Results for "Improvised Music"

Improvised music

Cliff Korman

Born: March 14

Born and trained in New York, Cliff Kormanʼs relationship with Brazilian music began in 1981 at the Creative Music Studio’s World Music Institute in Woodstock, where he met the legendary Brazilian clarinetist Paulo Moura. From their friendship and musical partnership a series of concerts and recordings was born: Mood Ingênuo: The Dream of Pixinguinha and Duke Ellington (Jazzheads); Rhapsody in Bossa, on the music of Gershwin and Jobim; Gafieira Jazz, a celebration of the sounds of Brazilian ballroom, and the Gnattali/Monk Project, exploring two of the most influential American pianists of the century.
While still in NY, he produced and arranged a number of Brazilian Jazz CDs for the Chesky label, including Chuck Mangione’s The Feeling’s Back and Entre Amigos, featuring vocalist Rosa Passos and bassist Ron Carter. His recording Migrations (Planet Arts, 2004) illustrates the mark Brazilian music and culture have made on his compositions and improvisational language.

Vironas Ntolas

Born: April 28, 1991

Vironas Ntolas is a guitarist/composer based in Athens, Greece.

Mário Franco

Born: October 20, 1965

Mário Franco 
Born in 1965, he started music lessons at the age of 4 in Centro de 
Estudos Gregorianos. 
He studied music theory with Maria José Godinho and after moved to 
Academia de Amadores de Música where he continued his studies in 
music theory with Cristina Brito da Cruz, started to study double bass 
and chamber music with Fernando Flores and composition with Pedro 
Rocha.
In 1986-87 attended double-bass courses given by Ludwig Streicher in 
Estoril and in 1988 won 1st prize in the Prémio Jovens Músicos (Young 
Musicians Competition); later became a member of Orquestra Sinfónica 
Juvenil where he worked on classical repertory with conductor 
Christopher Bochmann. 
Also worked with conductors Silva Pereira, Miguel Graça Moura, Roberto 
Perez, Michel Swierczewski and Cesário Costa.
He subsequently became interested in Jazz. After having bass guitar 
lessons with António Ferro he began taking Double bass lessons at Hot 
Club Jazz School with David Gausden and playing in jam sessions; also 
took part in workshops with Rufus Reid, Niels Henning, Orsted 
Pederson, Eberhard Weber, Dave Holland, Gary Burton, Roland Hanna, 
David Liebman among others…
In 1990 presented his first project based on original compositions and 
was awarded 1st prize for his group and 2nd prize for composition in 
the competition “A Juventude e a Música“ (Young People and Music).
His eclectic musical education has enabled him, since the 90’s, to work 
in many different projects, within diverse musical contexts, with artists 
such as: 
Pedro Caldeira Cabral, Miguel Amaral, Ricardo Rocha, António Chaínho, 
José Peixoto, Early and Contemporary Music Consort “Sete Lágrimas”, 
Vera Morais and Francisco Sassetti, Miguel Azguime, Carminho, Maro,
Camané, Sérgio Godinho, Vitorino, Uxia, Lura, José Manuel Barreto, 
Sofia Vitória, Maria Ana Bobone, Filipa Pais, Bernardo Sassetti, Mário 
Laginha, Luis Figueiredo, Luis Barrigas, João Paulo Esteves da Silva, 
Dan Hewson, António Pinho Vargas, Jarmo Savolainen, Júlio Resende, 
Carlo Morena, Carlos Martins, Tomás Pimentel, Maria João, Tommy 
Halferty, John Wadham, Luigi Waites, Sérgio Pelágio, André Sousa 
Machado, André Fernandes, António Pinto, Desidério Lázaro, Andy 
Sheppard, Daniel Erdmann, Zlatko Kaućić, Samuel Rohrer, Ralph Peterson Jr., 
Markku Ounaskari, Myra Melford, Jon Irabagon, Peter Epstein, David Binney, 
Paolo Fresu, Ralph Towner, Joel Harrison, Graham Haynes…
Has performed outside Portugal in some of the most important music 
festivals in China, Japan, Spain, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Italy, 
Czech Republic, Greece, Norway, Russia, Brazil… 
In 2006 Tone of a Pitch Records edited his first CD as a leader, “This 
Life”, with Jesse Chandler (piano, hammond organ and melodica), 
André Fernandes (guitar), João Lencastre (drums), João 
Gomes (rhodes, sinthetizer, laptop) and includes NY based David Binney 
(alto saxophone). This recording was well received by the Portuguese 
public and critics, and was considered by the American magazine All 
About Jazz, to be the second best CDs of 2006. 
“Our Door” is Mário Franco’s new album for TOAP Records as a leader 
realized in 2013 and includes Sérgio Pelágio (guitar) and André Sousa 
Machado (drums). 
In 2017 "Rush" is his new album as a leader for Nischo Records, with 
Sérgio Pelágio (guitar), Óscar Graça (piano and electronics), Luís 
Figueiredo (rhodes, hammond organ, philicorda, other keyboards) and 
Alexandre Frazão (drums, percussion).
As a co-leader he recorded in 2013 "Cine Qua Non" for TOAP Records with 
Paula Sousa (piano), Afonso Pais (guitar) and João Paulo Esteves da Silva 
(accordion).
"Brightbird" in 2017 for Arjuna Records with João Paulo Esteves da Silva 
(piano) and Samuel Rohrer (drums). 
In 2019 Mario Franco together with Rita Maria (voice) and Luís Figueiredo 
(piano) decided to form "Roda Music - Independent Music Label" and in the 
same year launched their first album "Círculo" which was also the first album 
released with this label.

