Alan Cook and the Crepuscule Trio CD release/performance in San Diego

Crepuscule Trio, just released "Unveil", their first major release on the Circumvention Music label.

The Crepuscule Trio is:
Alan Cook (drums/percussion), Ken Kawamura (saxophone), Anthony Shadduck (contrabass)

From the circumvention site:

Unveil is the result of a three year collaboration by the members of the Crepuscule Trio, saxophonist Ken Kawamura, contrabassist Anthony Shadduck, and drummer/percussionist Alan Cook. This recording marks the group's first full-length recording, as well as their debut on Circumvention Music. Inspired by a wide range of music including, but not limited to, jazz, avantgarde, modern classical music, experimental rock, indigenous world music, and creative spontaneous improvisation, Crepuscule Trio presents ten original pieces with compositional elements as varied as their influences. Each composition features both group and individual improvisational approaches which the trio has developed over their long association. Music made in the moment, but informed by years of study and experience, lies at the heart of the Crepuscule Trio’s first major release.

They will also be playing at the Kava Lounge in San Diego on Sunday, Nov. 8th, show starts at 7pm and the trio takes the stage around 8pm.

Kava Lounge
2812 Kettner Blvd
San Diego, CA 92101-1223
(619) 543-0933

Alan Cook, Steuart Liebig, and Dan Clucas @ Cycleway Coffee Nov. 4th

@ Cycleway Coffee, the new improv hotspot, the trio: Alan Cook, Steuart Leibig and Dan Clucas will perform in a no-holds barred go for broke improvisational free for all this coming Wednesday, Nov. 4th, at 6:30pm.

Not to be missed!

Cycleway Coffee
5526 Monterey Rd
Los Angeles, CA 90042-4920
(323) 256-0200

STEVE LEHMAN WEST COAST TOUR --- MUSIC FOR SOLO SAXOPHONE & LIVE ELECTRONICS

NY saxophonist, Steve Lehman will be presenting his most recent music for solo saxophone and live electronics along the West Coast next week -- SoCal dates include UC Irvine and The Mandrake in Los Angeles.


Wednesday, November 4 at 8PM --- IRVINE
UC Irvine --- Music & Media Building
WEB: http://tinyurl.com/yjvdv8t

Thursday, November 5 at 8PM --- LOS ANGELES
The Mandrake Bar - Los Angeles, CA
2692 South La Cienega Boulevard
WEB: http://www.mandrakebar.com

Other Recent News...

NPR Review of The New Steve Lehman Octet CD:
WEB: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113119890

New Music Box Profile of Steve Lehman:
http://newmusicbox.org/article.nmbx?id=6154

Performance: Motoko Honda @ Asian American Jazz Festival

From Motoko: "I have an exciting performance coming this Saturday, Oct. 31st. 3:30-4:30pm at Cafe Metropol in downtown LA. This is the part of the three day long Asian American Jazz Festival. And I have a jazz trio collaborating with Japanese Koto and Japanese-Flamenco Dance. Drummer Bert Karl also incorporate his rhythm section with Latin beats. I will start out from a little solo piece improvisation based on the old Japanese Music (Minyoh) from where I am from-then the pieces continue to mix the ideas of East-West. What's this sounds gonna be ??? How Japanese-Flamenco Dance looks like what does it mean !? (Dancer Midori Makino is professionally trained both in Japanese traditional dance and Flamenco)."

Motoko Honda-Piano and Prepared piano
Bert Karl-Drums
Anthony Shadduck-Bass
Misuzu Kitazumi-Koto
Midori Makino-Japanese/Flamenco dance

Oct. 31st, 3:30-4:30PM
Cafe Metropol
923 E. 3rd st. Los Angelese, CA 90013

Ticket is $22 for all day entry into festival

BUY TICKET ONLINE and FOR MORE INFORMATION
http://www.asianamericanjazzfestival.com/ticketing.html

Performance: Cryptonight @ MONA Presents: Daren Burns' Onibaba

Daren Burns' ONIBABA performs post Jazz/Rock explorations featuring:

Ulrich Krieger (Lou Reed, Lee Ranaldo, Andrew W.K., Merzbow) - Woodwinds
Daren Burns (Vinny Golia, John Drumbo French, Wadada Leo Smith)- Fretless Bass
George McMullen (Tom Waits, Vinny Golia, Stevie Wonder)- Trombone
Eric Klerks (The Magic Band, John Drumbo French)- Guitar
Craig Bunch (John Drumbo French, Vinny Golia, The Magic Band)- Drumset
Kio Griffith - Live Video

INFO:

Daren Burns, fretted and fretless electric bass player, composer, and improviser has been playing and composing music for over twenty years. Much of his musical interest lies in the area of improvisation and how to make new systems for developing improvisation in new ways. In the last few years he has also become interested in Indian rhythmic and melodic systems.

His ensemble, Onibaba exists between composition and improvisation and is described as being somewhere between the light and the dark, the ethereal and the earthly - Creative Music. Created by Daren Burns in 2006, the band synthesizes its sound by using elements of the Chicago avant-garde, jazz, rock, world, techno, noise, and classical, to create a new type of fusion that is definitely not the smooth, funky jazz of the 80's and 90's, but a new living music.

In live performance, the band is also committed to the use of live video images to expand the ensemble from sound to sight. The video doesn't act as a narrative or as a background, but as a sixth element and contributor to the performance.

