Ancient to the Future: 40 Years of the AACM

presented by

Ars Nova Workshop and International House Philadelphia

Ancient to the Future is five live jazz concerts showcasing the progression of

the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, Inc. (AACM). Formerly based in Chicago, this collective of black musicians and composers is dedicated

to nurturing, performing and recording original jazz and contemporary music. Celebrating their 40 th Anniversary in 2005, this dynamic collective of visionaries

is now the oldest and most venerable organization of its kind in the US.

Ancient to the Future highlights the remarkable trajectory of these AACM elder statesmen and their pivotal place in jazz history.

Saturday, October 8 at 8:00pm

Roscoe Mitchell Quartet

featuring special guest Muhal Richard Abrams

with Roscoe Mitchell, reeds; Muhal Richard Abrams, piano; Jaribu Shahid, bass;

Tani Tabbal, drums

Roscoe Mitchell’s innovations as a solo performer, his role in the resurrection of long neglected woodwind instruments of extreme register, and his reassertion of the composer in what has traditionally been an improvised form, have placed him at the forefront of contemporary music for over thirty years. He is a founding member of the world renowned Art Ensemble of Chicago and the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians. Born in Chicago. Mitchell started on clarinet and saxophone as a teenager. Later, while serving in the army in Germany, he played in a band with Albert Ayler. Upon his return in the 60s, Mitchell began a number of relationships that would last until this day. Read more

Friday, November 4 at 8:00pm

Anthony Braxton Sextet

with Anthony Braxton, reeds; Taylor Ho Bynum, trumpet; Jay Rozen, tuba; Jessica Pavone, violin; Carl Testa, bass; Aaron Siegel, drums

 

Composer and saxophonist Anthony Braxton attended the Chicago School of Music and Roosevelt University. He is a founding member of Chicago’s Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, formed the Creative Construction Company with violinist Leroy Jenkins and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith and recorded the seminal For Alto, the first-ever recording for solo saxophone. Subsequent collaborations included Circle with Chick Corea and Dave Holland, Italian free improvisation group Musica Elettronica Viva, guitarist Derek Bailey, drummer Max Roach, and pianist Hank Jones. Braxton's steadiest vehicle during the 80s and 90s – and what is often considered his most remarkable ensemble - was his quartet with pianist Marilyn Crispell, bassist Mark Dresser, and drummer Gerry Hemingway.  Read more

Saturday, December 3 at 8:00pm

Wadada Leo Smith’s Golden Quartet

with Wadada Leo Smith, trumpet; Vijay Iyer, piano/Fender Rhodes; John Lindberg, bass; Nasheet Waits, drums

With his dry tone, extended use of silence and abrupt smears of color, Wadada Leo Smith is cast from a different model than most trumpet players. The brass instrument has long been seen as a vehicle for many flashy players as well as subtle coaxers of tone. It would seem then that Smith’s personal and inimitable world of sound stands in firm contrast to the history of the instrument, while his writing embraces the roots, philosophy, and history of many of the music’s poll bearers. Born in Leland, MS, Smith was exposed to the blues early on. The improvisational traditions of the Delta blues survive today intact in his music. He has studied in various programs; the US Military band, Sherwood School of Music, and at Wesleyan University. He is a member of the AACM and was one of it’s first to bring its concepts overseas. Read more

Friday, February 3 at 8:00pm

Ethnic Heritage Ensemble

with Kahil El’Zabar, percussion; Corey Wilkes, trumpet/percussion; Ernest Dawkins, alto/tenor saxophone/percussion

Performing together for over 25 years, the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble was founded by El’Zabar and tenor saxophonist Edward Wilkerson, Jr., who sought to fuse contemporary Afro-American musics with more traditional African instrumentation and rhythms. Featuring Art Ensemble of Chicago trumpeter Corey Wilkes and Ernest Dawkins, founder of the New Horizons Ensemble, the trio’s “harmonically provocative and rhythmically seductive", Chicago Tribune, compositions impart an ancestral wisdom that conjure an energy rarely encountered in contemporary music.

+ Leroy Jenkins/Myra Melford Duo

with Leroy Jenkins, violin; Myra Melford, piano

Leroy Jenkins founded one of the first of many AACM ensembles, Creative Construction Company, in the late 60’s (with Braxton, Smith and Steve McCall). In 1970, this group provided New York City with its first performance of any AACM ensemble, taking what had previously been confined to Chicago into the national circuit. Jenkins has performed with Archie Shepp, Albert Ayler, and Alice Coltrane, but it was his work with the Revolutionary Ensemble

(co-founded with bassist Sirone and drummer Jerome Cooper) that gained Jenkins’ prominence as the most significant violinist of the modern era. For this performance he is joined by the innovative

and thoughtful pianist Myra Melford, who has collaborated with Han Bennink, Dave Douglas and Joseph Jarman.

Friday, March 17 at 8:00pm

Henry Threadgill’s Zooid

with Henry Threadgill, alto saxophone/flute/bass flute; Liberty Ellman, acoustic guitar; Rubin Kodheli, cello; Dana Leong, cello; Jose Davila, tuba; Elliot Humberto Kavee, drums

 

Henry Threadgill’s Zooid (a “zooid” is an organic cell capable of independent movement or several cells forming a colony) creates some of today’s most peculiar and adventurous music. With bizarre instrumentation and voicings, Threadgill’s compositions are visceral and compelling, and incorporate his experiences with gospel, blues, world and marching band music. Residing at the forefront of creative music for the past quarter of a century, Threadgill received the Best Composer honors in Down Beat magazine’s International Jazz Critic's Poll in 1991, 1990, 1989 and 1988, when he placed in 11 categories and had two albums nominated as Record of the Year. His late-70s ensemble Air (with Fred Hopkins and Steve McCall) is one of the AACM's most legendary collectives.

About Ars Nova Workshop

 

 

Founded in 2000 by Mark Christman, Ars Nova Workshop encourages support and greater understanding of creative, improvised and experimental music (also known as free jazz or avant-garde). Ars Nova Workshop programs events in alternative spaces showcasing divergent traditions/perspectives and challenges creative ambitions. As a consequence, Ars Nova hopes to develop and engage audiences while contributing to the preservation and advancement of progressive music, art and social movements.

Ancient to the Future is made possible by a grant from the Philadelphia Music Project, an Artistic Initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts, administered by The University of the Arts. Funding for some concerts provided in part through Meet The Composer's Creative Connections Program.

International House Philadelphia and Ars Nova Workshop acknowledges the generous support of Delmark Records, ECM Records, Mutable Music, Philadelphia City Paper,

Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, Pi Recordings, Sheraton University City,

WPRB 103.3 FM and WRTI 90.1 FM.