemic, she launched her Patreon page and co- founded Mutual Mentorship for Musicians with Sara Serpa. She is also a Paul Simon Music Fellows Guest Artist and a Steinway Artist. 

February 26 | Drums / Percussion Night:

Marcus Gilmore | Marcus Gilmore is a multi-Grammy Award-winning drummer/composer. While Marcus has frequently been seen performing and recording with a diverse array of the finest musicians in the world such as Chick Corea, Pharoah Sanders, Savion Glover & Pat Metheny, he has also demonstrated his multifaceted musical talents and personality through long-term solo projects with his own groups Actions Speak and Silouhwav. In 2020, he performed his first orchestral composition titled “Pulse” with members of the Cape Town Philharmonic and the 22nd Poet Laureate Tracy K Smith as part of the 2018 – 2019 Annual Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative. He is also on the cusp of releasing his first solo recording. He has performed/recorded extensively with Robert Glasper, Herbie Hancock, Mulatu Astatke, Ravi Coltrane, Roscoe Mitchell, Common, Thundercat, Vijay Iyer, Wadada Leo Smith, Flying Lotus, Cassandra Wilson, Bilal, Talib Kweli, Queen Latifah, Black Thought, Zakir Hussain, Esperanza Spalding, Roy Hargrove, Nicholas Payton, and Taylor Mcferrin. 
Dan Weiss | Two-time Shifting Foundation Grantee Dan Weiss has been hailed as one of the top five jazz drummers by The New York Times and his large ensemble recording “Fourteen” made their top ten list of the best records of 2014. Weiss has been studying tabla under Samir Chatterjee for 25 years. He’s performed classical Indian music with the legendary Ashish Khan and Ramesh Misra, and recorded the tabla solo cd, “3dcd” (2007). Weiss also recorded two unprecedented CDs, “Teental Drumset Solo” (2005) and “Jhaptal Drumset Solo” (2011) where he performs classical Indian repertoire on drum set. With his trio, which includes Jacob Sacks and Thomas Morgan, he’s released three records which have been critically acclaimed for their unique approach to song structure and endless creative improvisation. Weiss also leads a unique 16-piece ensemble that features some of NYC’s most gifted musicians. The two albums Fourteen (2014) and Sixteen: Drummers Suite (2016) released on the Pi record label have made numerous critic polls. Weiss is currently working on a new trio project (new album in 2022) and a duo project with Miles Okazaki (double vinyl release scheduled for late 2021). 

February 27: Piano Night:

Kris Davis | Kris Davis is a critically acclaimed pianist and composer who was described by The New York Times as a beacon for “deciding where to hear jazz on a given night.” Since 2003, Davis has released 23 recordings as a leader or co- leader and has collaborated with artists such as Terri Lyne Carrington, John Zorn, Craig Taborn, Ingrid Laubrock, Tyshawn Sorey, Eric Revis, Johnathan Blake, Stephan Crump and Eric McPherson, among others. In 2019, her album Diatom Ribbons was named jazz album of the year by both The New York Times and the NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll. She was also named 2020 Pianist of the Year, 2017 Rising Star Pianist and 2018 Rising Star Artist by DownBeat, and 2020 Pianist and Composer of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association. Davis was named a 2021 Doris Duke Artist along with Wayne Shorter and Danilo Perez, and she has also received multiple commissions for composing new works from The Shifting Foundation, The Jazz Gallery and the Canada Council for the Arts. 
Craig Taborn | Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Craig Taborn has been performing piano and electronic music in the jazz, improvisational, and creative music scene for more than 25 years. He has experience composing for and performing in a wide variety of situations including jazz, new music, electronic, rock, noise and Avant Garde contexts. Taborn has played and recorded with many luminaries in the fields of jazz, improvised, new music and electronic music including Roscoe Mitchell, Wadada Leo Smith, Lester Bowie, Dave Holland, Tim Berne, John Zorn, Evan Parker, Steve Coleman, David Torn, Chris Potter, William Parker, Vijay Iyer, Kris Davis, Nicole Mitchell, Susie Ibarra, Ikue Mori, Carl Craig, Dave Douglas, Meat Beat Manifesto, Dan Weiss, Chris Lightcap, Gerald Cleaver, and Rudresh Manhathappa. Taborn is currently occupied creating and performing music for solo piano performance (Avenging Angel), piano trio (Craig Taborn Trio), an electronic project (Junk Magic), the Daylight Ghosts Quartet, a piano/drums/electronics duo with Dave King (Heroic Enthusiasts) and a new trio with Tomeka Reid and Ches Smith as well as piano duo collaborations with Vijay Iyer (The Transitory Poems), Kris Davis (Octopus) and Cory Smythe. He is also a member of the instrumental electronic art-pop group Golden Valley is Now and performs frequently on solo electronics.