Museum of Neon Art
136 4th Street
Los Angeles CA 90013
Tel: (213) 626-0775
Web: www.neonmona.org
Cover: $10 at the door

Onibaba website

Urban Nerds Website

Performance: Michael Vlatkovich All Stars w/ Mark Weber

Great performance happening tomorrow night:

Date:	Monday, October 26, 2009
Time:	8:00pm - 10:00pm
Location:	South Pasadena Music Center (Blue Monday series)
Street:	1509 Mission St.

Description

You really don't want to miss this. Vlatkovich performances with groups of this size are rare these days, but the music and ensemble are superb.

The cast of characters includes:
Mark Weber- Main Man
M. Vlatkovich-trombone
W. Roper-tuba
V. Golia-woodwinds
A. Pask-clarinet
B. Plake-tenor sax
H. Scorzo-violin
A.Mautner-cello
T. McNalley-guitar
A. Swanson- bass
C.Garcia-drums

Michael and Bill Roper are going to open the event with a brief duo performance (also Michaels music) and then the big group hits.. See you there!

New Release: Wadada Leo Smith - Spiritual Dimensions

Wadada Leo Smith - Spiritual Dimensions on Cuneiform Records

This is a new 2-CD release featuring Wadada's Golden Quintet on disc one (w/ Vijay Ayer-Piano/Synth, John Lindberg-Bass, Pheeroan Aklaff & Don Moye-Drums) and his group Organic on disc two (Michael Gregory-guitar, Brandon Ross-guitar, Nels Cline-guitar, Okyung Lee-cello, Skuli Sverrisson-Bass, John Lindberg-Bass, and Peeroan Aklaff-drums. Organic also has a guest appearance by Lamar Smith, Wadada's grandson, on two tracks.

Both CD's are taken from live shows, Golden Quintet @ Vision XIII in NYC and Organic @ Firehouse in New Haven, CT

This is a must have release. Both groups show unique facets of Wadada's music and the varied ensembles highlight the depth of his compositions. The track that I am thinking of specifically is "South Central L.A. Kulture". The track is played by both ensembles back to back (last track on 1st CD and 1st track on 2nd CD) and it is striking hear the similarities and uniqueness of each version, being thet came from the same material.

While contemporary trumpeters are spouting the merits of "really" getting inside Broadway musicals to understand standards better (seriously?) and hosting marginal events at Lincoln Center, Wadada is busy paving fresh, new ground for the trumpet, the ensemble, improvisation, and music.

Buy it.

Performance: ISFAR SARABSKI TRIO : OCTOBER 30, 2009 @ 8PM

Angel City Jazz Festival +
Cafemode.com +
Adrienne Tripp present

ISFAR SARABSKI TRIO
FRIDAY OCTOBER 30, 2009 @ 8PM

ISFAR SARABSKI - piano
GREG SWILLER - bass
ERIC KLASS - drums

BARNSDALL ART PARK
4800 HOLLYWOOD BLVD. LOS ANGELES, CA 90027

GENERAL ADMISSION: $20 $15 w/Student ID

ONLINE TICKET PURCHASE:

B U Y T I C K E T S

Young jazz pianist Isfar Sarabski, this years winner of the piano competition at the 43rd Montreux International Jazz Festival, is giving his first public concert in the U.S. on October 30th at the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre in Los Angeles with a jazz trio.

Not yet 20, the young pianist from Azerbaijan won the Public Prize (audience award), and also won first place from the judges at Montreux (shared with Georgian Beka Gochiashvili), for a piece of his own composition, Novruz (New Year). Beyond mere talent, Isfar displays a musical and emotional depth which belies his youth. "The lively and emotional performance of Isfar was impossible to ignore; he played with great technique and revealed his deep understanding of the music." Jazz World Magazine, on Sarabskis performance at the Baku Jazz Festival 2006, which also featured jazz legends Al Jarreau and Herbie Hancock. Sarabskis favorite performers who have inspired him to compose are Keith Jarrett, Brad Mehldau, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, and Vagif Mustafazadeh, the mythical Azerbaijani jazz pioneer who fused jazz with the highly-evolved, emotion-based, traditional yet improvisational Azeri musical forms and modes called mugam, a complex, spiritual form of conscious art which developed and survived in the Caucasus for over 3,000 years. Given Sarabskis rich cultural influences, solid training and early love of jazz... the musical depth of his choices - initially a pleasant surprise - awakens, sobers, then delights as it ultimately connects us in a shared truth.

The Montreux Jazz Festival is the best-known music festival in Switzerland and one of the biggest and most prestigious jazz events in Europe. It is held annually in early July in Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva and attracts an audience of more than 200,000 people. Founded in 1967, some highlights of the festivals early days were Keith Jarrett, Jack DeJohnette, Bill Evans, Nina Simone, and Ella Fitzgerald. This year about 1,000 musicians took part in the renowned competition, which lasted 2 weeks.
In addition to winning at Montreux, Isfar Sarabski, born November 2, 1989, has also performed at the Baku Caspian Jazz and Blues Festival several times, the Silda Jazz International Jazz Festival in Norway as well as the International Jazz Festival in Russia, all before reaching the ripe old age of 20.

ISFAR SARABSKI on YOUTUBE

ANGEL CITY JAZZ FESTIVAL

CAFEMODE