The 2007 New Languages Festival is just two weeks away! With 15 ensembles spanning five nights over two weekends, it will be a panorama of the new generation, and a preview of what the twenty-first century holds for jazz.
These are the most ambitious young musicians in New York today. They take real risks and put their reputation on the line every time they take the bandstand.
It all starts next Friday the 25th, with Jacob Sacks, Nate Wooley, and Buck-Buck. This will be some of the most provocative music you're likely to hear in New York City all year. Don't miss out! Full details are at
www.newlanguages.org.
Contact: Aaron Ali Shaikh
(646) 644-2766
info@newlanguages.org
Rose Live Music
345 Grand St.
Williamsburg, Brooklyn NY USA
$10 Admission
$25 All-Festival Pass
FULL SCHEDULE
Week 1
Friday May 25
8:30 pm - The Jacob Sacks Quintet
10:00 pm - Nate Wooley's Attack / Adorn / Decay 11:30 pm - Buck-Buck
Saturday May 26
8:30 pm - Heavy Merge with Russ Lossing, Mark Helias, and Randy Peterson 10:00 pm - The Jackson Moore Trio 11:30 pm - Akoya Afrobeat
Thursday May 31
8:30 pm - Rudresh Mahanthappa's Indo-Pak Coalition 10:00 pm - Little Women 11:30 pm- Zemog El Gallo Bueno
Week 2
Friday June 1
8:30 pm - Judith Berkson's Liederkreiss
10:00 pm - Mat Maneri/Randy Peterson Duo 11:30 pm - The Dub Trio
Saturday June 2
8:30 pm - The Mark Taylor Quartet
10:00 pm - The Aaron Ali Shaikh Trio
11:30 pm - Harriet Tubman with Brandon Ross, JT Lewis, and Melvin Gibbs
DETAILED SCHEDULE
Friday May 25
8:30 pm - The Jacob Sacks Quintet
Jacob Sacks - Piano
Jacob Garchik - Trombone
Ben Gerstein - Trombone
Dave Ambrosio - Bass
Vinnie Sperrazza - Drums
Jacob Sacks has brought a deeply personal voice to a variety of settings ranging from mainstream jazz to compositional free jazz to vamp based fusion. His own projects include the Jacob Sacks Chamber Quartet, an ensemble inspired by twentieth century classical music as well as jazz, and the Jacob Sacks Quintet, a group that explores musical freedom in a variety of ways. In addition to teaching students in private practice, Jacob is also a co-founder of the Creative Music Workshop, a non-profit school based upon helping students of all ages and levels transcend the boundaries of style to find their own voices through the creation of original works, both written and spontaneously conceived. Jacob currently resides in Brooklyn, where he is working on several recording projects and on a book for beginning pianists.
10:00 pm - Attack / Adorn / Decay
Nate Wooley - Trumpet
Matt Bauder - Tenor Saxophone
Jason Mears - Alto Saxophone
Ben Gerstein - Trombone
Loren Dempster - Cello
Christopher Hoffman - Cello
Reuben Radding - Bass
Tom Blancarte - Bass
Kris Davis - Piano
Andrew Drury - Percussion
Harris Eisenstadt - Percussion
Nate Wooley has striven to blur the demarcations between tonality and texture, extreme sound and the protracted use of silence, nervous energy and an almost painful amount of patience. At times he provokes the listener with machine-like holds/ostinatos and eruptions of charged clumsiness; at others he invites the surrounding environment to take his place while he develops the next ideas as soon as they come to mind. In his hands even the absence of events becomes dangerous. His music seems to move in an unidentifiable biological space, waddling over leaves, tripping over rocks, plopping into puddles. It's the sounds of animals that don't quite exist, with motions and moods that defy human understanding. The core of Attack/Adorn/Decay consists of Radding, Drury, and Bauder, with others joining the family depending on the composition at hand. At New Languages they will present a new composition from Nate's "V." cycle, "flights of migratory birds to the ornithologists".
11:30 pm - Buck-Buck
Morgan Wiley - Keyboards
Abe Seiferth - Guitar
Ben Bromley - Bass
Guy Licata - Drums
Combining elements of classic dance and psychedelic music with improvisation and modern electronic music, this band pushes the envelope while remaining true to its song writing roots. It strives to create a sound of the future and of the past at the same time, while keeping the crowd engaged and the party moving.
Saturday May 26
8:30 pm - Heavy Merge
Russ Lossing - Piano
Mark Helias - Bass
Randy Peterson - Drums
Heavy Merge is a collaboration between three heavyweights on the New York jazz scene. Russ Lossing straddles the line between 20th century classical music and modern jazz. In addition to being a risk-taking improviser, he has composed hundreds of notated pieces. His life long passion for music theory and analysis has resulted in a unique syntax for improvising and composing that allows him to blend written and improvised music in works with ease, and his music is bolstered by a faith in intuitive engagement with musical structure. Randy Peterson seldom plays a timekeeping role, instead thinking in terms of phrasing and psychological time. He has sensitivity to tone uncommon amongst percussionists. Mark Helias is a prolific composer and a legendary bassist.