Fluidian

Born: August 6, 1973

Fluidian (Emil Gherasim, b. 1973) composer, musician, sound artist. His work includes electroacoustic and electronic art music, chamber music, film and theatre music, sound illustrations for contemporary dance and visual performances, minimalist textural music, sound paintings and ambient soundscapes.
His music is very personal and deeply meditative, with huge visual emotions, combining minimalist sound textures with a specific manner of improvisation. Due to his playing techniques like wind-guitar (blowing across the strings) or bowed-guitar (using a violin bow), manipulated with electronics and using his own minimalistic textural concept, his music transforms into a contemplative, floating sound journey.
Initially self-taught, he studied and graduated in music composition, mentored by award-winning composer Ede Terényi, at the Music Academy in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Fluidian is best known for his solo performances, but has also been collaborate with artists like Arve Henriksen, Tibor Szemző, László Gőz, Ede Terényi, Petre Ionuțescu, Paul Taylor, Sándor Szabó, Roland Heidrich and many more.
In addition, he composes original music for theater plays, dance performances, films and new textural electronic art music for different sound ensembles.

Among his collaborative projects from the last years could be highlighted the "Opaque Lights" album created in collaboration with Norwegian trumpeter Arve Henriksen, "Pendular Emotions" album with Romanian trumpeter Petre Ionuțescu and a soundtrack co-written with Arve Henriksen for Anastasia Isachsen's audio-visual light art installation "Perspective" premiered at Fjord Oslo Light Art Festival, Norway.

Hilde Marie Holsen

Norwegian Hilde Marie Holsen has carved out something very particular and niche in music. Processing her trumpet in the electronic realm, she blends the mournful tone of the brass instrument with the explorative field of electronic music to make music that lists somewhere between jazz, the contemporary and drone music. Holsen’s music has unpicked the frayed boundaries of traditions, calling in a new generation of artists that abandoned stale and repetitive conventions in favour of establishing something unique, in the realms of contemporary music.

Holsen’s debut album «Ask» was released on the Norwegian label Hubro in 2015, and hit the shelves with critical acclaim from amongst others The Guardian, The Wire and The Quietus

Ashlae Blum'e

Born: March 28

Ashlae Blum(e) (they/them) is an American musician, composer and producer. Born in Baltimore, Blum(e) studied piano and trumpet from an early age, taking lessons with Maynard Ferguson and others in the Maryland/D.C. area. They took a break from music upon moving to upstate New York to study Physics at Cornell University. After moving to New Orleans in 2008, Blum(e) began performing regularly as a vocalist, accordionist, and pianist. They are currently a resident of NYC and travel often, performing solo as well as with full ensembles.

Adam Pieronczyk

Born: January 24, 1970

Leading Polish jazz saxophonist, composer, band leader and producer. 

Recognized by international media as one of the most interesting and creative European musicians and one of the greatest innovators in Polish jazz. 

As a leader he has released almost 30 albums that have received numerous awards. He was named 18 times Jazz Forum magazine's Best Soprano Saxophonist. He has been nominated 18 times for Poland's Fryderyk award (Polish Grammy) in altogether 4 categories, winning the 2 most important statuettes - Jazz Musician of The Year and Jazz Album of The Year.

Paul Giallorenzo

Originally from Long Island, NY, Paul Giallorenzo is a Chicago-based improviser, composer, producer, and sound designer using piano, synthesizer, keyboards, and electronics in a diverse range of contexts with a wide array of Chicago and international musicians in improvised, avant-jazz, experimental, and electro/acoustic music, performing regularly locally and throughout North America and Europe.  

Giallorenzo’s work has been praised for its “inside-out” nature – his ability to push the boundaries of “conventional” jazz toward more freedom but also, on the other side, to bring a measure of structure to more avant-garde material. Writing in the online journal Point Of Departure, John Litweiler said, “His solos and aggressive duets are gems of after-Bop, after-Bley melody,” while AllAboutJazz.com lauded music that “smudges the lines between the tradition and the avant-garde.”

Izumi Kimura

Pianist Izumi Kimura explores between abstract and concrete, improvising and composing. She has performed extensively throughout Ireland and abroad since moving from Japan in 1995, and worked with some of the leading performers and ensembles from both disciplines of classical, jazz and improvised music, including RTE Symphony Orchestra, RTE Concert Orchestra, Crash Ensemble, Michael d’Arcy, Mia Cooper, Ken Edge, Benjamin Dwyer, Gerald Barry, John Buckley, Kevin O’Connell, Ian Wilson, Fergus Johnston from the world of classical music, and with jazz and improvising musicians including Barry Guy, Gerry Hemingway, Tommy Halferty, Ronan Guilfoyle, Michael Buckley, Joe O’Callaghan, Oki Itaru, Dominique Pifarély, Benoît Delbecq, Stéphane Payen, Marco Colonna, Sarah Buechi, Lina Andonovska, Mathew Jacobson, Nick Roth, Colm O’Hara, Cora Venus Lunny. She has appeared in the festivals including RTE Living Music Festival, Boyle Arts Festival, Dublin Dance Festival, Dublin Fringe Festival, Bray Jazz Festival, Kilkenny Arts Festival, Ghent Street Festival of New Music, Music 21’s ‘Brazil Now’, ‘Artes Da Irlanda’ in Sao Paolo, Creative Connexions in Sitges, Ad Libitum Festival in Warsaw, and many more.