Here's something you might be interested in.
Jan. 13, at the Neurosciences Institute in La Jolla, represents the opportunity for a once-in-a-lifetime jazz experience for San Diego music fans.
FIRDAY THE 13th IMPROVISERS SUMMIT. That's what they are calling this group led by the legendary Dutch drummer Han Bennink, who has been at the forefront of the European improvised music community since the 1960s.
Bennink first gained global notoriety in 1964, when he appeared on the final Eric Dolphy recording session Last Date. Soon, Bennink would be in collaboration with some of the most adventurous players on the other side of the pond, like guitarist Derek Bailey, pianist Misha Mengelberg, and caterwauling saxophonist Peter Brotzmann.
In 1967, he co-founded the important collective Instant Composers Pool which has gathered the most important of the European free improvisers for concerts and recordings.
Bennink is sort of a free jazz Art Blakey, because no matter how weird he might get, his "time" playing is rock solid. He enjoys making music on "found-objects," often drumming on the stage floor or on pieces of "junk" he finds backstage. A favorite trick is to put one drum stick in his mouth, striking it with the other.
He will be joined by former San Diegan violin/violist Mary Oliver, along with contrabass virtuoso Mark Dresser and the startlingly original trombonist Michael Dessen.
"This concert will be a lot of fun, and would be a great introduction to improvised music to anyone who hasn't experienced it before. Han is one of the real masters of improvisation, with an infectious sense of play and creativity. He's a fantastic drummer, but is never trapped inside any boxes--he's the kind of person who can make riveting music out of anything he finds lying around," says Dessen.
"Mary Oliver is a wonderful violinist and violist. I first met her in the late '80s when she was a grad student at UCSD and was working with George Lewis. She's been living in Amsterdam nearly 20 years and has integrated totally with the thriving jazz and improvised music scene," says Dresser, adding, "I've played together with Han and Mary several times over the past years and it's always a joy. Han Bennink is a force of nature, and for any one who hasn't seen him it's a must. He is without a doubt one of the great living drummers, period."
If you love jazz and improvised music, this is one of those concerts you can't afford to miss. A guy like Han Bennink doesn't make it out to San Diego very often, and the Boston Herald said Dresser "... may be the most important bassist to emerge since 1980 in jazz or classical music." Dessen, according to AllAboutJazz, has, "His own distinct style, one that values nuanced gestures as highly as it does exuberance." Although I haven't experienced her playing personally, my bet is that Oliver can hang with these cats as well.
Don't waste this rare opportunity to catch four internationally acclaimed artists creating, in the moment.
The Neurosciences Institute is located at 10640 John Jay Hopkins Drive. The concert begins at 8 p.m.
Photo courtesy Michael Dessen
Jan. 13, at the Neurosciences Institute in La Jolla, represents the opportunity for a once-in-a-lifetime jazz experience for San Diego music fans.
FIRDAY THE 13th IMPROVISERS SUMMIT. That's what they are calling this group led by the legendary Dutch drummer Han Bennink, who has been at the forefront of the European improvised music community since the 1960s.
Bennink first gained global notoriety in 1964, when he appeared on the final Eric Dolphy recording session Last Date. Soon, Bennink would be in collaboration with some of the most adventurous players on the other side of the pond, like guitarist Derek Bailey, pianist Misha Mengelberg, and caterwauling saxophonist Peter Brotzmann.
In 1967, he co-founded the important collective Instant Composers Pool which has gathered the most important of the European free improvisers for concerts and recordings.
Bennink is sort of a free jazz Art Blakey, because no matter how weird he might get, his "time" playing is rock solid. He enjoys making music on "found-objects," often drumming on the stage floor or on pieces of "junk" he finds backstage. A favorite trick is to put one drum stick in his mouth, striking it with the other.
He will be joined by former San Diegan violin/violist Mary Oliver, along with contrabass virtuoso Mark Dresser and the startlingly original trombonist Michael Dessen.
"This concert will be a lot of fun, and would be a great introduction to improvised music to anyone who hasn't experienced it before. Han is one of the real masters of improvisation, with an infectious sense of play and creativity. He's a fantastic drummer, but is never trapped inside any boxes--he's the kind of person who can make riveting music out of anything he finds lying around," says Dessen.
"Mary Oliver is a wonderful violinist and violist. I first met her in the late '80s when she was a grad student at UCSD and was working with George Lewis. She's been living in Amsterdam nearly 20 years and has integrated totally with the thriving jazz and improvised music scene," says Dresser, adding, "I've played together with Han and Mary several times over the past years and it's always a joy. Han Bennink is a force of nature, and for any one who hasn't seen him it's a must. He is without a doubt one of the great living drummers, period."
If you love jazz and improvised music, this is one of those concerts you can't afford to miss. A guy like Han Bennink doesn't make it out to San Diego very often, and the Boston Herald said Dresser "... may be the most important bassist to emerge since 1980 in jazz or classical music." Dessen, according to AllAboutJazz, has, "His own distinct style, one that values nuanced gestures as highly as it does exuberance." Although I haven't experienced her playing personally, my bet is that Oliver can hang with these cats as well.
Don't waste this rare opportunity to catch four internationally acclaimed artists creating, in the moment.
The Neurosciences Institute is located at 10640 John Jay Hopkins Drive. The concert begins at 8 p.m.
Photo courtesy Michael Dessen