10:00 pm - The Jackson Moore Trio
Jackson Moore - Alto Saxophone
Eivind Opsvik - Bass
Eric Mcpherson - Drums
Composer and saxophonist Jackson Moore returns to Rose with two brilliant colleagues, both of whom share his propensity for unscripted melodicism and propulsive swing. Fascinated by the degree of stability that the language of jazz has attained at the turn of the century, Jackson has dedicated himself to shaking it up. As a composer and bandleader he furnishes an environment of maximum volatility and risk - an environment where perpetual rupture creates an opportunity for fresh responses. As these exceptionally nimble improvisers rise to the challenge, expect the sound of surprise.
11:30 pm - Akoya Afrobeat
Yoshi Takemasa - Congas
Gabriel Hays - Keyboards
Mayteana Morales- vocals
Kemba Russell - Background Vocals, Stick Felix Chen - Bass Duke Mseleku - Tenor Sax Yoshio Tony Kobayashi - Drums Will Jones - Baritone Sax Taku Kuroda - Trumpet Seth Paris - Baritone Sax Ryan Blotnick - Guitar Nikhil Yerawadekar - Guitar
With a furious storm of thundering congas and a tight, blasting horn section, the Akoya Afrobeat takes to the stage an explosion of dance rhythms. Fusing a mixture of African, Afro-Cuban, Jazz, and Funk music, Akoya is New York’s finest example of a musical melting pot. Featuring members from Ghana, Benin, South Africa, Japan and the US this 13-piece ensemble embraces unity and positive vibrations. Armed with original music and an arsenal of songs by Afrobeat founder, Fela Kuti, Akoya consistently brings a new level of dance floor frenzy with every performance. Akoya takes the contributions of Fela Kuti one step further by drawing on their experiences on the New York music community. They have developed a style that incorporates modern improvisation, interesting use of meter and groove as well as utilizing the high level of musicianship inherent in the ensemble's lineup through spontaneity. Rarely does group attempt to bring Fela's music into the 21st century. Akoya not only possesses a fresh and experimental approach to Afrobeat, their live execution is a spectacle to behold.
Thursday May 31
8:30 pm - The Indo-Pak Coalition
Rudresh Mahanthappa - Alto Saxophone
Rez Abbasi - Guitar
Dan Weiss - Tabla
Synthesizing jazz with the astutely improvised musical forms of South Asia, the Indo-Pak Coalition transcends any preconception of Indo-jazz fusion. Led by Indian-American saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, this trio with Pakistani-American guitarist Rez Abbasi and rising tabla star Dan Weiss is already turning heads internationally in both the jazz and world music scenes. Recently awarded the prestigious Guggenheim fellowship Rudresh Mahanthappa is one of the most innovative young musicians and composers in jazz today. Named a Rising Star of the alto saxophone by the Downbeat International Critics Poll for the past four years, #2 in 2006, Rudresh has incorporated the culture of his Indian ancestry and has fused myriad influences to create a truly groundbreaking artistic vision.
10:00 pm - Little Women
Darius Jones - Alto Saxophone
Travis Laplante - Tenor Saxophone
Ben Greenberg - Guitar
Jason Nazary - Drums
"Little Women has a very genuine raucousness. Also though there's a
gorgeous sense of structure. The band - 2 saxes, guitar and drums - works
a lot with these sort of fanfare type themes, often with jagged, proggy
rhythms. For the improvisations, the band atomizes, constantly splitting
up into different mini groups. The guitarist Ben Greenberg...plays with a
crazy snarling tone and extreme volume, giving the music a real attack
feel, and the saxists just completely go for it as well. Tenor player
Travis Laplante has an absolutely huge sound, with an
apocalyptic-free-jazz meets R&B kind of vibe. The set ended with this
amazing coda: the two saxists - the other being the excellent Darius Jones
- took off their mouthpieces and just started basically
ranting/moaning/emoting into their horns, using the keys to fuck with the
sound. It was unsettling and beautiful." - Hank Shteamer
11:30 pm- Zemog El Gallo Bueno
Abraham Gomez-Delgado - Composer, Vocals, Guitar
Alvaro Benavides - Bass, coro
Matt Bauder- tenor Sax, Clarinets
Roberto Rosario - Congas, coro Emilio Valdez- Drumset
Ted Nordlander- Electric guitar
Colin Stetson - Baritone Sax
Oscar Muñozm- Guiara, Guiro, maracas, coro
Taylor Ho-Bynum- Cornet
Zemog El Gallo Bueno plays 21st Century Latin music, reflecting all of the
contradictions and cultural tensions of what it means to be Latin in
America in 2006. Bandleader Abraham Gomez-Delgado, of Peruvian descent,
left his native Puerto Rico as a child and relocated to the US, and as a
result Zemog's music incorporates everything from bomba and plena to Sun
Ra and Van Halen in an uncategorizable, unique sound. Downbeat magazine
says Zemog "does for Afro-Latin music what Tom Waits did for Weillian
cabaret, bringing a madcap energy and willful weirdness to the basic
ingredients and blowing it up with his personality. ...Zemog has developed
an original, satisfying spin on Latin rock that reveals a understanding of
the plena and bomba and a desire to subvert [stereotypical ideas of 'Latin
music']. Gomez-Delgado grounds his group's music in clave rhythms, but
ranges far and wide in his melodic constructions without ever suggesting a
glib mish-mosh of ingredients."
