Beginning in March and continuing into the summer, the Howland Cultural Center in Beacon, NY will present a monthly series, “Change of the Century – New Jazz for the 21st”, featuring some of the most exciting figures in contemporary music. Organized by local musician, writer and multimedia artist James Keepnews, “Change of the Century” intends to debunk any notion of jazz being an “old,” much less “dead” music. In this new century, artists spanning many generations continue to re-examine and re-invigorate jazz, continually weaving in new influences, formulating new challenges and establishing new standards. Any music that so thoroughly embraces the immediacy of improvisation is by definition a perpetually new music. Come hear the shock of new each month at “Change of the Century”.
The dates and artists being presented in the months to come include:
March 22: Trio X + Rosi Hertlein (Acclaimed collective Trio X featuring multi- instrumentalist and Poughkeepsie native Joe McPhee, bassist Dominic Duval and drummer Jay Rosen, joined for this concert by special guest violinist and vocalist Rosi Hertlein)
April 26: Ingrid Laubrock/Tom Rainey (Wife-and-husband duo of saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock and drummer Tom Rainey sculpt real time, fearlessly adventurous and stunningly executed sonic structures)
May 31: Bad Touch (NYC collective quartet Bad Touch featuring alto saxophonist Loren Stillman, guitarist Nate Radley, organist Gary Versace, and drummer Ted Poor performs original works of remarkable textural variety and daring)
June 29: Ras Moshe/Music Now Extended Unit (NYC multi-instrumentalist Ras Moshe leads his long-running fire music ensemble, with vibraphonist John Pietaro, pianist Chris Forbes, guitarist James Keepnews and drummer Andrew Drury)
Each performance begins at 8 PM. Admission for each concert in the series is $15, and $10 for students and seniors. Tickets will be available at the door each concert evening only. The Howland Cultural Center is located at 477 Main St in Beacon, NY and their telephone number is (845) 831-4988.
Details about the artists and their biographies follow below. For more questions about “Change of the Century,” contact James Keepnews at (212) 353-6971.
March 22: Trio X + Rosi Hertlein
“When they are ‘on,’ the members of Trio X play music that is as good as it gets, and evidence of that is amply abundant.” —Steven Loewy, allmusic.com
The Hudson Valley’s own Joe McPhee joins bassist Dominic Duval and drummer Jay Rosen in this renowned collective, augmented for “Change of the Century” by special guest, violinist and vocalist Rosi Hertlein.
As the 1990s drew to a close, McPhee discovered two like-minded improvisers in bassist Dominic Duval and drummer Jay Rosen. The trio premiered at the Vision Jazz Festival, but the concert went unnoticed by the press; McPhee, Duval and Rosen therefore decided that an apt title for the group would be Trio X.
A number of Trio X recordings, have since been released on the CIMP and CADENCE JAZZ RECORDS labels, and the band has received favorable critical notice for these, as well as for its live concert and festival appearances.
Jay Rosen, “The road less traveled..." about Trio X:
“Who knows where the road will lead and get us. That's very true. Every time Trio X hits the stage neither I nor another two members of the group have any idea of what's going to happen at any given time and that's part of the mystery of it. And that's part of the magic of it also. We don't know what is going to happen but it's always going to be musical. It always going to have a happy end.”
Dominic Duval about Trio X:
“Does the environment and the situation affect the music that Trio X makes?" The moment is the moment - you can't change it. “Whatever happens that day, whatever happened that week becomes more obvious as the music progresses on its own. “I believe that Trio X can play anything or nothing and still make music. Now wether it is accepted is up to the listener. How they perceive what we do. But everything does and can affect us. And in that respect we try to relay that in our music. I don't think it's a conscious effort “I think it's more a subliminal energy that Trio X as a unit puts forth.”
Joe McPhee about music
“... let's hope that the door will always be open. And we will never be complete and will always be in a state of change moving to the next point.”
Joe McPhee:
Since his emergence on the creative jazz and new music scene in the late '60s and early '70s, Joe McPhee has been a deeply emotional composer, improviser, and multi- instrumentalist, as well as a thoughtful conceptualist and theoretician. With a career now spanning over 37 years and more than 60 recordings, Joe McPhee has shown that emotional content and theoretical underpinnings are thoroughly compatible - and in fact, a critically important pairing - in the world of creative improvised music. Some guidance for the uninitiated Joe McPhee listener, from Time Out New York: “... His magical take on avant-garde sax remains one of the wonders of the scene. He still has one of the most beautiful tones on the planet, even when he's reaching for jazz's outer limits." Mr. McPhee can be seen on tour through out the United States, Europe, Canada and Asia.
Dominic Duval:
New Yorker Dominic Duval is one of the finest and most prolific bassists on the contemporary scene, having played and recorded with some of the greatest names in jazz and new music. Duval's continuing tenure with pianist Cecil Taylor's trio has cemented his reputation as one of contemporary music's more important figures. Duval is comfortable and can be seen performing in any number of genres, including modern classical, jazz or music which defies classification. The bassist has performed and recorded with such notables as saxophonists Joe McPhee, Ivo Perelman, Glen Spearman, and Mark Whitecage, composer Pauline Oliveros, trombonist Steve Swell, pianists Joseph Scianni and Michael Stevens, trumpeter Herb Robertson, and drummer Paul Lytton, David S. Ware among many others. Duval leads and co-leads a number of ensembles himself, including the critically-acclaimed C.T. String Quartet, Trio X, “The Wedding Band", and the Dominic Duval String Ensemble. Duval's solo bass CD, Night Bird Inventions, was a Top 10 pick in the Coda Magazine critics poll, and his String Ensemble CD, State of the Art, was chosen one of the year's best in the Jazziz Magazine poll. Mr. Duval can be seen on tour through out the United States, Europe, Canada and Asia.
Jay Rosen:
Jay Rosen has earned a considerable reputation as a first-rate drummer, lending his talents to diverse musical projects. He has performed throughout Europe, Canada and the U.S. and/or recorded with: Mark Whitecage, Paul Smoker, Herb Robertson, James Carter, Anthony Braxton, Jaco Pastorius, Ivo Perelman, Steve Swell, Michael Bisio, William Parker, Roy Campell, Sonny Simmons, Dominic Duval, Joe McPhee, Matt Shipp, Charles Gayle among many others. “Rosen is one of the most accomplished drummers around and his musical acumen is second to none"—-All About Jazz(1/06) “Jay Rosen is a drummer's drummer" —- All Music Guide (2001) “Jay Rosen displays tremendous diversity" —- Cadence (8/97) “Rosen is the most melodic drummer currently working" —- Tone Clusters (12/96) Mr. Rosen can be seen on tour through out the United States, Europe, Canada and Asia.