‘SCULPTING SOUND: Twelve Musicians Encounter Bertoia’ is organized by David Breskin and made possible by leading support from The Shifting Foundation. Additional support for film documentation is provided by Allen and Kelli Questrom. 

Harry Bertoia: Sculpting Mid-Century Modern Life is made possible by leading support from the Texas Commission on the Arts and Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger. Generous support is provided in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District (DTPID). Additional support is provided by Humanities Texas. 

About the Nasher Sculpture Center | Located in the heart of the Dallas Arts District, the Nasher Sculpture Center is home to the Raymond and Patsy Nasher Collection, one of the finest collections of modern and contemporary sculpture in the world, featuring more than 300 masterpieces by Calder, de Kooning, di Suvero, Giacometti, Gormley, Hepworth, Kelly, Matisse, Miró, Moore, Picasso, Rodin, Serra, and Shapiro, among others. The Nasher Sculpture Center is open Wednesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $7 for seniors, $5 for students, and free for children 12 and under and members, and includes access to special exhibitions. Visitors must book a timed ticket in advance. For more information, visit www.NasherSculptureCenter.org

Louize & The Rickety Family - In & Out the Wild Side (January 25, 2022 Dodicilune / Ird)

LOUIZE & THE RICKETY FAMILY
IN & OUT THE WILD SIDE
DODICILUNE

Prodotto dall’etichetta Dodicilune, distribuito in Italia e all’estero da IRD e nei migliori store on line da Believe Digital, martedì 25 gennaio esce “In & out the wild side”, esordio discografico del progetto “Louize & The Rickety Family”. Nei sette brani inediti (“Esperame”, “TèMaRocchino”, “Utopia”, “Molly”, “Progression”, “Two Little Child ren”, “In & Out the Wild Side”) e nella riproposizione di “What is This Thing Called Love?” di Cole Porter, la cantante, autrice e compositrice pugliese Luisa Tucciariello è affiancata dalla band formata da Nicolò Petrafesa (piano), Luca Tomasicchio (contrabbasso), Michele Ciccimarra (batteria) e arricchita, in alcune tracce, da Alessandro Corvaglia (sax alto, sax tenore), Vittorio Gallo (sax tenore), Francesco Massaro (sax baritono), Valerio Latartara (viola, violino) e Annalisa Di Leo (violoncello). «Che una band di giovani jazzisti italiani sappia esprimersi con tanta maturità stilistica, e con una simile personalità espressiva, è forse il segno di questo tempo fertile e ricco per il nostro stivale. Che una giovane e talentuosa personalità artistica come Luisa Tucciariello sia capace di pensare musica così speci ale e nuova con ingredienti così nuovi e antichi al tempo stesso è, invece, una rarissima circostanza, in Italia e non solo», sottolinea il critico e storico musicale Vincenzo Martorella nelle note di copertina del cd dedicato alla memoria del compianto pianista e compositore Gianni Lenoci.

«Nella nostra lingua non abbiamo gli strumenti lessicali per poter tradurre in parole le emozioni che la musica suscita in chi l’ascolta; né per provare a descrivere un tipo di suono, una particolare sfumatura vocale, e così via. Per questo, il critico musicale fa largo ricorso all’uso di aggettivi, il che può essere la classica arma a doppio taglio», prosegue Martorella. «Spesso, se ne usano di mirabolanti, di fantasiosi; nulla di male, se non fosse che spesso, a leggerli è difficile capire in che relazio ne siano con la musica cui si attaccano. Pensate all’aggettivo “scintillante”. Abbiamo letto di assoli di chitarra scintillanti miliardi di volte, ma cos’è che rende un assolo più o meno scintillante? Quando un assolo non lo è? Da dove viene la luce, lo scintillìo? Definire il disco che avete tra le mani, o la musica che in esso è contenuta, usando un solo aggettivo è impresa disperata. Molte le variabili in gioco, molto lo stupore che si prova attraversandolo, traccia dopo traccia. Potrebbe essere “sorprendente”, certo.

