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Mark Helias/Ray Anderson Duo Saturday, December 17 at the Cornelia Street Cafe

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To: Listings/Critics/Features From: JAZZ PROMO SERVICES Press Contact: JIM EIGO, [email protected]



Cornelia Street Cafe 29 Cornelia Street Greenwich Village, NY 10014

Tel: 212-989-9319 Fax: 212-243-4207 Web: corneliastreetcafe.com

between West 4th and Bleecker Sts, Greenwich Village 1,9 Subway to Sheridan Square; A, C, E, B, D, F to West 4th St.



Sat Dec 17 MARK HELIAS/RAY ANDERSON DUO (Mark Helias, bass; Ray Anderson, trombone) 9:00PM Cover $10

Bass virtuoso Mark Helias and trombone wizard Ray Anderson in a rare duo setting.

Mark Helias and Ray Anderson have been making music together in various contexts since 1977. They have performed as a duo on a few rare occasions and will be doing so in New York on Sarurday December 17, 2005 at the Cornelia Street Caf. Come and hear the conversation of two musicians who inspire one another to take chances and get results.

Ray Anderson and Mark Helias

“The duo played two sets, accompanying each other through the changes. it's odd to see a duo of bass and trombone. the job of supplying the rhythmic pulse is usually left up to the bassist, but Helias' style is more lyrical and melodic than the average bassist. although he did act as the anchor for a portion of the show, most of his lines served simply as one half of a two-way conversation. when the usual boundaries are abandoned -- as they were by the absence of a drummer -- more room is left for each player to fill the “missing" role. the players also reacted by extending their techniques: anderson at one point dribbled water into the slide of his trombone to give it a gurgling sound as he played long, sustained low notes while helias did some fast arco bowing over the top.

The two men on stage definitely exhibited a level of communication that you can only reach after decades of playing and developing together. although they played compostions (penned in tandem or by each other), they often dropped their eyes from the music and worked off the script. that's where the most exciting moments happened, both players' eyes shut and hands flying in different directions, flurries of notes drawing a raised eye-brow or a silent nod from the other musician. it comes from that place of total freedom that you can only arrive at when the comfort level is raised to a certain threshold. i hope to have that freedom with my instrument some day. until then, i can only watch and learn.

At the end of the show, the duo played an encore that was delicate and hushed. it was a bit of a contrast to the hour-plus of music that had come before, yet it still served as a catharsis for the entire evening." 9:00PM Cover $10 www.markhelias.com www.rayanderson.net

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