April 26: Ingrid Laubrock/Tom Rainey (Wife-and-husband saxophone-drums duo)
“German-born saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock has shifted her goalposts since her move to New York – from pensive melodiousness to tough, muscular free-jazz… Laubrock's expanding sound palette is apparent from the smeary tone-bends, pure sounds and Albert Ayleresque spookiness over bumpy brushwork…Rainey is delicately textural or joltingly propulsive as the circumstances shift.” — John Fordham, The Guardian
Two of the most dynamic instrumentalists in modern jazz, the wife-and-husband duo of tenor and soprano saxophonist Laubrock and drummer Rainey sculpt real time, fearlessly adventurous and stunningly executed sonic structures.
Ingrid Laubrock:
Originally from Germany, Ingrid Laubrock has been living in the UK since 1989 and is now residing in Brooklyn. She performed and recorded with: Anthony Braxton, Dave Douglas, Kenny Wheeler, Tim Berne, Mark Helias, Michael Formanek, Mary Halvorson, Tyshawn Sorey, Evan Parker, Steve Beresford, John Edwards, Veryan Weston, Luc Ex, Django Bates’ Human Chain, Evan Parker, The Continuum Ensemble and others. As part of the F- ire Collective, she won the BBC Jazz Award for Innovation in 2004,was nominated for the BBC Jazz Award for ‘Rising Star’ in 2005 and won a Fellowship in Jazz Composition by the Arts Foundation in 2006. She won the 2009 SWR German Radio Jazz Prize the and was one of the final nominees for the 2009 Westfalen Jazz Preis. In 2011 Ingrid was commissioned to compose, rehearse and record for the prestigious New-Jazz Meeting, an annual production by the SWR and an institution since its inception in 1966. Her chosen octet featured Drew Gress, Mary Halvorson, Tom Rainey, Ted Reichman, Liam Noble, Tom Arthurs, Ben Davis and herself, the music will be released on Intakt Records in 2012. Her current groups are Sleepthief, the new octet, the NY based quartet Anti-House and and the collaboration Paradoxical Frog with pianist Kris Davis and drummer Tyshawn Sorey. She is also part of the Tom Rainey Trio, Mary Halvorson’s Septet, Kris’ Davis Quintet, Catatumbo, Haste and Luc Ex’ Sol 6 and Sol 12.
Tom Rainey:
Percussionist Tom Rainey was born in Los Angeles, California in 1957. Since moving to New York City in 1979 he has performed at festivals and clubs throughout North America and Europe with a wide range of artists, including John Abercrombie, Ray Anderson, Tim Berne, Jane Ira Bloom, Ted Curson, Marc Ducret, George Gruntz, David Torn, Mark Helias, Fred Hersch, Andy Laster, Joe Lovano, Carmen McRae, Mike Nock, Simon Nabatov, New and Used, Matthias Schubert, Tom Varner, WDR Big Band, Ken Werner and Denny Zeitlin. Tom Rainey received an National Endowment for the Arts grant to compose and perform a concert of music for percussion and drums featuring Dave Samuels and Arto Tuncboyaci. Rainey’s voluminous recording credits and the artistic caliber of the musicians he’s supported would easily place him on the A-list of drummers closely identified with the New York City modern creative jazz scene roughly from the late ’80s onward. Tom Rainey recorded his debut album as a leader, “Pool School" for Cleanfeed Records in May 2010. The CD also features Mary Halvorson on guitar and Ingrid Laubrock on saxophone. The trio’s follow-up CD “Camino Cielo Echo" was just released on Intakt Records.
May 31: Bad Touch (Acclaimed collective quartet featuring alto saxophonist Loren Stillman, guitarist Nate Radley, organist Gary Versace, and drummer Ted Poor)
“Bad Touch is a young group facing the usual embarrassment of riches. It's looking at 60 or so years of style and temperament in American jazz: soft, fast, loud, slow, in tempo out of tempo, free composed, cluttered, sparse, swinging and non. And it has chosen all of them.” —Ben Ratliff, New York Times
A collective quartet featuring alto saxophonist Loren Stillman, guitarist Nate Radley, organist Gary Versace, and drummer Ted Poor that performs original works of remarkable textural variety and daring.
In a musical age of predominantly solo careers, Bad Touch – alto saxophonist Loren Stillman, guitarist Nate Radley, organist Gary Versace, and drummer Ted Poor – has set out to nurture their identity as a collective. With a shared goal of developing improvised music, these likeminded musicians draw on a wide spectrum of jazz improvisational techniques within original compositions. Bad Touch believes that mutual friendship and commitment yield the most fulfilling musical adventures, and aims for their work to reflect this philosophy. As freelance musicians, each has collaborated, recorded, and traveled internationally with some of the most established names in jazz, including Bill Frisell, Paul Motian, Cuong Vu, Chris Potter, Ben Monder, Billy Hart, John Scofield, Maria Schneider, John Abercrombie, Al Foster and Charlie Haden.
Loren Stillman:
The music of Brooklyn-based saxophonist and composer,Loren Stillman, has found acclaimed reviews in such publications as The New York Times, Downbeat Magazine, Jazziz, Jazz Times, and National Public Radio, marking him as an innovative voice of modern jazz. With his training stemming from Lee Konitz and David Liebman to Harvey Pittel, Stillman has performed, recorded, and educated throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan. Alongside an impressive record of performances, recordings, and master-classes with his own ensembles, Stillman has performed alongside Charlie Haden, Paul Motian Trio 2000+2, Carla Bley, John Abercrombie, Greg Osby, Ralph Alessi, Andy Milne’s DAPP Theory, Michele Rosewoman Quintessence, Eivind Opsvik, John McNeil, Brad Shepik, Russ Lossing, Vic Juris, and The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. An early start to his musical career found Stillman as recipient of two Outstanding Performance Awards (1996 &1998) and the Rising Star Jazz Artist Award (2004) from Down Beat Magazine. Stillman attended Manhattan School of Music (1998) and The New School (2002) on full music scholarship, and was a semifinalist in the 2002 Thelonious Monk Saxophone Competition. In 2005, Stillman received the CMA/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming and the ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Award. Stillman’s original recordings, Winter Fruits (Pirouet 2008) It Could Be Anything (Fresh Sound, 2005), The Brothers’ Breakfast (Steeplechase, 2006), and Blind Date (Pirouet, 2006), received critical acclaim from The New York Times and four star recognition in BBC Jazz Review, Jazz Man Magazine and Downbeat Magazine. Stillman has been featured on WKCR, Weekend America Public Broadcasting, and LIU Radio programming. Stillman endorses AMT Microphones and Vandoren Reeds and Mouthpieces exclusively.
