September 2024 Events
WEST OAKLAND SOUND SERIES
A weekly new-music and experimental-sound series presented on Sunday evenings by sfSound.
Location: Dresher Ensemble Studio (2201 Poplar Street, Oakland, CA)
Tickets: $10-$25 sliding scale (cash & Venmo accepted at door)
Eventbrite advance tickets ($20) [PURCHASE]
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Sunday, September 8, 2024
MOTOKO HONDA’S SIMPLE EXCESSES QUARTET
THE DECONSTRUCTION OF WHAT YOU KNOW
Featuring the Northern California’s most versatile and innovative players [MOTOKO HONDA (composition/piano), CORY WRIGHT (woodwinds), MATT SMALL (bass), and JORDAN GLENN (drums)], SIMPLE EXCESSES QUARTET performs an exciting repertoire of compositions which unifies jazz, classical chamber music, improvisation and experimental soundscapes. Intricate, dynamic and often surprising, the quartet’s music is a flight in the clouds. “The music of pianist and composer Motoko Honda is to mainstream jazz what Brahm’s music was to the neatly packaged forms of the Classical period […]. Honda’s process has a transformative effect on listeners privy to a complex system of inter-communication and cooperative building strategies.” — Phillip Greenlief, Art Forum
THE DECONSTRUCTION OF WHAT YOU KNOW [JOSH ALLEN (tenor sax), TIM DUFF (bass), DAVE CASINI (drums), DANIEL PEARCE (drums)] is a quartet revolving around a double drum lineup. The overtones of the cymbals allow the group to utilize multiple independent pulse propulsion and a dynamic multiphonic thematic expression to organize and arrange frighteningly quick counter point. Sax, drums, and bass. So it’s free jazz? It’s not jazz. It’s not a drum circle model. This is modern composition. It’s lower case note to note listening on steroids. Experience the cacophony. It makes sense if you don’t fight it.
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Sunday, September 22, 2024
ELLIOTT CARTER 3×2: TRIPLE/DOUBLE DUO/TRIOS
Experience an evening of extraordinary music as sfSoundGroup celebrates the works of Elliott Carter, spanning 80 years of his career. The program includes the Double Trio (2011), Triple Duo (1983), and Con leggerezza pensosa (1990), along with Esprit rude/esprit doux II (1994), Pastoral (1945), and Sonata (1948). Don’t miss this opportunity to experience the creativity and innovation of one of the 20th century’s most remarkable composers.
MUSICIANS
Sam Weiser, violin – Monica Scott, cello – Kjell Nordeson, percussion – Hadley McCarroll, piano – Brendan Lai-Tong, trombone – John Ingle, alto saxophone, conductor – Matt Ingalls, clarinets – Diane Grubbe, flutes – Tom Dambly, trumpet
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Sunday, September 29, 2024
TEOREMA BERTOLI (Italy) and TOM LANE (Germany) They have been collaborating since 2002 as a duo in other ensembles like ensemble]h[iatus, and in various multimedia projects. The unique feature of the duo is the alchemy created by the meeting of classical and electronic instruments. The differing nature of sound, characteristics, and histories of the violin and analogue synthesizer might suggest friction. However, what emerges is a kind of mirror game, where the roles of the instruments are constantly exchanged. BERTOLI and LANE explore an abstract sonic territory, with a contemporary approach to sound. Yet, their perspective on music remains quite classical, focusing on tension and release, rupture, intensity, and expressivity in all its facets. Their first duo CD release received high praise in numerous reviews.
The concert concludes with the duo joining THE OAKLAND REDUCTIONIST ORCHESTRA in an improvised set. A supergroup of local musicians with a predilection for lowercase/fricative/reductionist acoustic improvisation that often sounds more electronic than acoustic, this ensemble grows out of a rich tradition of “American reductionist” music that flourished in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. Previous projects like Tom Djll’s Grosse Abfahrt and The Jack Wright Large Ensemble’s Eight By Nine document the Bay Area’s contribution to the genre.
PERFORMERS
Hallie Smith, violin – Danishta Rivero, voice – Cody Putman, bassoon – Lisa Mezzacappa, bass – Joshua Marshall, tenor saxophone – Kevin CK Lo, violin/flute/piano – Cheryl E. Leonard, natural-object instruments – John Ingle, saxophones – Matt Ingalls, clarinets – Ron Heglin, tuba – Diane Grubbe, flutes – Sarah Grace Graves, voice – Jacob Felix Heule, percussion – Tom Djll, trumpet – Kevin Corcoran, percussion – Chris Cooper, objects, electronics
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DRESHER ENSEMBLE ARTIST RESIDENCY PERFORMANCES : JOCELYN REYES
Friday, September 6, and Saturday, September 7, 2024, at 7:30 PM
Join REYES Dance for DIOS, a powerful exploration of losing faith and discovering personal strength. This final piece in Jocelyn Reyes’ autobiographical trilogy, following MAGOS (2019) and LASOS (2022), delves into her journey of separating religious dogma from spiritual practice. The show features choreography by Jocelyn Reyes, with a talented cast of performers and creative collaborators.
Tickets are available on a “no one turned away for lack of funds” basis.
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FROM OUR FRIENDS AT THE OAKLAND THEATER PROJECT
DIRECTED BY OTP CO-ARTISTIC DIRECTOR MICHAEL SOCRATES MORAN
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New Performance Traditions concerts are partly supported by the Alameda County Arts Commission’s ARTSFUND and New Music USA’s Organization Fund for 2024-25
