Sunday, February 10 at 8pm

Ars Nova Workshop in Residence

Bloodcount

with Tim Berne, alto saxophone; Chris Speed, tenor saxophoneclarinet; Michael Formanek, contrabass; Jim Black, drums

Join us for the return of Tim Berne's Bloodcount, making one of their first appearances in nearly 10 years.

Alto saxophonist Tim Berne moved to New York in 1974, sought Julius Hemphill out, and entered into an apprenticeship with the elder musician. In 1979, Berne began issuing his own albums on his Empire label and over the next five years he would record and distribute five albums under his own name which included such musicians as Olu Dara, Paul Motian, John Carter, Nels Cline and Bill Frisell. Following two recordings for the Italian Soul Note label, Berne recorded Fulton Street Maul and Sanctified Dreams for Columbia Records. These recordings coincided with an increasingly active worldwide touring schedule.

Bloodcount certainly stands as one of the highlights of Tim Berne's multifaceted musical career. The band was one of Berne's principal creative outlets during the 1990s and a fertile ground for his unique compositional and improvisational approaches. For much of the decade, Bloodcount retained the stable lineup of alto and baritone saxophonist Berne, bassist Michael Formanek, tenor saxophonist and clarinetist Chris Speed, and drummer Jim Black, and the foursome's high level of musical empathy was characteristic of the best long-term working ensembles.

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