In 2005, “this gathering (a.k.a. FONT Music), co-curated by Dave Douglas, Roy Campbell, Jr., and Jon Nelson, has grown from a few nights at Tonic into a month long multi-venue event encompassing the worlds of jazz, new music, classical, rock, and hip-hop. An international lineup of trumpeters strides into town, bringing specially commissioned works, inventive interpretations of old standards, and blistering feats of improvisation." --The New Yorker
- The festival launches with a benefit concert on September 13 at Medialabs, celebrating trumpet master Wadada Leo Smith.
- Opening day features trumpeters Cecil Bridgewater, James Zollar, and Eddie Allen celebrating Louis Armstrong at the The Louis Armstrong House Museum in Corona, Queens.
- Acclaimed film score composer and trumpeter Mark Isham makes a rare NYC appearance at Drom with an electronica rendition of the main themes from his recent films, including Crash and In The Valley of Elah.
- Amir ElSaffar and Avishai Cohen double bill--two of the leading exponents of including non-western sounds in jazz lead small groups especially created for this festival performance.
- For the third year in a row, FONT Music commissions composers for new trumpet works/premieres. Chris DiMeglio, Nabat Isles, and Reut Regev are the 2008 recipients.
- Two of Australia's top trumpet innovators, Phil Slater and Scott Tinkler, present groups at the Cornelia Street Cafe.
- An afternoon of trumpet solos by five unique and creative trumpeters takes place at the Eldridge Street Synagogue.
- FONT partners with Clean Feed for an evening of music at Living Theater with Kris Tiner and Dennis Gonzlez.
- Roy Campbell and Dennis Gonzlez lead a big band workshop, a jam session, and a performance in one night at BRIC.
- An all-brass night at BRIC includes a performance by the legendary conductionist Butch Morris and Trumpet Nation.
- FONT at the Jazz Standard includes: rare appearances by European trumpet masters Paolo Fresu (Italy) and Eric Vloeimans (Netherlands); a Woody Shaw tribute band organized by Shaw's son, Woody III, including young trumpet masters Sean Jones, Nick Roseboro, and Ezana Edwards with longtime Shaw collaborator, drummer Victor Lewis as music director; the first public collaboration of Dave Douglas and Randy Brecker; special tributes organized by Ingrid Jensen, Tim Hagans, Brian Lynch, and Josh Evans.
- Two leading contemporary chamber music groups, dung (a brand new performance project from ANALOG Arts Ensemble) and Anti-Social Music, present an afternoon at St. Mark's Church including music by Karlheinz Stockhausen, Elliot Carter, the Who, Peter Hess, Dan Lasaga, Andrea La Rose, and Pat Muchmore.
Louis' Legacy - Louis Armstrong House Museum, September 14 at 2:00PM 34-56 107th Street, Corona, Queens, NY ~ 718 478 8274
FONT Music kicks off the season with a celebration of Louis Armstrong and a look ahead. Eddie Allen and 3hree For Louis reexamine and reflect on the modern legacy of trumpet genius Louis Armstrong.
Tickets are $15.00. This price includes the concert PLUS a tour of the Louis Armstrong House Museum. House opens at 12 Noon. Also, Michael Cogswell's official Louis Armstrong House Museum book, “Louis Armstrong, The Offstage Story of Satchmo," will be on sale for $24.99, 40% off usual retail price of $39.99. All proceeds from sales of the book go directly to the Louis Armstrong House Museum.
September 14: 3hree For Louis: Eddie Allen (leader/trumpet), Cecil Bridgewater (trumpet), James Zollar (trumpet), Bruce Barth (piano), Kenny Davis (bass), Carl Allen (drums)
New Music - Le Poisson Rouge, September 15 & 17 at 7:30PM 158 Bleecker Street ~ 212 796 0741
September 15: Jeremy Pelt (trumpet), Ralph Alessi (trumpet), Scott Colley (bass), Darrel Green (drums)
September 17: Avishai Cohen Triveni: Avishai Cohen (trumpet), Joe Martin (bass), Nasheet Waits (drums); The Amir ElSaffar Quartet: Amir ElSaffar (trumpet), Vijay Iyer (piano), Francois Moutin (bass, Eric McPherson (drums)
New Music - Drom, September 16 at 7:30PM 85 Avenue A (b/w 5th & 6th), New York, NY ~ 212 777 1157
September 16: Mark Isham (trumpet), Nels Cline (guitar), Tyler Parkinson (DJ), percussionist (TBA): An electro-acoustic ensemble plays some of his well-known film scores.
