***THIS PAGE IS NOT PUBLIC***
Jaimie Branch's Fly or Die! + Not the Wind, Not the Flag
NOT THE WIND, NOT THE FLAG
Multi-instrumentalist duo Colin Fisher (guitar, saxophone, percussion etc.) and Brandon Valdivia (percussion, flutes, thumb pianos etc.) have cultivated a specific sonic chemistry over their fifteen years of performing together. Audibly informed by the outer reaches of spiritual jazz their sound also delves beyond into a panoply of eclectic influences from ferocious psychedelia to ambient tranquility, as evidenced in live collaborations with the likes of Laraaji and William Parker. Valdivia and Fisher's separate pursuits also nourish the ensemble's special sound. After touring as part of Caribou's 'Vibration Ensemble', Fisher has appeared on the project's latest outing Suddenly. He's also released records on Astral Spirits, Jeremy Greenspan's Geej Records, and Mancunian cassette label Tombed Visions. Valdivia continues to perform solo as Mas Aya, works with leading theatre artists such as Beatriz Pizano, and Diana Tso, and collaborates with imaginative Colombian-Canadian singer and composer Lido Pimienta. Both also perform in the trio I Have Eaten The City, whose release Secret Paths was listed among the Quietus' best tapes of 2014.
JAIMIE BRANCH'S FLY OR DIE
Jaimie Branch's Fly Or Die assembles some of the most passionate and innovative American jazz musicians of our time and moulds them into a fierce and brazenly political whole. Branch's primal trumpet cries and idiosyncratic vocals lead the band where she's flanked by cellist Lester St. Louis, bassist Jason Ajemian, and Chad Taylor on drums and percussion. Last year's Fly or Die II: Bird Dogs of Paradise — much of which consists of live recordings — offers a poignant reflection of the uneasy tenor of the American political landscape and was praised in the Wire's Top 50 of 2019, the Guardian, and elsewhere.
Lee/ Palmer/ Bennett + Ivo Perelman + Les Filles de Illighadad
LEE/PALMER/BENNETT (Hamilton)
With its “chamber jazz” lineup of tenor & soprano saxophone (Connor Bennett), electric guitar (Chris Palmer) and double bass (David Lee), the exciting new trio, Lee/ Palmer/ Bennett, has made a special niche for itself in Hamilton’s expanding new music scene. Radical New Zealand guitarist Palmer, saxophonist Bennett (known for his work in Haolin Munk and Eschaton) and bassist David Lee (veteran of such groups as Eric Stach, the Artists Jazz Band, and the Bill Smith Ensemble) take a variety of new approaches to planning and devising an especially focused and mature style of group improvisation. Acoustic music with electric intensity!
IVO PERELMAN SOLO
Appraisals of the São Paulo-born Perelman's unique saxophone approach range from “tremendously lyrical” (Gary Giddins) to “a leather-lunged monster with an expressive rasp, who can rage and spit in violence, yet still leave you feeling heartbroken” (The Wire). His perpetual thirst for new colours and ideas has led him in a number of exciting directions throughout his career, spurring his much-touted exuberance. In addition to cultivating creative bonds with the likes of William Parker, Joe Morris and Matthew Shipp (with whom he will perform), his expansive discography includes upwards of 50 titles. He's also devoted significant energy to researching the pre-valve natural trumpet of the 17th century, which has aided him to discover agility in the tenor saxophone’s tricky altissimo range. He's also a visual artist, whose paintings and sketches have been both exhibited and collected.
LES FILLES DE ILLIGHADAD
Hailing from rural Niger, Les Filles de Illighadad have risen to international prominence as some of the foremost ambassadors of Tuareg music worldwide. Founder Fatou Seidi Ghali is alleged to be the first professional female guitarist to have emerged from the cultural group and brings her own unique voice to the so-called "Desert Blues" genre. Since their 2016 self-titled debut on Sahel Sounds, they've continued to cultivate their own singular take on the Saharan guitar sound described "heavy, meditative, and tender" by the New Yorker's Amanda Petrusich.
Imaginary Percussion Ensemble + Mars Williams & Tollef Østvang + Dave Douglas’ Marching Music
IMAGINARY PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE
Imaginary Percussion Ensemble is the brainchild of gifted Toronto percussionist and composer Germaine Liu, and features two of the city's other foremost sonic imaginations, Joe Sorbara and Mark Zurawinski. The ensemble’s music is rooted in a deep concern for gesture, for physicality, for tactility—invested in performance as visceral exploration and co-creation, performance as an ongoing process of (re)discovering ideas and vocabulary; always in the hope of creating an inviting and inclusive space for audience and participants. Tom Beedham of Exclaim! touted their set at the 2017 X-Avant Festival as "an evening highlight," adding that their work "repeatedly challenged any academy-set definitions of just what constitutes an instrument or a musical practice."
