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| FESTIVAL @ THE JAZZ STANDARD February 6-11, 2001 The Jazz Composers Collective will present its first annual Festival from Tuesday, February 6 through Sunday, February 11 at the Jazz Standard (116 E 27th Street, NYC). Since its formation in 1992, the Collective has distinguished itself as a New York City-based presenting organization and an advocacy group dedicated to fostering the development, performance and documentation of new works. Under the artistic direction of bassist Ben Allison, the Collective and the Jazz Standard are joining forces to present a week-long series celebrating the wide range of musical expression created by Collective artists, the outgrowth of nearly ten years of collaboration. The Festival will feature performances by ten ensembles led by Collective composers-in-residence Ben Allison, Frank Kimbrough, Ted Nash, Michael Blake, and Ron Horton. Musicians scheduled to perform include: Ben Allison, Peck Allmond, Miri Ben Ari, Michael Blake, Jane Ira Bloom, Erik Charlston, Mark Feldman, Joel Frahm, Daniel Freedman, Larry Goldings, Wycliffe Gordon, Joyce Hammann, Tim Horner, Ron Horton, Frank Kimbrough, Ron Lawrence, John McKenna, Pete McCann, Ben Monder, Tony Moreno, Ted Nash, John O'Gallagher, Tom Rainey, Scott Robinson, Marcus Rojas, Rich Rosenzweig, Bill Schimmel, Tomas Ulrich, Tom Varner, and Matt Wilson. For more information, please contact the Jazz Composers Collective (212-995-1552) or the Jazz Standard (212-576-2232).
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6 Co-led by Frank Kimbrough and Ben Allison and premiered by the Jazz Composers Collective in 1994, the Herbie Nichols Project explores the music of the brilliant pianist-composer. The group has recorded two CDs for Soul Note Records: Dr. Cyclops' Dream (1999) and Love Is Proximity (1997). For these Festival gigs (February 6 & 7), the band will draw from their comprehensive repertoire of Nichols' works, with a focus on his unrecorded and more obscure tunes - which will make up the bulk of the Project's third album to be released in September 2001, this time by Palmetto Records. 10 PM - TED NASH & ODEON: Ted Nash (saxophones), Wycliffe Gordon (trombone), Miri Ben Ari (violin), Bill Schimmel (accordion), Matt Wilson (drums) Ted Nash's Odeon quintet made its debut at a Collective concert in May 1999. Inspired by the traditional music of Argentina and the rhythmic feel of New Orleans second-line music, Ted takes full advantage of the passion and underlying humor of the tango, and the openness and improvisatory nature of jazz. The group will be playing music from their forthcoming CD, Street Meeting, which will be released on Arabesque Records in May 2001.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7 10 PM - TED NASH DOUBLE QUARTET: Ted Nash (saxophones), Frank Kimbrough (piano), Ben Allison (bass), Tim Horner (drums), Mark Feldman (violin), Joyce Hammann (violin), Ron Lawrence (viola), Tomas Ulrich (cello), Erik Charlston (vibes & percussion) Ted Nash premiered his ambitious Double Quartet at a Collective concert in January 1998, and went on to release the band's debut CD on Arabesque Records, Rhyme and Reason, in 1999. His slightly left-of-center approach to composition and orchestration yields alluring textural effects and tonal colors. Ted and his group will be playing music from Rhyme and Reason, as well as some newly developed pieces.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8 The trio format has been a steadfast vehicle for Frank Kimbrough's musical explorations, as evidenced by his recordings Chant (IGMOD, 1998) and Lonely Woman (Mapleshade Records, 1995). For this performance, original compositions and group improvisation will dominate, but the Trio is also known to have a penchant for the music of composers like Jimmy Giuffre and Annette Peacock. 10 PM - RON HORTON's GENIUS ENVY: Ron Horton (trumpet), Jane Ira Bloom (soprano saxophone), John McKenna (tenor saxophone), Frank Kimbrough (piano), Ben Allison (bass), Rich Rosenzweig (drums) Ron Horton is well known for his work with groups led by some of today's most creative composers such as Jane Ira Bloom and most recently Andrew Hill. Through his work with the Collective, Ron has emerged as a vital composer and band-leader in his own right. For this set, he'll perform music from his critically acclaimed debut recording, Genius Envy (Omnitone Records, 1999).
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9 Collective founder Ben Allison debuted his adventurous Medicine Wheel ensemble at an April 1996 Collective concert. Since that time, he has gone on to record three CDs for Palmetto Records - Medicine Wheel (1998), Third Eye (1999), and his latest, Riding the Nuclear Tiger (January 9, 2001). Ben's compositional vision is forward-looking and panoramic in scope, but he also has a knack for focusing his band's attention on the details. The result is a highly personal and cohesive group sound. To celebrate the release of Riding the Nuclear Tiger, he'll play music from the new disc as well as from recordings past and future.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10 Lounge Lizards veteran Michael Blake approaches his pieces from every angle possible, and the results take listeners on a trek across time and around the globe. For this performance, Michael will be playing music from his forthcoming release, Drift (Intuition Music, April 2001) and some new works he has been developing thanks to a grant from the Doris Duke Jazz Ensembles Project/Chamber Music America. Midnight - FRANK KIMBROUGH & NOUMENA: Frank Kimbrough (piano), Scott Robinson (tenor & bass saxophone), Ben Monder (guitar), Tony Moreno (drums) In his generation-defining novel On The Road, Jack Kerouac writes that “Noumena is what you see with your eyes closed." Frank's compositions are loosely written to encourage freedom and spontaneity, interpretation and improvisation, with melody and form as high priorities. The group's debut CD, Noumena (Soul Note Records) was recorded at a Collective concert in 1997, and released in June 2000. For this performance, Frank will premier new works commisioned by the Doris Duke Jazz Ensembles Project/Chamber Music America.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 11 In celebration of the legacy of the great Duke Ellington, 100 years after his birth, Palmetto Records released The Other Side of Ellington: Duke's Motivation. Featuring an “all-star quintet" of Palmetto artists, the group brings a collective spirit of adventure to an intriguing mix of Ellingtonia. This Festival appearance marks the group's first live performance! 9 PM - RON HORTON's NEW SEXTET: Ron Horton (trumpet), Tom Varner (french horn), Marcus Rojas (tuba), John O'Gallagher (alto saxophone), Ben Allison (bass), Tim Horner (drums) Ron Horton rounds out the week with the debut performance of his new ensemble. Crafty, interwoven horn melodies, extended forms, and a sense of expressionistic fire are defining characteristics of Ron's compositional approach. With a three brass / alto sax frontline, Ron will perform some new works, along with some newly arranged material. THE JAZZ COMPOSERS COLLECTIVE is a musician-run, non-profit organization dedicated to presenting original music according to the vision of participating composers and musicians, while making it accessible to a wide and diverse audience. Since its inception in September 1992, the Collective has worked to construct an environment where artists can exercise their ideals of creating and risking through the development and exploration of new music. As of this writing, the Collective has produced 84 concerts featuring the works of 42 composers, the performances of over 150 musicians and, perhaps most notably, the premier presentations of more than 300 compositions. Visit the Jazz Composers Collective web site at www.jazzcollective.com. | |
For more information contact All About Jazz.