Nate Radley:
Nate Radley is Brooklyn-based guitarist and composer who leads his own group, can be heard with a variety of collaborative projects, and works as a sideman in numerous bands both in the New York area and around the world. Nate’s first cd as a leader “The Big Eyes” came out in January of 2012 on the Fresh Sound/New Talent label. The cd includes nine of his original compositions performed by Nate on guitar, Loren Stillman on saxophone, Pete Rende on fender Rhodes, Matt Pavolka on bass, and Ted Poor on drums. In addition to leading his own band Nate performs frequently with the collaborative band “Bad Touch” which includes Loren Stillman and Ted Poor, as well as Gary Versace on organ. This band has recorded one cd under its own name “Like a Magic Kiss” and a second “Winter Fruits” under the name of the Loren Stillman quartet. Together the band has toured Europe in 2011 and the U.S. in 2009. Nate performs with a variety of groups as a sideman and since moving to New York in 2004 has recorded on over 20 cds. Some of the bands Nate has performed and recorded with include the Alan Ferber Nonet and Large Ensemble, Marc Mommaas’ “Landmarc”, the Jon Gordon group, Akiko Pavolka’s House of Illusion, the Andrew Rathbun ensemble, and the Dave Smith Quartet. Other bandleaders that Nate has performed with include John O’Gallagher, Tony Moreno, John McNeil, David Scott, Tom Beckham, Andy Statman, the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra, Aruan Ortiz, and Eric Rasmussen. Nate also plays regularly with the country band Hope Debates and North Forty. Nate has recorded for labels such as Fresh Sound/New Talent, Sunnyside, Steeplechase, Artistshare, Pirouette, and Tone of a Pitch. He has performed throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe and at jazz festivals such as the North Sea Jazz Festival, the Montreal Jazz Festival, and the Atlanta Jazz Festival. Nate studied jazz guitar and composition at New England Conservatory in Boston, MA where he received a Master’s in Music. He studied with John Abercrombie, Bob Brookmeyer, Jerry Bergonzi, and George Russell. He also has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Chicago. Nate has over ten years teaching experience, and currently teaches jazz guitar, music theory, and jazz ensembles at the Center for Preparatory studies in Music at Queens College and private guitar lessons at the Bloomingdale School of Music. In addition Nate has taught clinics at high schools and universities throughout the Unites States.
Gary Versace:
Since basing himself in New York City in June of 2002, jazz organist, pianist, and accordionist Gary Versace has quickly become one of the busiest and most versatile musicians on the scene, often featured in bands led by musicians such as John Scofield, John Abercrombie, Maria Schneider, Matt Wilson, Lee Konitz, Eliot Zigmund, Scott Wendholt, Joe Magnarelli, Danny Gottlieb, Seamus Blake, John Hollenbeck, Andy LaVerne, Adam Nussbaum, Brad Shepik, Ingrid Jensen, Tim Ries and many others. Versace was voted a “rising star" on the Hammond organ in the last three Downbeat critics polls, and was the subject of a feature article in the July 2004 issue of Keyboard magazine. Versace has been a featured soloist on several critically acclaimed recordings of recent years: accordionist on Maria Schneider's Grammy-winning recordings “Concert in the Garden" and “Sky Blue" and as the pianist on John Hollenbeck's Grammy-nominated large ensemble recording, “A Blessing." Over the past five years, Versace has appeared as a leader for the Criss Cross and SteepleChase labels, and as a sideman on over 50 recordings with artists on various labels including Palmetto, ACT, Omnitone, Songlines, Pirouet, High Note, Justin Time, ArtistShare, Fresh Sound, Kind of Blue, and many others. As a pianist, Versace performed in a two-piano recital with Marian McPartland, and in April of 1999 appeared on her acclaimed National Public Radio program, “Piano Jazz." McPartland has called him “...endlessly inventive...(Versace) really has an extraordinary talent." Gary Versace has a masters degree in music performance from the Eastman School of Music, and spent eight years as a tenured associate professor in the jazz studies department at the University of Oregon. He remains active as a clinician and guest soloist both nationally and around the world.
Ted Poor:
Since moving to New York City in 2003, drummer / composer Ted Poor has quickly established himself as a new voice on the jazz/improvised music scene. Jazz Review writes, “[Ted] has an uncanny ability to shape the music and a refreshingly unique, organic approach to playing the drums.” This unique approach has caught the ears of many of the city's most established musicians. Ted is a regular member of the Ben Monder Quartet, the Cuong Vu Trio and the Jermoe Sabbagh Quartet. In addition, Ted has recently worked as a sideman with Chris Potter, Bill Frisell, Maria Schneider, Kermit Driscoll, Lucia Pulido, Kate McGary, Marc Ducret, David Fiuczynski and John McNeil. Ted has toured extensively as a sideman or leader/guest soloist in Europe, the US, and recently, Korea. Ted grew up outside of Rochester, NY and attended the Eastman School of Music from 1999-2003 (BM '03). While at Eastman, Ted studied drum set with Rich Thompson and percussion with John Beck. While at Eastman Ted formed/joined with several bands that are now active in the NYC area. They include the Respect sextet, Neos, the Ike Sturm Ensemble and Jerseyband. As a leader, Ted has released a debut CD entitled All Around (Trier 2003). Most recently he has formed Third Wheel, a dynamic trio featuring Ben Monder and Ralph Alessi.
June 29: Ras Moshe/Music Now Extended Unit (NYC multi-instrumentalist Moshe leads his long-running fire music ensemble, with vibraphonist John Pietaro, pianist Chris Forbes, guitarist James Keepnews and drummer Andrew Drury)
”Saxophonist Ras Moshe has been gradually making a name for himself as one of the best of the fiery saxophonists of the New York underground.” —Robert Iannapollo, All About Jazz
Ras Moshe: Saxophonist/Poet.
Born and raised in Brooklyn on the 22nd of March 1968. His grandfather(Theodore “Ted" Burnett I,but used “Barnett" professionally) came to Brooklyn from Jamaica in the early 30's after studying music in England. He played Alto & Tenor Saxophones in the bands of Lucky Millinder-Don Redman-Earl Bostic-Jimmy Mundy-Ella Ftizgerald and many others.The drummer Shadow Wilson and the great Don Byas were his closet friends. In the sixties he retired from Jazz and became a born again christian writing many gospel songs. Ras' maternal grandparents came up with many Jazz and Calypso artists in Harlem. Ras played in school bands from the 5th grade throughout High School. He has lots of experience with original roots reggae as well. Some of his musical influences are: John Coltrane-Pharoah Sanders-Miles Davis-Charles Parker-Cecil Taylor-Duke Ellington-Billy Strayhorn-Coleman Hawkins-Sun Ra-Count Ossie-Ras Michael-Cedric “Im" Brooks-Kalaparusha-Evan Parker-Sonny Simmons-Tyrone Washington-Carlos Garnett- Azar Lawrence. For 14 years he has been curating the Music Now series at The Brecht Forum and other locations. This series focuses on artists sharing their music with an audience. Its also an outlet for the different editions for Ras' Music Now Ensembles/Units. He plays with his favorite musicians in different combinations in these ensembles: Rashid Bakr(Charles Downs)-Matt Lavelle-Anders Nilsson-Tor Yochai Snyder-Dave Ross-Shayna Dulberger-Jamal Moore-Jackson Krall-Kyoko Kitamura-Dafna Naphtali-James Keepnews- David Miller-Francois Grillot-Todd Nicholson-Matt Heyner-Steve Swell-Walden Wimberley- Larry Roland-Lewis Barnes...
