Possible Fireworks is a monthly series at BRIC Studio curated by Janine Nichols. On the first Tuesday of every month, a well-known jazz musician is invited to create a dream band of people they've never played with before.
Bassist-composer Ben Allison, cited by Down Beat magazine as one of the “25 Rising Jazz Stars for the Future" and “Best Bassist" and “Jazz Artist" in the Talent Deserving Wider Recognition category of the 2002 Downbeat Critics' Poll, has solidified his reputation as “one of the most original voices in modern jazz" (CDNow), a strong organizational force on the New York City music scene, and an advocate for artist empowerment.
At the age of twenty-five, he formed the Jazz Composers Collective - a musician-run, non-profit organization based in New York City that is dedicated to constructing an environment where artists can exercise their ideals of creating and risking through the development and exploration of new music.
A prolific composer, Allison has received commissioning, performing, and recording grants from numerous organizations. His five recordings as a leader - Peace Pipe, Riding the Nuclear Tiger, Third Eye, Medicine Wheel, and Seven Arrows - showcase his forward-thinking vision as a producer, composer, arranger, and bassist, and his hands-on approach to his craft.
Along with pianist Frank Kimbrough, Allison co-leads the Herbie Nichols Project, a performing and researching entity dedicated to the music of the brilliant pianist-composer, premiered by the Jazz Composers Collective in 1994. The group has recorded three CDs.
Born in 1966 in New Haven, Connecticut, Allison has performed the world over with musicians ranging from oudist Ara Dinkjian to saxophonist Lee Konitz to legendary performance artist Joey Arias. He has appeared on over 25 albums by various artists and has written music for film, national television and radio, including the theme for the National Public Radio (NPR) show “On the Media."
Arguably one of the best young jazz clarinetists in the country, Don Byron created a unique musical aesthetic in a wide range of contexts, continually striving for what he calls “a sound above genre." As clarinetist, composer, arranger, and social critic, he redefines every genre of music he performs, be it classical, salsa, hip-hop, funk, klezmer, or any jazz style from swing and bop to cutting-edge downtown improvisation. Born and raised in the Bronx, Byron was exposed to a wide variety of music by his father, who played bass in calypso bands, and his pianist mother. His taste was further refined by trips to the symphony and ballet and by many hours spent listening to Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis and Machito recordings. Byron formalized his music education by studying classical clarinet with Joe Allard while playing and arranging salsa numbers for high school bands on the side. He has been consistently voted best clarinetist by critics and readers alike in leading international music journals since being named “Jazz Artist of the Year" by Down Beat in 1992. As a bandleader and with other artists, Byron has performed at most major festivals around the world, including recent appearances in Vienna, San Francisco, Hong Kong, London, and New York.
Founded in 1979, BRIC is a leader in the development of arts and communications programs in Brooklyn, New York and benefits nearly one million people each year through its programs including BCAT/Brooklyn Community Access Television; the Brooklyn Tourism Council; the Celebrate Brooklyn Performing Arts Festival; the Rotunda Gallery; and BRIC Studio. For more information about BRIC visit www.brooklynX.org or call 718-855-7882.
PRESS CONTACTS: Steve Urbanowicz / 718-855-7882 x30 / [email protected]
JoAnne Meyers / 718-855-7882 x29 / [email protected]
RESERVATION INFORMATION: 718-855-7882 x53
For more information contact All About Jazz.