New Trumpet Underground - Cornelia Street Cafe, September 18-20 29 Cornelia Street ~ 212 989 9319
September 18:
8:00PM, Hooper Piccalero: Lauren Strobel (trumpet), Danilo Henriquez (trumpet), Matt Plummer (trombone/bass trombone), Derek Beckvold (bari sax)
9:30PM, Up the Turret Mil: Rich Johnson (trumpet/laptop), Aaron Jennings (guitar), Eivind Opsvik (bass)
11:00PM, Hampton Roads: Lewis Barnes (trumpet), Rob Brown (alto sax), Darius Jones (alto sax), Todd Nicholson (bass), Warren Smith (drums)
September 19:
8:00PM, Chris DiMeglio's Imaginary Sextet (*FONT commission*): Chris DiMeglio (trumpet), Jason Kao Hwang (violin), Dave Miller (drums), Ras Mosh (tenor saxophone/flute), Todd Nicholson (bass), Catherine Sikora (tenor & soprano saxophones)
9:30PM, Antripodean Collective: Scott Tinkler (trumpet), Carl Dewhurst (guitar), Ken Edie (drums)
11:00PM, John McNeil/Bill McHenry Quartet: John McNeil (trumpet), Bill McHenry (tenor sax), Joe Martin (bass), Jochen Rueckert (drums)
September 20:
8:00PM, Nabat Isles + 5 (*FONT commission*): Nabat Isles (trumpet/flugelhorn), Jaleel Shaw (alto saxophone/flute), Stacy Dillard (tenor & soprano saxophones), Manuel Valera (keyboards), Matt Clohesy (bass), Johnathan Blake (drums)
9:30PM, Phil Slater (trumpet), Jim Black (drums), Chris Tordini (bass), Carl Dewhurst (guitar)
11:00PM, John Carlson (trumpet)
Mystic Trumpeter - Solo Presentations - Eldridge Street Synagogue, September 21 at 3:00PM 12 Eldridge Street ~ 212 219 0888
For the second year, the Eldridge St. Synagogue hosts a day of solo performances by remarkable innovative trumpeters.
September 21: Frank London, Nate Wooley, Natsuki Tamura, Mark Harvey, Pam Fleming
“Traditional Avant Garde" - The Living Theater & BRIC, September 21-23 The Living Theatre, 21 Clinton Street ~ 212 792 8050 BRIC, 647 Fulton Street, Brooklyn ~ 718 8557882
September 21: Clean Feed Festival at the Living Theater
8:00PM, The Empty Cage Quartet: Kris Tiner (trumpet), Jason Mears (woodwinds), Ivan Johnson (bass), Paul Kikuchi (percussion)
9:30PM, Dennis Gonzlez (trumpet), Rachiim Ausar-Sahu (bass)
September 22: Performances and Workshops at BRIC
5:30PM, Roy Campbell and Dennis Gonzlez lead a masterclass with the York College Blue Notes
7:30PM, York College Blue Notes: Tom Zlabinger (director)
8:00PM, Roy Campbell/Dennis Gonzlez Quartet
9:00PM, FONT Jam Session hosted by Roy Campbell and Dennis Gonzlez
September 23: Brass Night at BRIC
8:00PM, Reut Regev and the Brassix Ensemble (*FONT commission*): Reut Regev (trombone/other brass instruments/percussion), Taylor Ho Bynum (cornet/other brass), Mark Taylor (French horn/other brass), Frank London (trumpet/other brass), Jay Rozen (tuba), Igal Foni (drums/brass percussion)
9:00PM, Butch Morris and TRUMPET NATION
In Memory of Woody Shaw - FONT @ The Jazz Standard, September 25-28 116 East 27th Street ~ 212 576 2232
This series will be the culmination of the two-week Festival of New Trumpet Music with sets at 7:30 and 9:30 PM, add'l 11:30 PM set on Friday and Saturday nights.