John Pietaro:
Pietaro has performed with Alan Ginsberg, Karl Berger, Ras Moshe, Amina Baraka, Warren Smith, Fred Ho, Salim Washington, Cheryl Pyle, Matt Lavelle, John Zorn, Frederika Krier, Layne Redmond, Elodie Lauten, Ken Filiano, Erika Dagnino, Pete Seeger, among many others. Pietaro directs several ensembles including THE RED MICROPHONE a radical quartet which fuses free jazz with Left poetry and revolutionary politics; “dissident swing" band RADIO NOIR; and THE DISSIDENT ARTS ORCHESTRA, a shape-shifting large ensemble which performs improvised film scores. Pietaro is also the percussionist with KARL BERGER'S IMPROVISERS ORCHESTRA, and with international poet ERIKA DAGNINO's various American ensembles, and he is an active freelancer. He also acted as front-man of protest song ensemble THE FLAMES OF DISCONTENT.
Chris Forbes:
Chris Forbes, an accomplished classically trained composer, jazz pianist, and music educator, has composed for symphonies, chamber groups, jazz ensembles, and musical theater. His performances and works have been described as “infectious" with “incredible energy and passion." His choral work, Song of the Stars, was featured on National Public Radio's Choral America, and is now available on CD. His musical, RoadRage, was premiered at the IN Series, Washington, DC and called a work of “terror and whimsy" by Theater Review. One of Chris's most recent works, The Sea Lion, a one-act dance theater piece, was commissioned by the American Composers Forum and premiered in Chicago. This classically inspired work was heavily influenced by jazz and world music, meshing different forms of expression to explore uncharted musical ground. It featured a percussion ensemble and improvised solos by acclaimed jazz flautist, Nicole Mitchell. In addition to his commissioned compositions, Chris is a rising star in the New York improvised music scene. He has appeared in venues from Jazz on the Park to the FreeStyle series at CBGB's in the Bowery, The Knitting Factory and mostly recently Roulette. He has collaborated with musicians such as Nicole Mitchell, Matt Lavelle, Ras Moshe, Sabir Mateen Joe McPhee Roy Campbell and Daniel Carter. Projects include a duo with tenor sax sensation Taylor, and the piano chair in the Latin/Free Jazz band Morcilla. He received his training at the Berklee School in Boston and at Juilliard.
James Keepnews:
James Keepnews is a musician, writer, multimedia developer and performance artist. He received a BA in English from Hamilton College and an MFA in Electronic Art from Rensselaer Polytechnic institute. As a musician and composer he has performed and/or recorded with such artists as George Lewis, Joe McPhee, William Parker, Daniel Carter, Charles Gayle, Kidd Jordan, Roy Campbell, Tony Malaby, Hamid Drake, Jason Kao Hwang's Spontaneous River, Ras Moshe, Matt Lavelle, Holland Hopson, The New York Chapter of Crafty Guitarists, Chapter Two, The New York Guitar Project, Brown Cuts Neighbors, Blown Woofer and Lick the President. He has developed and performed with improvised computer-interactive video systems at The Kitchen, Bard College and other venues. His writing has appeared in the New Haven Advocate, Bass Guitar, Fairfield Weekly, Metroland, The Squid's Ear and Reign of Toads. As an independent web and multimedia developer, he has provided services for such clients as IBM, GE, MTV, Prudential, Mellon Bank, Ernst & Young, KPMG, Hertz and at multiple agencies for the City of New York. He lives in Beacon, NY.
Andrew Drury:
Andrew Drury grew up near Seattle and works primarily in avant-jazz and free improvisation, with regular forays into other genres and media. He has performed in Europe and North America, made five CDs as a bandleader, and appeared on over 20 others. He is an acclaimed leader of percussion workshops. Drury began drumming in the sixth grade band at his school on Bainbridge Island, Washington. After spending a summer digging a basement under his parents' house with a shovel and pick he bought a drum set and began taking lessons from Seattle drummer Dave Coleman, Sr. He later studied with Ed Blackwell, Bill Lowe, Bill Barron, and the writer Annie Dillard at Wesleyan University. He is a self-taught composer. Drury performs as a soloist, collaborates with adventurous musicians from around the world, and leads several groups that play his compositions. In addition to groups that he leads and frequent encounters with improvisers from various parts of the world he plays regularly with Jason Kao Hwang, Jessica Lurie, Reuben Radding, the Rat Race Choir, the Steve Swell Trio, TOTEM>, Nate Wooley, Jack Wright, and others. Since 2002 much of Drury's music has been characterized by an exploration of new materials and techniques, and by the use of texture as a central organizing element. He frequently performs using one drum, scraping the head with wood slivers and fingernails, manipulating drum head tension and harmonic patterns with bells, using the drum as an acoustic filter and amplifier for vibrations produced on other objects, and using the drum as a wind instrument. Drury’s wide ranging interests lead him periodically to explore other media and formats. Inspired by the work and writings of visual artist Robert Smithson, Drury performed and photographed over 20 Earth Solos—site specific drum set solos in desert, mountain, prairie, and industrial settings throughout the western US. He co-created a street theater piece that he performed in streets and political rallies in Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Mexico in 1993. In his work with choreographers (Love of the New Gun, Self-Obliteration Companion, etc.) he has created collages of field recordings and percussion samples, with occasional live mixing, percussion, or prepared piano. His music for dance has been presented at DTW, Joyce Soho, NW New Works Festival, and five cities in Romania. Drury has led nearly 1,000 percussion workshops and trainings for music teachers and since 1989. Participants have included people of all ages, backgrounds, and physical abilities in rural and urban areas in schools, prisons, museums, Indian reservations, festivals, villages in Nicaragua and Guatemala, as well as the graduate school of the Columbia University School of Social Work. In 2005 he drummed with homeless people and battered women in ten shelters in Indiana. Following a six-month “Millennium Project" residency with the Oneida Nation in 2000 the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation identified him as “one of the most skilled and experienced community artists in America." Drury has received 18 grants for his work from the NEA, NYSCA, NYFA, the Seattle Arts Commission, the Artist Trust, the Puffin Foundation, and others. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
About the Howland Cultural Center:
Civil War General and shipping magnate Joseph Howland was the chief benefactor of the former Howland Library. He joined with ten other leaders of what was then the village of Matteawan and formed the library in 1872. He also commissioned his brother-in-law, Richard Morris Hunt, to design the new library. Hunt's contribution to our community was one of his earliest works. Norwegian in architectural style, the building is 65'x 40' and has a six-gabled roof covered with Delaware slate. The outside walls are red and black Croton brick interlaid with light Jersey brick. The foundation is of blue stone and Breakneck granite. The ceiling, from floor to dome, measures 33'9" and is supported by hand-wrought Georgia pine columns. The floors are in the three thicknesses, composed of English cane felt laid on hemlock boards to prevent dampness or sound. The floor's top is laid in strips of selected Georgia pine. The original collection of close to 2,200 volumes was open only to subscribers. No smoking, spitting or “indecorous conduct" were allowed according to the library’s first regulations. By the mid 1970s, it was clear the library had outgrown the building and after constructing new facilities moved in 1976. This priceless building with its Norwegian architectural was added to the National Historical Register in 1976. The Howland Cultural Center a non-profit cultural organization along with it's membership maintains the facility and continues to use this rare architectural gem as a showcase for a myriad of community functions as well as regional, national and international cultural events drawing audiences from across the Hudson Valley and beyond.