MARS WILLIAMS & TOLLEF ØSTVANG
Chicago's Mars Williams might be most visible as a member of the Psychedelic Furs, but his career as a saxophonist is a total anomaly, spanning recordings with Hal Russell on ECM to appearances with Ministry, a featured artist slot at fable free jazz institution the Moers festival, to Grammy nominations with Liquid Soul. His duo with Norwegian drummer Tollef Østvang is suitably dynamic and peculiar, juxtaposing spacious sonic exploration with duo electricity that nods in the direction of Interstellar Space.
tollefostvang.com/project/mars-williamstollef-ostvang
DAVE DOUGLAS’ MARCHING MUSIC
Prolific NYC trumpeter, composer and educator Dave Douglas' practice is best summarized by one trait: wild diversity. His array of current projects include many crucial players in today's exploratory music landscape, among them Anna Webber, Tomeka Reid, Bill Laswell, Shigeto, Uri Caine, and Andrew Cyrille. Having received such distinctions as a Doris Duke Artist Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, an Aaron Copland award, and two Grammy Award nominations, Douglas has also composed for the Trisha Brown Dance Company, Essen Philharmonie, and served as artistic director of the Banff Centre's Jazz and Creative Music workshop.
Marching Music is a direct outgrowth of today's uncertain political climate, conceived as "music you could have in your headphones when you attend Climate Marches, Demonstrations for Equal Rights, Voting Rights Movements, and all other actions towards a just society." This dynamic quartet sees Douglas alongside young guitarist Rafiq Bhatia (Vijay Iyer, Valgeir Sigurðsson, Moses Sumney), stalwart bassist Melvin Gibbs (Rollins Band, Vernon Reid, Sonny Sharrock, Arto Lindsay) and powerhouse drummer Sim Cain (Rollins Band, Greg Ginn, Elliott Sharp).
David Rempis & Tyler Damon + Fog Brass Band + Mars Williams & Tollef Østvang
DAVID REMPIS & TYLER DAMON
Something Else! hosted fiery drummer Tyler Damon in 2016 alongside Tashi Dorji and Mette Rasmussen. He now returns with four-time Zula Presents alumnus, saxophonist Dave Rempis (Chicago). Damon's extensive vocabulary behind the kit has positioned him as an important figure in the American underground—accompanying acts like Circuit Des Yeux (Drag City) and guitarist Sarah Louise (Thrill Jockey) while remaining deeply invested in spontaneous playing. Rempis' ubiquity matches his prowess — he was a member of Vandermark 5, and has also performed and recorded with the like Joe McPhee, Peter Brötzmann, Tomeka Reid, Joshua Abrams, Chris Corsano and Nate Wooley. The pair comprise two thirds of the trio Kuzu alongside Dorji, and have released albums on Astral Spirits and Rempis' own Aerophonic imprint.
www.daverempis.com / www.tylerdamon.com
FOG BRASS BAND
Fog is Toronto-based composer and trumpeter Rebecca Hennessy's tribute to New Orleans blending celebratory brass band arrangements with the modern jazz intricacy. As a leader and co-leader, Hennessy has released seven albums, toured worldwide and recorded/ performed alongside everyone from Adele to Ab Baars. Fog's frontline positions her between Jay Burr on tuba, and Tom Richards on trombone. Their bold hues are anchored by Don Scott's energetic electric guitar, Tania Gill's unmistakable pianism and drummer Nico Dann's sturdy but pliable time. Since 2014 the band has been showcasing their unique, circuitous journey back to jazz's origin, with detours through funky blues, old-timey country, Balkan folk and even raucous fusion. Along the way they've gathered nominations for the TD Grand Prix De Jazz at the Montreal Jazz Festival and the TD Halifax Jazz Festival's Singray Rising Star Award.
MARS WILLIAMS & TOLLEF ØSTVANG
Chicago's Mars Williams might be most visible as a member of the Psychedelic Furs, but his career as a saxophonist is a total anomaly, spanning recordings with Hal Russell on ECM to appearances with Ministry, a featured artist slot at fable free jazz institution the Moers festival, to Grammy nominations with Liquid Soul. His duo with Norwegian drummer Tollef Østvang is suitably dynamic and peculiar, juxtaposing spacious sonic exploration with duo electricity that nods in the direction of Interstellar Space.