Ma non solo, perché ogni piccola traiettoria apre paesaggi nuovi, ogni singolo pensiero (e ce ne sono migliaia) sembra nascere per germinazione spontanea dal precedente, creando così un sapere caleidoscopico, una brillantezza luminescente che si spande dietro (e davanti) ogni nota», continua il critico. «Vuoi vedere, allora, che l’aggettivo adatto è proprio “scintillante”? Da dove viene, dunque, lo scintillìo? Innanzitutto, da un impian to sonoro dentro il quale far muovere le idee, i suoni e i ritmi come pedine di un risiko dell’anima, in cui gli spazi non si occupano ma si controllano, in cui la strategia non è vincere, ma abbandonarsi al piacere del canto, del gesto – timido o spavaldo che sia –, del rischio. Louize e la sua sgangherata famiglia (il cui strumentario, per l’occasione, ospita anche strumenti ad arco) sono un collettivo vero, rodato, che vive e respira musica all’unisono, e proprio per questo ha saputo forgiare un suono proprio, riconoscibile e fresco, che allude a tutto e a niente, dentro il quale si agitano influenze molteplici che però vengono filtrate alla luce di una irriducibile originalità.
Se proprio si dovesse rintracciare una derivazione, una discendenza, soprattutto in termini di orizzonti e consapevolezza, non potrebbe che essere quella di Gianni Lenoci, una delle menti più geniali, e compiante, del nostro tempo. Proprio ragionando sugli spazi, sui tempi, sulle sonorità, questa musica esplora un versante diverso e pieno di promesse, sperimentando forme e vuoti, lavorando su ritmi e armonie, così come sulla loro assenza», va avanti nella sua disanima Martorelli. «Un affresco emozionale, nel quale il rischio, il gioco, l’alea e la poesia abitano con le stesse credenziali. Proprio questo intrecciarsi vorticoso dà sostanza e fascino a una scaletta frattale, a geometria variabile, fatta di brani intensi come diamanti, dall’iniziale, e bellissima, Esperame, a Two Little Children, una pagina di pura poesia. Per finire con In & Out The Wild Side, che nelle parole di Luisa Tucciariello si poggia, come l’intero progetto, “su quel limite delicato ed affascinante della contraddizione. E sulla voglia, mia ma anche dei miei compagni di viaggio, di contemplare tutto ciò che sta all’interno di determinati schemi, modelli, repertori e stili, ma con gli occhi di chi ha vissuto e sperimentato la zona selvaggia nella vita come nella musica”».

Luisa Tucciariello, classe 1985, ha studiato al Conservatorio “Nino Rota” di Monopoli dove, nel corso degli anni, ha conseguito prima il Diploma Accademico di Primo Livello di Canto Jazz nel 2013, sotto la guida di Gianna Montecalvo e Gianni Lenoci, poi il Bienno di Musica jazz nel 2015 e nel 2021 il corso di Primo livello in Composizione jazz concluso, dopo la prematura scomparsa di Lenoci, con i maestri Bruno Luise e Vincenzo Martorella. Dal 2012 lavora con Dionisia Cassiano al duo vocale “Black Fair Voices” con cui pubblica il loro primo disco di inediti, “ Triks of Love”. Dal 2014 ha lavorato assieme al suo Maestro Gianni Lenoci ad un progetto di libera improvvisazione "Strictly Pink”. Tra il 2015 e il 2017 vive a Londra e lavora come insegnante di canto e pianoforte, collabora con il London Inte rnational Gospel Choir come small group leader e con Solid Harmony Choir come vocal coach e Choral Conducting assitant. Collabora con i musicisti della scena jazz londinese ed è attiva nella scena della Free Improvisation. Attualmente è attiva in Puglia con la sua attività concertistica, didattica e compositiva, fonda nel 2018 la “Rickety Family” con cui vince il premio “Migliore composizione originale” al Ladisa Jazz Contest, con il pezzo “Molly”, che rappresenta il punto di partenza del suo primo lavoro discografico per l’etichetta pugliese Dodicilune.

L’etichetta Dodicilune è attiva dal 1996 e dispone di un catalogo di quasi 300 produzioni di artisti italiani e stranieri. Distribuiti nei negozi in Italia e all'estero da IRD, i dischi Dodicilune possono essere acquistati anche online, ascoltati e scaricati sulle maggiori piattaforme del mondo grazie a Believe Digital.

1 - Esperame
2 - TèMaRocchino
3 - Utopia
4 - Molly
5 - Progression
6 - Two Little Children
7 - What is This Thing Called Love?
8 - In & Out the Wild Side

All compositions and lyrics by Luisa Tucciariello
except 1 (lyrics by Luisa Tucciariello, Valerio Latartara)
7 by Cole Porter

Luisa Tucciariello • voce, piano (8)
Alessandro Corvaglia • sax alto, sax tenore (7)
Vittorio Gallo • sax tenore (2, 5, 8)
Francesco Massaro • sax baritono (2, 5, 8)
Nicolò Petrafesa • piano
Valerio Latartara • viola, violino (1, 6)
Annalisa Di Leo • violoncello (1, 6)
Luca Tomasicchio • contrabbasso
Michele Ciccimarra • batteria

Produced by Luisa Tucciariello and Maurizio Bizzochetti, Gabriele Rampino, Dodicilune.
Label manager Maurizio Bizzochetti (www.dodicilune.it).
Recorded from October 2019 to November 2020 by Mimmo Galizia at Waveahead Studio, Monopoli, (Ba), Italy.
Mixed and mastered March/April 2021 by Tommy Cavalieri at Sorriso Studio, Bari, Italy.
Cover photo mhelloRuby. Photos by Hélène Damiani, Leonardo Toscano.