The dates and artists being presented in the months to come include:
March 22: Trio X + Rosi Hertlein (Acclaimed collective Trio X featuring multi- instrumentalist and Poughkeepsie native Joe McPhee, bassist Dominic Duval and drummer Jay Rosen, joined for this concert by special guest violinist and vocalist Rosi Hertlein)
April 26: Ingrid Laubrock/Tom Rainey (Wife-and-husband duo of saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock and drummer Tom Rainey sculpt real time, fearlessly adventurous and stunningly executed sonic structures)
May 31: Bad Touch (NYC collective quartet Bad Touch featuring alto saxophonist Loren Stillman, guitarist Nate Radley, organist Gary Versace, and drummer Ted Poor performs original works of remarkable textural variety and daring)
June 29: Ras Moshe/Music Now Extended Unit (NYC multi-instrumentalist Ras Moshe leads his long-running fire music ensemble, with vibraphonist John Pietaro, pianist Chris Forbes, guitarist James Keepnews and drummer Andrew Drury)
Each performance begins at 8 PM. Admission for each concert in the series is $15, and $10 for students and seniors. Tickets will be available at the door each concert evening only. The Howland Cultural Center is located at 477 Main St in Beacon, NY and their telephone number is (845) 831-4988.
Details about the artists and their biographies follow below. For more questions about “Change of the Century,” contact James Keepnews at (212) 353-6971.
March 22: Trio X + Rosi Hertlein
“When they are ‘on,’ the members of Trio X play music that is as good as it gets, and evidence of that is amply abundant.” —Steven Loewy, allmusic.com
The Hudson Valley’s own Joe McPhee joins bassist Dominic Duval and drummer Jay Rosen in this renowned collective, augmented for “Change of the Century” by special guest, violinist and vocalist Rosi Hertlein.
As the 1990s drew to a close, McPhee discovered two like-minded improvisers in bassist Dominic Duval and drummer Jay Rosen. The trio premiered at the Vision Jazz Festival, but the concert went unnoticed by the press; McPhee, Duval and Rosen therefore decided that an apt title for the group would be Trio X.
A number of Trio X recordings, have since been released on the CIMP and CADENCE JAZZ RECORDS labels, and the band has received favorable critical notice for these, as well as for its live concert and festival appearances.
Jay Rosen, “The road less traveled..." about Trio X:
“Who knows where the road will lead and get us. That's very true. Every time Trio X hits the stage neither I nor another two members of the group have any idea of what's going to happen at any given time and that's part of the mystery of it. And that's part of the magic of it also. We don't know what is going to happen but it's always going to be musical. It always going to have a happy end.”
Dominic Duval about Trio X:
“Does the environment and the situation affect the music that Trio X makes?" The moment is the moment - you can't change it. “Whatever happens that day, whatever happened that week becomes more obvious as the music progresses on its own. “I believe that Trio X can play anything or nothing and still make music. Now wether it is accepted is up to the listener. How they perceive what we do. But everything does and can affect us. And in that respect we try to relay that in our music. I don't think it's a conscious effort “I think it's more a subliminal energy that Trio X as a unit puts forth.”
Joe McPhee about music
“... let's hope that the door will always be open. And we will never be complete and will always be in a state of change moving to the next point.”
Joe McPhee:
Since his emergence on the creative jazz and new music scene in the late '60s and early '70s, Joe McPhee has been a deeply emotional composer, improviser, and multi- instrumentalist, as well as a thoughtful conceptualist and theoretician. With a career now spanning over 37 years and more than 60 recordings, Joe McPhee has shown that emotional content and theoretical underpinnings are thoroughly compatible - and in fact, a critically important pairing - in the world of creative improvised music. Some guidance for the uninitiated Joe McPhee listener, from Time Out New York: “... His magical take on avant-garde sax remains one of the wonders of the scene. He still has one of the most beautiful tones on the planet, even when he's reaching for jazz's outer limits." Mr. McPhee can be seen on tour through out the United States, Europe, Canada and Asia.
Dominic Duval:
New Yorker Dominic Duval is one of the finest and most prolific bassists on the contemporary scene, having played and recorded with some of the greatest names in jazz and new music. Duval's continuing tenure with pianist Cecil Taylor's trio has cemented his reputation as one of contemporary music's more important figures. Duval is comfortable and can be seen performing in any number of genres, including modern classical, jazz or music which defies classification. The bassist has performed and recorded with such notables as saxophonists Joe McPhee, Ivo Perelman, Glen Spearman, and Mark Whitecage, composer Pauline Oliveros, trombonist Steve Swell, pianists Joseph Scianni and Michael Stevens, trumpeter Herb Robertson, and drummer Paul Lytton, David S. Ware among many others. Duval leads and co-leads a number of ensembles himself, including the critically-acclaimed C.T. String Quartet, Trio X, “The Wedding Band", and the Dominic Duval String Ensemble. Duval's solo bass CD, Night Bird Inventions, was a Top 10 pick in the Coda Magazine critics poll, and his String Ensemble CD, State of the Art, was chosen one of the year's best in the Jazziz Magazine poll. Mr. Duval can be seen on tour through out the United States, Europe, Canada and Asia.
Jay Rosen:
Jay Rosen has earned a considerable reputation as a first-rate drummer, lending his talents to diverse musical projects. He has performed throughout Europe, Canada and the U.S. and/or recorded with: Mark Whitecage, Paul Smoker, Herb Robertson, James Carter, Anthony Braxton, Jaco Pastorius, Ivo Perelman, Steve Swell, Michael Bisio, William Parker, Roy Campell, Sonny Simmons, Dominic Duval, Joe McPhee, Matt Shipp, Charles Gayle among many others. “Rosen is one of the most accomplished drummers around and his musical acumen is second to none"—-All About Jazz(1/06) “Jay Rosen is a drummer's drummer" —- All Music Guide (2001) “Jay Rosen displays tremendous diversity" —- Cadence (8/97) “Rosen is the most melodic drummer currently working" —- Tone Clusters (12/96) Mr. Rosen can be seen on tour through out the United States, Europe, Canada and Asia.
April 26: Ingrid Laubrock/Tom Rainey (Wife-and-husband saxophone-drums duo)
“German-born saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock has shifted her goalposts since her move to New York – from pensive melodiousness to tough, muscular free-jazz… Laubrock's expanding sound palette is apparent from the smeary tone-bends, pure sounds and Albert Ayleresque spookiness over bumpy brushwork…Rainey is delicately textural or joltingly propulsive as the circumstances shift.” — John Fordham, The Guardian
Two of the most dynamic instrumentalists in modern jazz, the wife-and-husband duo of tenor and soprano saxophonist Laubrock and drummer Rainey sculpt real time, fearlessly adventurous and stunningly executed sonic structures.