Imagine the Sound + Brass Knuckle Sandwich + Q & A
RON MANN & BILL SMITH present Imagine The Sound
Imagine the Sound (1981) was Ron Mann's directorial debut and remains the definitive cinematic portrait of early experimental jazz. Shot in Toronto, it features some of creative music's greatest protagonists Paul Bley, Bill Dixon, Archie Shepp, and Cecil Taylor. The film lovingly reveals each player's particular playing approach and philosophy through rousing and vividly captured performances as well as cogent and candid interviews. Since this film Mann has delivered now-classic documentaries such as Grass and Comicbook Confidential, yet Imagine the Sound maintains its iconic status through raw yet beautiful photography, and insightful questions posed by Coda Magazine/ Sackville Records head honcho Bill Smith, the film's co-producer. Both will be on hand to present and discuss the film in a Q&A session following the screening.
BRASS KNUCKLE SANDWICH
Brass Knuckle Sandwich is the duo of Nicole Rampersaud (trumpet) and Marilyn Lerner (piano), two of Canada's most celebrated creative musicians. Rampersaud's singular vision and sly virtuosity on her instrument made her an intriguing inaugural composer-in-residence at EVERYSEEKER (fka OBEY Convention) last year. Her keen textural imagination is a major part of outfits like Brodie West's Eucalyptus and c_RL with Allison Cameron and Germaine Liu. Meanwhile, brilliant keyboard colourist Marilyn Lerner is among the country's most imaginative and eclectic performers with a practice that spans everything from bold spontaneous playing to klezmer. Lerner's music was once touted by the Penguin Guide to Jazz as demanding "a far wider hearing than it has so far received... Brilliant!"
Silvervest + Matthew Shipp & Ivo Perelman
Vitae aliquet nec ullamcorper sit amet risus nullam eget. Venenatis tellus in metus vulputate. Mauris pellentesque pulvinar pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus. A pellentesque sit amet porttitor eget dolor morbi. Suspendisse ultrices gravida dictum fusce. Vehicula ipsum a arcu cursus. Nibh nisl condimentum id venenatis a condimentum vitae sapien pellentesque.
Susie Ibarra + Eve Egoyan
SUSIE IBARRA
Filipina-American composer, percussionist, and sound artist Susie Ibarra has been a vital voice in experimental music for more than twenty years. Weaving a fluid approach to the drum kit with elements drawn from Pinoy musical traditions, her music has also been performed by leading contemporary music interpreters such as Kronos Quartet, Claire Chase, and PRISM Saxophone Quartet & Percussion and documented by labels such as Tzadik, Incus, and Thrill Jockey. Having engaged with collaborators spanning Yo La Tengo to David S. Ware, she also scored the Sean Devlin film When the Storm Fades and generated multimedia game piece Fragility: An Exploration of Polyrhythms for Asia Society. Ibarra is a 2019 United States Artist Fellow in Music, a Senior TED Fellow, and a 2018 Asian Cultural Council Fellow. Since 2012, she has been a faculty member at Bennington College where she teaches percussion, performance, improvisation, and art intervention.
EVE EGOYAN
Toronto-based, internationally-acclaimed pianist Eve Egoyan is one of the most active interpreters of music by living composers. Known for collaborations that span John Oswald to Linda Catlin Smith, Maria de Alvear to Michael Finnissy, her recording of the late Ann Southam's Simple Lines of Enquiry garnered glowing appraisals from the Wire, Maclean's, and the New Yorker's Alex Ross, who listed it among 10 Exceptional Recordings of 2009. She joins this year's festival with a program that draws upon her fascinating and idiosyncratic repertoire following featured appearances at Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Other Minds, Klangspuren (Austria), Transart (Italy), and Toronto's Luminato.
On the Edge: Improvisation in Music (Episodes 3 & 4) + Eyevin Trio + Q & A
ON THE EDGE
Broadcast in 1992, On The Edge is a 4-part miniseries about improvisation in music -- in all of its forms. Written by improvising British guitarist Derek Bailey and based on his book 'Improvisation: Its Nature and Practice in Music', the program admirably includes everything from traditional Korean music to French Catholic liturgical organ performance to downtown New York free jazz.
EYEVIN TRIO
Québecois outfit Eyevin Trio is drummer Ivan Bamford's loving homage to composer and saxophonist Thomas Chapin, a vital contributor to the American avant-jazz ecosystem whose vision was cut short by his untimely death from leukemia. The group — featuring bassist Stéphane Diamantakiou and reedsman Aurelien Tomasi explores Chapin's rich repertoire alongside original compositions, animating them in spirit and through Chapin's own saxophone. In October 2019, they were awarded the Prix François Marcaurelle for best concert at 20th edition of the OFF Festival de Jazz de Montréal.
