Tag Archives: experimental

7/6 | Unrehearsed MKE @ Jazz Estate

Posted on by
Reply

unrehearedBanner

Sun, 7/6 |  Unrehearsed MKE          7pm $2 @ The Jazz Estate, MKE

” The idea is simple:  We are looking to bridge the gap between music scenes by randomly putting musicians that have never played together and give them a chance to create a set of improvised music.  Be a part of something new and great in MILWAUKEE.  When is this great thing, you ask?  Well it is the FIRST SUNDAY of the month at The Jazz Estate, first set starts at 7:30pm. “

Group 1
Matt Blair – Piano (Madison)
Wilberforce Anton Greene – Guitar (Madison)
Jason Nanna – Modular Synth

Group 2
Nick Weckman – trombone
Chris Bresette – trumpet
Michael Bettine – percussion/gongs
Nicholas Buchel – painting/visual art

Group 3
Jim Schoenecker – Electronics
John Schoenecker – Electronics
Brian Grimm – Stringed Instruments (Mad)
Barry Paul Clark – Bass

 

” We’re back again and going strong. Thanks again to everyone for the continued support and curiosity in the unknown and creating such a beautiful scene of creative, improvising and listening musicians. “  ~ www.unrehearsedmke.com

listen. learn. exchange. grow. communicate. create. experience!

The Jazz Estate   2423 N Murray Ave, Milwaukee, WI 5321

.   ..   …   ….   ……   ……   …….   ……..   ………   ……..   …….   ……   …..   ….   …   ..   .

 

6/17 | New Album THE IDEATING KNELL for sale on Signal Dreams

Posted on by
2

‘The Ideating Knell’ by BC Grimm is now available on Signal Dreams!

Limited Edition CD
16 tracks 70 mins $7
Order your copy today!

ᄼᄽᄿᄽᄿᄼᄾᄼᄽᄾᄿᄽᄿᄼᄾᄼᄽᄾᄿ
A few words on the album from Signal Dreams

“  Madison, WI-based avant-jazz explorer BC Grimm is well known locally not just for his phenomenal cello work in live collaborations with artists like Julian Lynch, Spires That In The Sunset Rise, and the mighty Db Pedersen (to name just a few), but also the mind-blowing improvisational chops he showcases with his brother A.J. Grimm in cello-guitar duo The Brothers Grimm and his worldly and detailed production work as Brain Grimmer. More recently, Grimm’s work has been shifting focus toward his intriguing work with two different Chinese zithers, Guqin and Guzheng. We’re extremely proud to present ‘The Ideating Knell,’ a staggering album that combines Grimm’s deep experimentation with the zithers with his love of detailed processing. Honestly, nothing we could say about it could match the beautiful clarity of this statement from BC Grimm himself:

“‘The Ideating Knell’ is an experimental acoustic album of compositions for two ancient Chinese zithers, Guqin 古琴 & Guzheng 古筝. This record includes 6 ‘doppler phase’ pieces for guqin, emulating tape composition techniques to create the movement of sound to/from the vanishing point on the horizon line to/from the listener’s ears. There are 6 pieces for prepared guzheng using: dulcimer hammers, cajon brushes, chopsticks, mate straw, metal bowls, broken teaware, clay sculpting tools, snare wires, & seashell strands. 3 pieces revisit the title track composition from BCG’s 2011 solo guqin album, “Flock Migrates Over The Pines”: with re-recorded, reconstructed versions in two custom tunings, and a new variation on the theme in a traditional tuning. The actual notes in the composition’s score visually depict various forms & shapes of birds taking off into flight, or in formation during flight. Also, specially devised for this project is a new ‘Pentatemperment’ tuning system on guqin, which splits the octave into 5 equal steps, instead of 12 [ low to high: C-40c D0c E+40c G-20c A+20c C-40c D0c ]. Guzheng 古筝, a 21 string bridged zither spanning 4 octaves, and Guqin 古琴, a 7 string fretless zither spanning 1 octave, tune to pentatonic scales. Both instruments share a culturally important performance history stretching back about 2,500 years to the Warring States period.”

Artwork by Nathaniel Ritter. Price is postage paid in the US. Please see shipping rates for Canada/World.  “

This Signal Dreams batch also includes: Troy Schafer ‘Untitled No. 1‘ & Derek Rogers ‘Prevais‘.

∴ ∵∴ ∵∴ ∵∴ ∵∴ ∵∴ ∵∴ ∵∴ ∵∴ ∵∴ ∵∴ ∵∴ ∵∴ ∵∴ ∵∴ ∵∴ ∵∴ ∵∴ ∵∴ ∵∴ 

4/10 | Glimpse Trio w/ Stray Passage @ Mason Lounge

Posted on by
1

Thursday, 4/10  9pm @ The Mason Lounge

GLIMPSE TRIO   (San Francisco)

BRENNAN CONNORS & STRAY PASSAGE   (Madison)

A night of eclectic improvisation with feat. guitarist Mike Sopko + drummer Hamir Atwal. Joining the bill will be Madison’s own Brennan Connors & Stray Passage with Brennan Connors on sax, Geoff Brady on kit, & BC Grimm on contracello.  Special thanks goes out to the Mason Lounge for making this show possible!   > fb.event

Hamir Atwal studied at the Berklee College of Music on a scholarship studying improvisation/composition with saxophone great Joe Lovano and trombonist Hal Crook.  After graduating from Berklee, Hamir moved back to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he collaborated/recorded with musicians such as clarinetist/composer Ben Goldberg, Blue Note recording artist Greg Osby and saxophone legend Joe Lovano.  In addition to performing, Hamir has taught drum clinics at the Stanford Jazz Workshop, the Berkeley JazzSchool, and Music Academy International (Nancy, France).  He has performed internationally with notable musicians such as Joe Lovano, Greg Osby, Ben Goldberg, and many more.

Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Mike Sopko, has been playing and studying guitar for over 20 years. Mike teaches and performs throughout the the US studying with a variety of teachers such as Dave Fiuczynski, Richard Smith and Bob Fraser.  He has developed an array of guitar styles, including jazz, classical, and Bluegrass. Over the years, he has played, recorded, and toured with such musicians as Thomas Pridgen, G. Calvin Weston (Ornette Colman), Mike Watt, and Martin Dosh. Mike teaches at the Avloni Academy of Music, where he has been the head guitar instructor since 2003. In 2010, Mike founded the Bay Area band, Glimpse Trio/Duo, with drummer, Hamir Atwal.  Glimpse Trio’s first album, 1985, was awarded “Editor’s Pick of the Month” in Downbeat Magazine by famed jazz/blues critic Frank Alkyer.

“a blend of jazz, rock and blues with infectious folkiness. . .” – Downbeat Magazine

” . . . an ever expanding trip.” – Sonic Masala
For more info. please visit www.glimpsetrio.com/
⑇⑈⑉ ⑉⑈⑇⑇⑈⑉ ⑉⑈⑇⑇⑈⑉ ⑉⑈⑇⑇⑈⑉ ⑉⑈⑇⑇⑈⑉ ⑉⑈⑇⑇⑈⑉ ⑉⑈⑇⑇⑈⑉ ⑉⑈⑇⑇⑈⑉ ⑉⑈⑇⑇⑈

 

 

 

1/9 | 7-9pm Dobra Tea – Thank You Show

Posted on by
1

392392_426421107380168_1963974184_n

Thurs 1/9, 7-9pm @ DOBRA TEA

THANK YOU SHOW

BC GRIMM – guqin, guzheng

DB PEDERSEN – throat singing, flutes, vox sfx

ERIC MILLER – bass viola da gamba

For three years The Brothers Grimm have been heading the experimental music series “Tea & Improv” at Dobra Tea.  Sadly, Dobra will close it’s doors this January, 2014.  We’ll have one last show on Thursday 1/9 as a way to say thanks to all who have worked/come out to enjoy these events since 2011.  DB, BC, & Eric will all perform short solo sets, as well as improvise together.

It can be difficult to find a welcoming platform for experimental & improvised music.  Dobra has been our enthusiastic home base for much of this Madison experience.  It has not simply been “a venue”, but a meeting place of disciplined philosophies, where music & tearoom perfectly alight in purpose – to have conversation.  In a vibrant, hue-struck room with no internet or to-go options, the result is meaningful discussion with close friends.  It was never the intent of our music to overpower the space (& people in it) to a hush, but rather to be another conversation & accept all happening sounds as music/inspiration.  3..2..1.. Now!  ~ All conversation is improvisation.  We fuel off the energy you give us and channel it back, vibrating the air.  No sound is excluded from this Cageian discourse ~ kettle boils, clayware scrapes, somewhere a laugh, all is music.

Perhaps the most important element of performance in Dobra has been a public space for unknowing teagoers to encounter “avant-garde”//”difficult-edgy-freaky-‘nonmusic’music-skronky-improvised-noise…stuff”.  We’re thankful for situations where people may come/go at any moment, have lively chit-chats, not feel they have to be classically-stuffy/know-the-rules, & happen upon experimental music over the flowing cup.  Hearing such racketous free-for-all (beautiful to some…) on a record, coming at you through the speakers can be challenging for unpracticed ears – but having that be a live experience and seeing that the musician performing extended techniques is another breathing, sweating, emoting, human being that is trying to communicate something to you – is when this music becomes immediate & relateable.  The more you as an audience give of your energy/vibes – the better the conversation is.

We’ve released a couple of albums at Dobra, including: Moonish Lodestar (2013) by Watercourse Quartet & Redolent Spires (2012) by The Borthers Grimm.  Had wonderful performers such as:  Watercourse Quartet w/ Ben Willis, Pat Reinholz (aka Weather Duo + Brothers Grimm); Lovely Socialite, db pedersen, Eric Miller, Thollem McDonas (aka Thollem Electric), Brian Tairaku Ritchie, Sult w/ Jacob Felix Heule, Guro Skumsnes Moe, Håvard Skaset; Timbre, Samuel Lockridge, Brother Stripes w/ Timothy Russell & Nick Zoulek; Prom Night Records w/ Brad Henkel, Nathaniel Morgan, & David Grollman; Dale Kaminski, Joey Molinaro, Zane Merritt, TJ Borden, Wrest Trio w/ Benjamin Bennett, Jack Wright, Evan Lipson; Stray Passage w/ Geoff Brady, Brennan Connors & more! – The tearoom has also played host to local Hindustani & Carnatic Indian Music group Saaz, Baroque & early western period instruments, & Yuri on the Russian domra.

Thanks to Qi Hong for fostering communitea.

Thank to the close friends who have come out over the years to support  &/or participate in these happenings.

Thanks to all of the great Devoteas who have worked at Dobra & become a part of our lives.

Much love & one cup!

~ BCG   (on behalf of The Brothers Grimm)

____________________________________________