Ingrid Laubrock:
Originally from Germany, Ingrid Laubrock has been living in the UK since 1989 and is now residing in Brooklyn. She performed and recorded with: Anthony Braxton, Dave Douglas, Kenny Wheeler, Tim Berne, Mark Helias, Michael Formanek, Mary Halvorson, Tyshawn Sorey, Evan Parker, Steve Beresford, John Edwards, Veryan Weston, Luc Ex, Django Bates’ Human Chain, Evan Parker, The Continuum Ensemble and others. As part of the F- ire Collective, she won the BBC Jazz Award for Innovation in 2004,was nominated for the BBC Jazz Award for ‘Rising Star’ in 2005 and won a Fellowship in Jazz Composition by the Arts Foundation in 2006. She won the 2009 SWR German Radio Jazz Prize the and was one of the final nominees for the 2009 Westfalen Jazz Preis. In 2011 Ingrid was commissioned to compose, rehearse and record for the prestigious New-Jazz Meeting, an annual production by the SWR and an institution since its inception in 1966. Her chosen octet featured Drew Gress, Mary Halvorson, Tom Rainey, Ted Reichman, Liam Noble, Tom Arthurs, Ben Davis and herself, the music will be released on Intakt Records in 2012. Her current groups are Sleepthief, the new octet, the NY based quartet Anti-House and and the collaboration Paradoxical Frog with pianist Kris Davis and drummer Tyshawn Sorey. She is also part of the Tom Rainey Trio, Mary Halvorson’s Septet, Kris’ Davis Quintet, Catatumbo, Haste and Luc Ex’ Sol 6 and Sol 12.
Tom Rainey:
Percussionist Tom Rainey was born in Los Angeles, California in 1957. Since moving to New York City in 1979 he has performed at festivals and clubs throughout North America and Europe with a wide range of artists, including John Abercrombie, Ray Anderson, Tim Berne, Jane Ira Bloom, Ted Curson, Marc Ducret, George Gruntz, David Torn, Mark Helias, Fred Hersch, Andy Laster, Joe Lovano, Carmen McRae, Mike Nock, Simon Nabatov, New and Used, Matthias Schubert, Tom Varner, WDR Big Band, Ken Werner and Denny Zeitlin. Tom Rainey received an National Endowment for the Arts grant to compose and perform a concert of music for percussion and drums featuring Dave Samuels and Arto Tuncboyaci. Rainey’s voluminous recording credits and the artistic caliber of the musicians he’s supported would easily place him on the A-list of drummers closely identified with the New York City modern creative jazz scene roughly from the late ’80s onward. Tom Rainey recorded his debut album as a leader, “Pool School" for Cleanfeed Records in May 2010. The CD also features Mary Halvorson on guitar and Ingrid Laubrock on saxophone. The trio’s follow-up CD “Camino Cielo Echo" was just released on Intakt Records.
May 31: Bad Touch (Acclaimed collective quartet featuring alto saxophonist Loren Stillman, guitarist Nate Radley, organist Gary Versace, and drummer Ted Poor)
“Bad Touch is a young group facing the usual embarrassment of riches. It's looking at 60 or so years of style and temperament in American jazz: soft, fast, loud, slow, in tempo out of tempo, free composed, cluttered, sparse, swinging and non. And it has chosen all of them.” —Ben Ratliff, New York Times
A collective quartet featuring alto saxophonist Loren Stillman, guitarist Nate Radley, organist Gary Versace, and drummer Ted Poor that performs original works of remarkable textural variety and daring.
In a musical age of predominantly solo careers, Bad Touch – alto saxophonist Loren Stillman, guitarist Nate Radley, organist Gary Versace, and drummer Ted Poor – has set out to nurture their identity as a collective. With a shared goal of developing improvised music, these likeminded musicians draw on a wide spectrum of jazz improvisational techniques within original compositions. Bad Touch believes that mutual friendship and commitment yield the most fulfilling musical adventures, and aims for their work to reflect this philosophy. As freelance musicians, each has collaborated, recorded, and traveled internationally with some of the most established names in jazz, including Bill Frisell, Paul Motian, Cuong Vu, Chris Potter, Ben Monder, Billy Hart, John Scofield, Maria Schneider, John Abercrombie, Al Foster and Charlie Haden.
Loren Stillman:
The music of Brooklyn-based saxophonist and composer,Loren Stillman, has found acclaimed reviews in such publications as The New York Times, Downbeat Magazine, Jazziz, Jazz Times, and National Public Radio, marking him as an innovative voice of modern jazz. With his training stemming from Lee Konitz and David Liebman to Harvey Pittel, Stillman has performed, recorded, and educated throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan. Alongside an impressive record of performances, recordings, and master-classes with his own ensembles, Stillman has performed alongside Charlie Haden, Paul Motian Trio 2000+2, Carla Bley, John Abercrombie, Greg Osby, Ralph Alessi, Andy Milne’s DAPP Theory, Michele Rosewoman Quintessence, Eivind Opsvik, John McNeil, Brad Shepik, Russ Lossing, Vic Juris, and The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. An early start to his musical career found Stillman as recipient of two Outstanding Performance Awards (1996 &1998) and the Rising Star Jazz Artist Award (2004) from Down Beat Magazine. Stillman attended Manhattan School of Music (1998) and The New School (2002) on full music scholarship, and was a semifinalist in the 2002 Thelonious Monk Saxophone Competition. In 2005, Stillman received the CMA/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming and the ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Award. Stillman’s original recordings, Winter Fruits (Pirouet 2008) It Could Be Anything (Fresh Sound, 2005), The Brothers’ Breakfast (Steeplechase, 2006), and Blind Date (Pirouet, 2006), received critical acclaim from The New York Times and four star recognition in BBC Jazz Review, Jazz Man Magazine and Downbeat Magazine. Stillman has been featured on WKCR, Weekend America Public Broadcasting, and LIU Radio programming. Stillman endorses AMT Microphones and Vandoren Reeds and Mouthpieces exclusively.
