Anti-Jazz: The New Thing Revisited

Co-presented by Ars Nova Workshop

In 1961, Down Beat magazine published a review of a John Coltrane performance referring to the music as "anarchistic" and as "a horrifying demonstration of what appears to be a growing anti-jazz trend." This review documented one of the most controversial moments in the history of jazz: the advent of Free Jazz or "The New Thing." 

 

IHP and ANW's fifth concert series,  Anti-Jazz: The New Thing Revisited, celebrates the 50-year trajectory of Free Jazz. The series, while bearing in mind landmark contributions such as Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz and John Coltrane's Ascension, is a glimpse at the current state of the phenomenal Free Jazz continuum featuring many of the founding visionaries and iconoclasts - including the Sun Ra Arkestra, Bill Dixon, Bobby Bradford and the Art Ensemble of Chicago - along with an emerging generation of distinguished instrumentalists. 

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Sun Ra Arkestra

under the direction of Marshall Allen

Marshall Allen, alto saxophone + Electronic Valve Instrument; Yah Yah Abdul-Majid, tenor saxophone; Knoel Scott, alto saxophone; Danny Ray Thompson, baritone saxophone; Farid Barron, piano; Fred Adams, trumpet; Michael Ray, trumpet; Cecil Brooks, trumpet; Dave Davis, trombone, French horn + tuba; Dave Hotep, electric guitar; Bill Davis, double-bass; Wayne A Smith, Jr, drums; Lamont Smith, conga drum; Elson Nascimento, surdo (personnel subject to change)

Join us for this special and spectacular Halloween performance of the Sun Ra Arkestra. Founded in 1958 under the leadership of Sun Ra, the Arkestra pioneered a unique brand of afro-futurism, forging intersecting musical pathways that explore outer space and Egyptian mythology. Drawing on the work of Duke Ellington and Fletcher Henderson, the Arkestra are pioneers of the bop-derived avant-garde and collective improvisation. Their work has had tremendous impact on scores of musicians including MC5, Sonic Youth and George Clinton.

Following influential tenures in Chicago and New York City, Sun Ra and the Arkestra relocated to Philadelphia in 1968, where they continue their commitment to the study, research and development of Sun Ra's musical precepts. Following the ascension of Sun Ra in 1993 and John Gilmore in 1995, Maestro Marshall Allen (b. 1924) has launched the Sun Ra Arkestra into a dimension beyond that of mere "ghost" band by writing fresh arrangements of Sun Ra's music, as well as composing new music and arrangements for the Arkestra.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Bill Dixon with Rob Mazurek’s Exploding Star Orchestra

Rob Mazurek, cornet + computer; Bill Dixon, trumpet; John Herndon, drums; Josh Abrams, double-bass; Jeff Parker, electric guitar; Nicole Mitchell, flute + voice; Jeb Bishop, trombone; Jason Adasewicz, vibraphone; Matt Lux, electric bass; Matt Bauder, bass clarinet + tenor saxophone; Mike Reed, drums (personnel subject to change)

A crucial figure in the development of Free Jazz, trumpeter Bill Dixon (b. 1925) was first associated with the ensembles of Cecil Taylor and Archie Shepp, and was one of the main architects of the Jazz Composers Guild. In 1964, he organized the October Revolution in Jazz – "The New Thing"'s equivalent to the Armory Show - introducing Free Jazz to a broader audience. In the late 60s he devoted himself to teaching, creating the Black Music Division at Bennington College, Vermont in 1973. Returning, albeit infrequently, to recording in 1980, Dixon has since collaborated with William Parker and Tony Oxley, among many others.

For this very rare live appearance, Dixon performs with the Exploding Star Orchestra, led by Rob Mazurek, best know for his work with Isotope 217 and Chicago Underground projects in addition to collaborations with Stereolab, Tortoise (members of which are featured in ESO) and Sam Prekop. Featuring some of the most distinctive voices in Chicago's post-rock and jazz communities, the ESO is known for their adventurous and kaleidoscopic performances.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Circulasione Totale Orchestra

Frode Gjerstad, saxophone + clarinet; Sabir Mateen, saxophone, clarinet + flute; Bobby Bradford, cornet; Anders Hana, electric guitar; Lasse Marhaug, electronics; Kevin Norton, vibraphone; Berre Melstad, tuba; Ingebrigt Haker Flaten, double-bass; Nick Stephens, double-bass; Morten J Olsen, electronics + drums; Louis Moholo - Moholo, drums; Paal Nilssen-Love, drums

Influenced by the work of Albert Ayler, Eric Dolphy and John Coltrane, Norwegian saxophonist Frode Gjerstad came to prominence as one of British drummer John Stevens' key collaborators. He's led a trio with William Parker and Hamid Drake, was a founding member of Ultralyd, and performed with Derek Bailey, Han Bennink and Peter Brotzmann. Founded by Gjerstad in 1984, this electro-acoustic and multi-generational large ensemble features some of the most talented improvisers today, including native Philadelphian Sabir Mateen, South African drummer Louis Moholo-Moholo, and members of experimental Norwegian acts The Thing, Jazkamer, MoHa! and Atomic.

Most significantly perhaps is the the inclusion of Bobby Bradford (b.1934), one of the great trumpeters to emerge from the avant-garde. A member of the Ornette Coleman Quartet from 1961 to 1963, it is said that Bradford largely fulfilled the potential of Don Cherry. In his over-60 year career Bradford has collaborated with Eric Dolphy, Wilco’s Nels Cline, David Murray and Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Art Ensemble of Chicago

Roscoe Mitchell, reeds; Hugh Ragin, trumpet; William Parker, double-bass; Famoudou Don Moye, drums + percussion

Founded in 1969, the Art Ensemble of Chicago is the flagship ensemble of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) and one of the most influential collectives in jazz history. Originally comprised of saxophonists Roscoe Mitchell and Joseph Jarman, trumpeter Lester Bowie, bassist Malachi Favors, and later, drummer Famoudou Don Moye, the Art Ensemble of Chicago are pioneers of multi-instrumentalism and, for over 40 years, have given unforgettable performances in which music, ritual and Dadaist theatre are interwoven. Their performances combine elements of jazz’s history and pre-history - music from the sanctified church services, minstrel shows and bawdy houses of late 19th and early 20th century America - with a modernist spirit of experimentation. Join us for this rare visit from one of America’s greatest artistic treasures.

Anti-Jazz: The New Thing Revisited was funded by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage through the Philadelphia Music Project.

We thank the Sheraton University City and WRTI for their support.