September 25: Ingrid Jensen with Tim Hagans and Eric Vloeimans (trumpets), Gary Versace (piano and Rhodes), Matt Clohesy (bass), Jon Wikan (drums)
September 26: Brian Lynch with Terell Stafford and Paolo Fresu (trumpets), Orrin Evans (piano), Essiet Essiet (bass), Ignacio Berroa (drums)
September 27: The Woody Shaw Legacy Ensemble: Brass Knights(tm): Victor Lewis (drums/music director), Sean Jones, Nick Roseboro, and Ezana Edwards (trumpets), Mulgrew Miller (piano), Dwayne Burno (bass)
September 28: Dave Douglas with Randy Brecker and Josh Evans (trumpets), Uri Caine (piano), James Genus (bass), Clarence Penn (drums)
Contemporary Brass Music - St. Mark's Church, September 27-28 at 2:00PM 131 East 10th Street ~ 212 674 6377
September 27: dung: Joe Drew, Hugo Moreno, Peter Kuan, Dolf Kamper, Curtis Ebey (trumpets); Nigel Rawles (drums); Pemberton Roach (bass); Mic Rains (guitar): “a cutting-edge arts collective grounded in the classics with a futurist sensibility" performs the music of Karlheinz Stockhausen, Elliot Carter, the Who, and others. September 28: Anti-Social Music: Tim Byrnes, Geoff Chirgwin, Jon Malko, and Nate Wooley (trumpets). The chamber group, in which “5 out of 11 wear combat boots and 2 don't own a single suit," will perform the music of Peter Hess, Dan Lasaga, Andrea La Rose, and Pat Muchmore.
FONT Honors Wadada Leo Smith: Benefit for the Festival of New Trumpet Music - 58 North 6 Media Labs, September 13, 6:00-9:00PM 58 North 6th Street, Brooklyn
A gala concert and celebration of Wadada Leo Smith, benefiting the Festival of New Trumpet Music. Leo Smith performs with Pheeroan akLaff, Dave Douglas, John Zorn, and others. Please help support FONT Music by joining us in a celebration of trumpet and music pioneer Wadada Leo Smith.
The Festival of New Trumpet Music (FONT Music) was founded in 2003 by two of the most innovative and acclaimed trumpeter/composers active today: Roy Campbell, Jr. and Dave Douglas (2005 Guggenheim Fellowship recipient). Trumpeter, educator Jon Nelson joined for one season as co-curator in 2004. For the 2008 Festival Douglas once again proudly collaborates with a new team of curators including cornetist/composer Taylor Ho Bynum, and trumpeter/composer Jeremy Pelt. The curators seek to promote the creation of avant- garde, adventurous, and experimental music, featuring an international lineup of trumpeters representing the worlds of jazz, new music, free form, hip-hop, rock, improvisational, classical, and more. This climate of autonomy and inclusion results in a number of extraordinary performances, often uniting different communities in a way that is all too rare in contemporary music.
Dave Douglas (founder, director, curator) has collaborated widely across the spectrum of American music including recent work with the SF Jazz Collective. He has also worked with John Zorn, Joe Lovano, Bill Frisell, Don Byron, Steve Lacy, Fred Hersch, Anthony Braxton, Myra Melford, Andy Bey, Trisha Brown, Henry Grimes, Tim Berne, Tom Waits, DJ Olive, Ikue Mori, Han Bennink, Misha Mengelberg, Chris Potter, Uri Caine, Mark Turner, Roswell Rudd, Andrew Cyrille, Marc Ribot, Karsh Kale, Mark Dresser, Mark Feldman, Marty Ehrlich, Martial Solal and many others. Douglas cites Igor Stravinsky, John Coltrane, and Stevie Wonder as primary influences on his music. Douglas was recently featured as a cover story in DownBeat Magazine. Douglas has recently completed his first big band piece - “Letter from America." A suite for Big Band and Quartet by Dave Douglas. Featuring Joe Lovano, Dave Douglas, James Genus, Clarence Penn and performed with the NDR Big Band in a world premiere on July 5, 2008 at JazzBaltica Festival. Since 2005 he has released all of his recordings, including his latest recordings “Live at The Jazz Standard" and “Moonshine" on his own internet-based Greenleaf Music label.
For more information contact Jason Byrne, Red Cat Publicity.