Friday June 1
8:30 pm - Liederkreiss
Judith Berkson - Vocals, Keyboards
Peter Evans - Trumpet
Jacob Garchik - Trombone
Brandon Seabrook - Guitar
Lori Bingel - Bass
John Mclellan - Drums
Judith Berkson's experience ranges from encounters with folk legend
Theodore Bikel and saxophonist Steve Coleman to renditions of the works of
Milton Babbitt to collaborations with Joe Maneri and Osvaldo Golijov. As a
soloist she accompanies her microtonal singing on analog wurlitzer. She
currently teaches a class in microtones as well as harmony and
counterpoint and in addition to performing new music she is a Cantor and
teaches liturgical music at Old Westbury Hebrew Congregation on Long
Island. Liederkreiss features compositions by Judith, written especially
for this group of musicians, which pay homage to bebop, Webern, Eric
Dolphy, and Maria Callas.
10:00 pm - Mat Maneri/Randy Peterson Duo
Mat Maneri - Viola
Randy Peterson - Drums
These two musicians have added something profound and genuine to jazz and
American music. Their shared history runs deep: a relationship that
reaches back almost twenty years from the legendary Joe Maneri groups to
Mat's trio and extended ensembles. Mat has recently been performing in
Paul Motian's ensembles. This set will be their first meeting in two
years, and their first duo performance in four years. They have recorded
as a duo for the No More label on the album Light Trigger, and they can
also be heard on Leo and ECM recordings.
11:30 pm - The Dub Trio
DP Holmes - Guitar, Keys, Dubs
Stu Brooks - Bass, Keys, Dubs
Joe Tomino - Drums, Keys, Dubs
The three gentlemen collectively known as Dub Trio play drums, bass, and
guitar primarily, but the "job description" for each member varies
immensely. In the hands of Joe Tomino, the drums function as a section
unto themselves, not just a single instrument. They can suddenly transform
from machine-like sounds to a big rock assault in an instant, the pulse
never wavering. Joe's inspired moment-to-moment decisions act as the foil
in a three way cat and mouse game that the trio brings to the bandstand.
Stu Brooks delivers the low end like a weapon swinging towards your gut
one moment, and like a playful rump locked in with Joe's groove the next.
Stu changes faces many times in a performance, but never loses the pocket.
DP Holmes is the man who cues a response in the listener. Aggressive,
dreamy, liquid, solid - there is a command of the elements in the guitar
section. The medium becomes the message when the distortion kicks in.
Staying away from cliched genre restrictions, Dub Trio will bring you to
the dance floor, or to tears, or at least give you a peek at the three
minds at work.
Saturday June 2
8:30 pm - The Mark Taylor Quartet
Mark Taylor - French Horn, Composition
Lalo - Vibraphone
Keith Witty - Bass
Brady Miller - Drums
One of the few performers to tackle the notoriously difficult french horn
in jazz and improvised music, Taylor's sound has been described as
"rapturous" and "golden" (Coda Magazine); "as fluid and limpid as (the)
flute, and as gnarly as (the) alto." (JazzTimes). His innovative style has
won him recognition by such legendary artists as Max Roach, who said,
"Mark Taylor is a virtuoso instrumentalist...there is no one dealing with
the french horn or the music the way Mark is doing."
10:00 pm - The Aaron Ali Shaikh Trio
Aaron Ali Shaikh - Alto Saxophone
Michael Formanek - Bass
Randy Peterson - Drums
Aaron Ali Shaikh is moving towards the realization of the saxophone as a
true microtonal instrument, inspired by the Qawwali music of his
Sindhi/South Asian heritage and the American saxophone styles of the early
1900s. In the past decade he has created a personality-based music: an
interpretation of these practices via his emotional memory and life inside
and outside of ensembles. He is one of the most distinctive voices of his
generation - a single note is enough to know who one is listening to. This
evening he is joined by a veteran and very accomplished rhythm section.
This will mark their second performance as a trio.
11:30 pm - Harriet Tubman
Brandon Ross - Guitar
Melvin Gibbs - Bass
JT Lewis - Drums
Harriet Tubman explores electronics and pan-tonality to sculpt a
multidimensional, interactive, sonic language in a "classic" R&B/Rock
configuration of guitar, bass, and drums. Recontextualizing musical
technology to create innovative compositional and cultural spaces is an
important part of the African-American cultural tradition, and Tubman is
dedicated to musical revelation/investigation in the ever-evolving
pan-african vernacular. Harriet Tubman's music reflects a search for
something greater, something incorruptible, something real and void of the
empty superficiality of unexamined living. Content as liberator. Freedom.
Linear Mode