Nate Radley:
Nate Radley is Brooklyn-based guitarist and composer who leads his own group, can be heard with a variety of collaborative projects, and works as a sideman in numerous bands both in the New York area and around the world. Nate’s first cd as a leader “The Big Eyes” came out in January of 2012 on the Fresh Sound/New Talent label. The cd includes nine of his original compositions performed by Nate on guitar, Loren Stillman on saxophone, Pete Rende on fender Rhodes, Matt Pavolka on bass, and Ted Poor on drums. In addition to leading his own band Nate performs frequently with the collaborative band “Bad Touch” which includes Loren Stillman and Ted Poor, as well as Gary Versace on organ. This band has recorded one cd under its own name “Like a Magic Kiss” and a second “Winter Fruits” under the name of the Loren Stillman quartet. Together the band has toured Europe in 2011 and the U.S. in 2009. Nate performs with a variety of groups as a sideman and since moving to New York in 2004 has recorded on over 20 cds. Some of the bands Nate has performed and recorded with include the Alan Ferber Nonet and Large Ensemble, Marc Mommaas’ “Landmarc”, the Jon Gordon group, Akiko Pavolka’s House of Illusion, the Andrew Rathbun ensemble, and the Dave Smith Quartet. Other bandleaders that Nate has performed with include John O’Gallagher, Tony Moreno, John McNeil, David Scott, Tom Beckham, Andy Statman, the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra, Aruan Ortiz, and Eric Rasmussen. Nate also plays regularly with the country band Hope Debates and North Forty. Nate has recorded for labels such as Fresh Sound/New Talent, Sunnyside, Steeplechase, Artistshare, Pirouette, and Tone of a Pitch. He has performed throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe and at jazz festivals such as the North Sea Jazz Festival, the Montreal Jazz Festival, and the Atlanta Jazz Festival. Nate studied jazz guitar and composition at New England Conservatory in Boston, MA where he received a Master’s in Music. He studied with John Abercrombie, Bob Brookmeyer, Jerry Bergonzi, and George Russell. He also has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Chicago. Nate has over ten years teaching experience, and currently teaches jazz guitar, music theory, and jazz ensembles at the Center for Preparatory studies in Music at Queens College and private guitar lessons at the Bloomingdale School of Music. In addition Nate has taught clinics at high schools and universities throughout the Unites States.
Gary Versace:
Since basing himself in New York City in June of 2002, jazz organist, pianist, and accordionist Gary Versace has quickly become one of the busiest and most versatile musicians on the scene, often featured in bands led by musicians such as John Scofield, John Abercrombie, Maria Schneider, Matt Wilson, Lee Konitz, Eliot Zigmund, Scott Wendholt, Joe Magnarelli, Danny Gottlieb, Seamus Blake, John Hollenbeck, Andy LaVerne, Adam Nussbaum, Brad Shepik, Ingrid Jensen, Tim Ries and many others. Versace was voted a “rising star" on the Hammond organ in the last three Downbeat critics polls, and was the subject of a feature article in the July 2004 issue of Keyboard magazine. Versace has been a featured soloist on several critically acclaimed recordings of recent years: accordionist on Maria Schneider's Grammy-winning recordings “Concert in the Garden" and “Sky Blue" and as the pianist on John Hollenbeck's Grammy-nominated large ensemble recording, “A Blessing." Over the past five years, Versace has appeared as a leader for the Criss Cross and SteepleChase labels, and as a sideman on over 50 recordings with artists on various labels including Palmetto, ACT, Omnitone, Songlines, Pirouet, High Note, Justin Time, ArtistShare, Fresh Sound, Kind of Blue, and many others. As a pianist, Versace performed in a two-piano recital with Marian McPartland, and in April of 1999 appeared on her acclaimed National Public Radio program, “Piano Jazz." McPartland has called him “...endlessly inventive...(Versace) really has an extraordinary talent." Gary Versace has a masters degree in music performance from the Eastman School of Music, and spent eight years as a tenured associate professor in the jazz studies department at the University of Oregon. He remains active as a clinician and guest soloist both nationally and around the world.
Ted Poor:
Since moving to New York City in 2003, drummer / composer Ted Poor has quickly established himself as a new voice on the jazz/improvised music scene. Jazz Review writes, “[Ted] has an uncanny ability to shape the music and a refreshingly unique, organic approach to playing the drums.” This unique approach has caught the ears of many of the city's most established musicians. Ted is a regular member of the Ben Monder Quartet, the Cuong Vu Trio and the Jermoe Sabbagh Quartet. In addition, Ted has recently worked as a sideman with Chris Potter, Bill Frisell, Maria Schneider, Kermit Driscoll, Lucia Pulido, Kate McGary, Marc Ducret, David Fiuczynski and John McNeil. Ted has toured extensively as a sideman or leader/guest soloist in Europe, the US, and recently, Korea. Ted grew up outside of Rochester, NY and attended the Eastman School of Music from 1999-2003 (BM '03). While at Eastman, Ted studied drum set with Rich Thompson and percussion with John Beck. While at Eastman Ted formed/joined with several bands that are now active in the NYC area. They include the Respect sextet, Neos, the Ike Sturm Ensemble and Jerseyband. As a leader, Ted has released a debut CD entitled All Around (Trier 2003). Most recently he has formed Third Wheel, a dynamic trio featuring Ben Monder and Ralph Alessi.
June 29: Ras Moshe/Music Now Extended Unit (NYC multi-instrumentalist Moshe leads his long-running fire music ensemble, with vibraphonist John Pietaro, pianist Chris Forbes, guitarist James Keepnews and drummer Andrew Drury)
”Saxophonist Ras Moshe has been gradually making a name for himself as one of the best of the fiery saxophonists of the New York underground.” —Robert Iannapollo, All About Jazz
Ras Moshe: Saxophonist/Poet.
Born and raised in Brooklyn on the 22nd of March 1968. His grandfather(Theodore “Ted" Burnett I,but used “Barnett" professionally) came to Brooklyn from Jamaica in the early 30's after studying music in England. He played Alto & Tenor Saxophones in the bands of Lucky Millinder-Don Redman-Earl Bostic-Jimmy Mundy-Ella Ftizgerald and many others.The drummer Shadow Wilson and the great Don Byas were his closet friends. In the sixties he retired from Jazz and became a born again christian writing many gospel songs. Ras' maternal grandparents came up with many Jazz and Calypso artists in Harlem. Ras played in school bands from the 5th grade throughout High School. He has lots of experience with original roots reggae as well. Some of his musical influences are: John Coltrane-Pharoah Sanders-Miles Davis-Charles Parker-Cecil Taylor-Duke Ellington-Billy Strayhorn-Coleman Hawkins-Sun Ra-Count Ossie-Ras Michael-Cedric “Im" Brooks-Kalaparusha-Evan Parker-Sonny Simmons-Tyrone Washington-Carlos Garnett- Azar Lawrence. For 14 years he has been curating the Music Now series at The Brecht Forum and other locations. This series focuses on artists sharing their music with an audience. Its also an outlet for the different editions for Ras' Music Now Ensembles/Units. He plays with his favorite musicians in different combinations in these ensembles: Rashid Bakr(Charles Downs)-Matt Lavelle-Anders Nilsson-Tor Yochai Snyder-Dave Ross-Shayna Dulberger-Jamal Moore-Jackson Krall-Kyoko Kitamura-Dafna Naphtali-James Keepnews- David Miller-Francois Grillot-Todd Nicholson-Matt Heyner-Steve Swell-Walden Wimberley- Larry Roland-Lewis Barnes...