Interchanges - Wild Forms (January 2022 Produção de Música Contemporânea)

Selected tracks from free form music played during recording sessions from another Interchanges' album Thought Forms.

1. Ghost Guest 03:37
2. Whispered Secrets 03:06
3. First Comments 02:46
4. Awakening 04:50
5. Cave 03:05
6. Three Versions of a Story 05:58
7. Wild Forms 09:29
8. Small Talk 01:56
9. While it Rains 01:40
10. Inner Dance 03:48
11. Caution 05:29
12. Shyness 01:59
13. A Small Celebration 00:49

Thomas Rohrer - soprano and tenor sax
Ed Sarath - flugelhorn
Emilio Mendonça - piano
Celio Barros - double bass
Rui Carvalho - drums

Recorded at PMC studio, São Paulo, Brasil, november 1999.
Mixed and mastered ate Klarlyd Studio, Haltdalen, Norway december 2021.
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Celio Barros

Cover photo by Rico Venerito

Alexandre Simões - Sound of Sense (January 2022)

1. A prayer in spring 05:49
2. Meeting and passing 05:35
3. Green 03:30
4. Neither out far nor in deep 03:01
5. Good hours 02:41
6. Flower gathering 03:47
7. You & I 05:08
8. Immanence 04:14
9. Nature 07:28
10. Alma nuvem 02:16
11. When roses cease to bloom 02:46
12. Dream Land 03:08
13. My November guest 04:21

Alexandre Simões – Composição, Voz, Saxofone, Flauta
Per Olav Kobberstad – Guitarra 8 cordas e guitarra eléctrica
Gabriel Silva – Baixo
Carlos Veiga – Piano
Mariana Brandão – Bateria
Eugénia Contente – Guitarra
Margarida Martins – Voz
Melo D - Voz

Gravação - Eduardo Vinhas . Mistura - Tiago Lopes . Masterizacão - Guilherme Gonçalves
Design - Susana Cruz

Max Leiss Trio - Swiss Encounter (January 2022)

The Max Leiß Trio is a jazz saxophone trio, stylistically based on the hard-/ bebop tradition. Markus Ehrlich on tenor saxophone, Julian Fau on drums and Max Leiß on double bass are some of the finest jazz musicians of their generation in Germany. Each one of them performs regularly on national and international stages with jazz greats like John Ruocco, Sheila Jordan or Greg Cohen.

With a mix of original compositions and jazz standards they create a sound which is deeply rooted in the jazz tradition. This common ground leads to a highly improvistional and spontanious performance, allowing every band member to shine, while still maintaining a compact band sound.

1. Swiss Encounter 05:35
2. Hummingbird 07:01
3. Lucky One 06:21
4. The Bad Czech 08:03
5. The Song Is You 04:30
6. Night Mood 06:17
7. Real Good Moin 05:48
8. Confirmation 07:23
9. Berlin Stroll 05:31

All compositions by Max Leiss except
Real Good Moin, Berlin Stroll - Markus Ehrlich
The Song Is You - Jerome Kern
Confirmation - Charlie Parker

Markus Ehrlich - Saxophone
Max Leiß - Bass
Julian Fau - Drums

Recorded on October 27th 2021 in Teufen, Switzerland by Markus Ehrlich

Album cover design by Florian Thierer

Also available on CD!

L'Orage - Triangle (January 2022)

Triangle is a 100% analog album recorded and mixed on a eight-track tape recorder.

1. Pentatetrahydratonic 06:08
2. Universal 05:33
3. Nature Boom 03:06
4. Rusty Five 06:06
5. Neo 06:41
6. Cachalot 05:00
7. Ghost Triangle 07:33

Nelson Schaer : Drums / Percussions / Keys
Ganesh Geymeier : Saxophone Tenor / Percussions / Keys
Fabien Iannone : Bass / Percussions / Keys

Recorded and Mixed By Fabien Iannone at Alfalfa studio
Mastered by Nene Baratto at Big Snuff studio
Artwork by Julian Montague