GlassEyeLashes / Earth, Wind & Choir + Matthew Shipp + Togetherness!
GLASSEYELASHES
While a healthy number of song-based projects have successfully merged the wayward and soulful, Hamiltonian pop surrealists Glasseyelashes make an utterly distinct contribution to the lineage. Grounded by the longtime musical partnership of Sarah Good (guitar and voice) and Annie Shaw (keyboards and voice) the duo more recently expanded to welcome the ubiquitous Becky Katz. Each member is voraciously prolific, contributing to a number of the city's recent most adventurous and peculiar musical acts and community initiatives including Earth, Wind, and Choir, Freaky Boos, Strangewaves, Sourpussy, and Pucumber Sasssquach Family Band, while gathering Hamilton Arts Awards, and appearing at local institutions such as Supercrawl and the HPO's What Next? Festival. Glasseyelashes' music gleefully and irreverently mashes together the ramshackle rock of early Red Krayola or the Raincoats' The Odyshape, with the agile ethereality of artists such as Jane Siberry and Mary Margaret O'Hara.
glasseyelashes.bandcamp.com/music
EARTH WIND & CHOIR (Hamilton)
This ever-evolving local vocal institution introduced their fun, adventurous sound some ten ten years ago. Conductress Sarah Good plays the choir of 15-20 dedicated creative vocalists like an instrument, presenting idiosyncratic takes on the most beautiful, ugly and/or interesting music the group can find—from early polyphony to avant-pop.
facebook.com/earthwindandchoir
MATTHEW SHIPP
Pluralistic pianist and composer Matthew Shipp fell in love with jazz at 12 years old. Moving to New York in 1984, he quickly became one of the city's key figures, joining the David S. Ware Quartet and Roscoe Mitchell's Note Factory before shifting his focus over to his own work which has taken a number of forms over the years. In the 90's he released a string of potent chamber-jazz discs with Hatology, before serving as curator/ director of Thirsty Ear's Blue Series, which saw him presenting and performing within a number of radical partnerships. His output has encompassed everything from fierce torrential playing to the meditative and has crossed into a wide array of musical aesthetics including hip-hop, abstract electronica, and modern composition. He's collaborated with such luminaries as Rashied Ali, Mat Maneri, Evan Parker, John Butcher, Anti-Pop Consortium, and J. Spaceman (of Spiritualized)and others. Garnering rhapsodic praise in countless publications, his champions have variously touted his work as "further evidence of his idiosyncratic genius" (Jazziz) and "monumental [...] galvanic as ever" (Chicago Tribune)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Shipp
TOGETHERNESS!
Trumpeter Ellwood Epps' Togetherness! is nothing short of a Montréal supergroup, offering bold uplifting renditions of repertoire by Abdullah Ibrahim, Dudu Pukwana, Don Cherry, and, among others, Epps himself. Formed in 2016, the band includes lauded saxophonist and musique actuelle innovator Jean Derome, Guelph Jazz Festival artistic director Scott Thomson (trombone), bassist Stéphane Diamantakiou and drummer Ivan Bamford (Land of Kush/ Eyevin). They've made appearances at the Montreal Jazz Festival and at a previous iteration of Something Else!, this joyous, swinging group has won audiences over with driving South African-inspired grooves that veer in surprising directions.
On the Edge: Improvisation in Music (Episodes 1 & 2) + So Long Seven + Q & A
ON THE EDGE
Broadcast in 1992, On The Edge is a 4-part miniseries about improvisation in music -- in all of its forms. Written by improvising British guitarist Derek Bailey and based on his book 'Improvisation: Its Nature and Practice in Music', the program admirably includes everything from traditional Korean music to French Catholic liturgical organ performance to downtown New York free jazz.
SO LONG SEVEN
Ravi Naimpally tabla
Tim Posgate banjo
Neil Hendry guitar
William Lamoureux violin
“What could be more Canadian than the multicultural mashup music of the Toronto quartet called So Long Seven? The band consists of expert players on banjo, tabla, violin and guitar fusing the inspirations of India, West Africa, Spain and Brazil to make dynamic and intriguing original music that draws on folk, chamber music and jazz...”
— PETER HUM, OTTAWA CITIZEN
“Of all the recordings I’ve received in 2016, the debut effort from SO LONG SEVEN was certainly one of the most impressive. Calling this “Original Music” is an understatement: Banjo, Violin, Guitar and Tabla might look strange on paper, but it sure works in reality! This fuse of world music and cinematic jazz is truly exciting and is one of my top three picks of 2016.”
— JAYMZ BEE, JAZZ FM