John Pietaro:
Pietaro has performed with Alan Ginsberg, Karl Berger, Ras Moshe, Amina Baraka, Warren Smith, Fred Ho, Salim Washington, Cheryl Pyle, Matt Lavelle, John Zorn, Frederika Krier, Layne Redmond, Elodie Lauten, Ken Filiano, Erika Dagnino, Pete Seeger, among many others. Pietaro directs several ensembles including THE RED MICROPHONE a radical quartet which fuses free jazz with Left poetry and revolutionary politics; “dissident swing" band RADIO NOIR; and THE DISSIDENT ARTS ORCHESTRA, a shape-shifting large ensemble which performs improvised film scores. Pietaro is also the percussionist with KARL BERGER'S IMPROVISERS ORCHESTRA, and with international poet ERIKA DAGNINO's various American ensembles, and he is an active freelancer. He also acted as front-man of protest song ensemble THE FLAMES OF DISCONTENT.
Chris Forbes:
Chris Forbes, an accomplished classically trained composer, jazz pianist, and music educator, has composed for symphonies, chamber groups, jazz ensembles, and musical theater. His performances and works have been described as “infectious" with “incredible energy and passion." His choral work, Song of the Stars, was featured on National Public Radio's Choral America, and is now available on CD. His musical, RoadRage, was premiered at the IN Series, Washington, DC and called a work of “terror and whimsy" by Theater Review. One of Chris's most recent works, The Sea Lion, a one-act dance theater piece, was commissioned by the American Composers Forum and premiered in Chicago. This classically inspired work was heavily influenced by jazz and world music, meshing different forms of expression to explore uncharted musical ground. It featured a percussion ensemble and improvised solos by acclaimed jazz flautist, Nicole Mitchell. In addition to his commissioned compositions, Chris is a rising star in the New York improvised music scene. He has appeared in venues from Jazz on the Park to the FreeStyle series at CBGB's in the Bowery, The Knitting Factory and mostly recently Roulette. He has collaborated with musicians such as Nicole Mitchell, Matt Lavelle, Ras Moshe, Sabir Mateen Joe McPhee Roy Campbell and Daniel Carter. Projects include a duo with tenor sax sensation Taylor, and the piano chair in the Latin/Free Jazz band Morcilla. He received his training at the Berklee School in Boston and at Juilliard.
James Keepnews:
James Keepnews is a musician, writer, multimedia developer and performance artist. He received a BA in English from Hamilton College and an MFA in Electronic Art from Rensselaer Polytechnic institute. As a musician and composer he has performed and/or recorded with such artists as George Lewis, Joe McPhee, William Parker, Daniel Carter, Charles Gayle, Kidd Jordan, Roy Campbell, Tony Malaby, Hamid Drake, Jason Kao Hwang's Spontaneous River, Ras Moshe, Matt Lavelle, Holland Hopson, The New York Chapter of Crafty Guitarists, Chapter Two, The New York Guitar Project, Brown Cuts Neighbors, Blown Woofer and Lick the President. He has developed and performed with improvised computer-interactive video systems at The Kitchen, Bard College and other venues. His writing has appeared in the New Haven Advocate, Bass Guitar, Fairfield Weekly, Metroland, The Squid's Ear and Reign of Toads. As an independent web and multimedia developer, he has provided services for such clients as IBM, GE, MTV, Prudential, Mellon Bank, Ernst & Young, KPMG, Hertz and at multiple agencies for the City of New York. He lives in Beacon, NY.
Andrew Drury:
Andrew Drury grew up near Seattle and works primarily in avant-jazz and free improvisation, with regular forays into other genres and media. He has performed in Europe and North America, made five CDs as a bandleader, and appeared on over 20 others. He is an acclaimed leader of percussion workshops. Drury began drumming in the sixth grade band at his school on Bainbridge Island, Washington. After spending a summer digging a basement under his parents' house with a shovel and pick he bought a drum set and began taking lessons from Seattle drummer Dave Coleman, Sr. He later studied with Ed Blackwell, Bill Lowe, Bill Barron, and the writer Annie Dillard at Wesleyan University. He is a self-taught composer. Drury performs as a soloist, collaborates with adventurous musicians from around the world, and leads several groups that play his compositions. In addition to groups that he leads and frequent encounters with improvisers from various parts of the world he plays regularly with Jason Kao Hwang, Jessica Lurie, Reuben Radding, the Rat Race Choir, the Steve Swell Trio, TOTEM>, Nate Wooley, Jack Wright, and others. Since 2002 much of Drury's music has been characterized by an exploration of new materials and techniques, and by the use of texture as a central organizing element. He frequently performs using one drum, scraping the head with wood slivers and fingernails, manipulating drum head tension and harmonic patterns with bells, using the drum as an acoustic filter and amplifier for vibrations produced on other objects, and using the drum as a wind instrument. Drury’s wide ranging interests lead him periodically to explore other media and formats. Inspired by the work and writings of visual artist Robert Smithson, Drury performed and photographed over 20 Earth Solos—site specific drum set solos in desert, mountain, prairie, and industrial settings throughout the western US. He co-created a street theater piece that he performed in streets and political rallies in Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Mexico in 1993. In his work with choreographers (Love of the New Gun, Self-Obliteration Companion, etc.) he has created collages of field recordings and percussion samples, with occasional live mixing, percussion, or prepared piano. His music for dance has been presented at DTW, Joyce Soho, NW New Works Festival, and five cities in Romania. Drury has led nearly 1,000 percussion workshops and trainings for music teachers and since 1989. Participants have included people of all ages, backgrounds, and physical abilities in rural and urban areas in schools, prisons, museums, Indian reservations, festivals, villages in Nicaragua and Guatemala, as well as the graduate school of the Columbia University School of Social Work. In 2005 he drummed with homeless people and battered women in ten shelters in Indiana. Following a six-month “Millennium Project" residency with the Oneida Nation in 2000 the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation identified him as “one of the most skilled and experienced community artists in America." Drury has received 18 grants for his work from the NEA, NYSCA, NYFA, the Seattle Arts Commission, the Artist Trust, the Puffin Foundation, and others. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
About the Howland Cultural Center:
Civil War General and shipping magnate Joseph Howland was the chief benefactor of the former Howland Library. He joined with ten other leaders of what was then the village of Matteawan and formed the library in 1872. He also commissioned his brother-in-law, Richard Morris Hunt, to design the new library. Hunt's contribution to our community was one of his earliest works. Norwegian in architectural style, the building is 65'x 40' and has a six-gabled roof covered with Delaware slate. The outside walls are red and black Croton brick interlaid with light Jersey brick. The foundation is of blue stone and Breakneck granite. The ceiling, from floor to dome, measures 33'9" and is supported by hand-wrought Georgia pine columns. The floors are in the three thicknesses, composed of English cane felt laid on hemlock boards to prevent dampness or sound. The floor's top is laid in strips of selected Georgia pine. The original collection of close to 2,200 volumes was open only to subscribers. No smoking, spitting or “indecorous conduct" were allowed according to the library’s first regulations. By the mid 1970s, it was clear the library had outgrown the building and after constructing new facilities moved in 1976. This priceless building with its Norwegian architectural was added to the National Historical Register in 1976. The Howland Cultural Center a non-profit cultural organization along with it's membership maintains the facility and continues to use this rare architectural gem as a showcase for a myriad of community functions as well as regional, national and international cultural events drawing audiences from across the Hudson Valley and beyond.
