Friday, April 16, 2010

FROM THE DORF TO THE HOOD An evening of compositions by composer & improviser William Roper


Los Angeles native William Roper–tubaist, composer and veteran of the Los Angeles contemporary music scene performs a program of some of his recent compositions. The concert, produced by Cornelius Schnauber, playwright and director of USC's Max Kade Institute, is part of L.A. Opera's Ring Festival. All of the evenings compositions were inspired by a residency Roper served in the Bavarian village (dorf) of Schwandorf in 2006 or the music of Richard Wagner. The concert will feature several unusual and somewhat archaic instruments associated with the era and motifs of Wagner's Ring, including the Wagner tuba, helicon, cimbasso, euphonium and harp.

Roper has chosen some of L.A.'s finest to collaborate with. Featured soprano Christina Linhardt performs internationally as a singer, actress, dancer and avant-garde circus performance artist. Engagements have taken her from Guantanamo Bay to the Palace Ligner in Dresden. Carolyn Sykes on harp has performed with Judy Collins, Charlie Haden and participated in the Philharmonic's Green Umbrella series. Clifford Childers has played with the L.A. Opera, Hollywood Bowl orchestras, Kanye West, Pink Martini and Francisco Aguabella. Hornist Steve Durnin will be featured on the notorious Wagner tuba. Steve is principal horn of the Oregon Coast Music Festival and has played with the Orquesta Sinfonica de Veracruz as well as many of Los Angeles' finer ensembles. He has been heard in many Hollywood blockbuster movies.


April 22, 2010, 7:30 PM

Goethe-Institut Los Angeles
5750 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 100
Los Angeles, CA 90036

TICKETS: $10.00
RSVP: 323-525-3388
INFO: http://roperarts.com/goethe.htm


William Roper has performed in a wide range of ensembles that stretch from the 1980's acoustic punk ensemble Fat & F'd–Up to playing conch as an extra with the L.A. Philharmonic. In-between have been stints with the likes of Horace Tapscott, Wadada Leo Smith, Glenn Horiuchi, Bobby Bradford, Vinny Golia, Yusef Lateef and Michael Vlatkovich. He has credits in the performance and visual arts world as well and was a recipient in 2006 of the prestigious C.O.L.A. award from the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

California E.A.R. Unit/Sonic Boom plays Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music @ Redcat and UCI



California Ear Unit performs Lou Reeds- Metal Machine Music, transcribed by Ulrich Krieger

From Redcat website:

“Triumphantly out there… The E.A.R. Unit is known for taking left turns away from convention.” Los Angeles Times

“Krieger’s adaptation of Metal Machine Music is daring, explosive.” Chicago Reader

Ulrich Krieger’s latest electroacoustic version of Lou Reed’s audacious 1975 double-LP guitar feedback epic is the occasion for this expertly rendered hour-plus of clangorous mayhem from the California E.A.R. Unit and Krieger’s Sonic Boom outfit. First transcribed and arranged for chamber orchestra in 2002, Krieger’s score has as one of its biggest fans none other than Reed himself—so much so that the iconic rocker joined in with the German avant-garde ensemble Zeitkratzer for the work’s world premiere. The new adaptation of Metal Machine Music, part of an ongoing project by Krieger, seizes on the complex orchestral scope of Reed’s original, its modal use of pitch and rhythm, its bold yet intricate colors, and its sheer freewheeling, hard-rocking gutsiness—with the virtuoso players of the E.A.R. Unit and Sonic Boom coaxing from their instruments the improbable deep noise that Rolling Stone once called “the tubular groaning of a galactic refrigerator."


April 20th
Redcat
8:30PM
631 West 2nd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
USA
213 237-2800
http://www.redcat.org/event/california-ear-unit-4
Price: $20


April 21st
8:00PM
University of Cal. Irvine
Gassmann Electronic Music Series
The Winifred Smith Hall
Irvine, CA 92697

Photo of California EAR Unit by Richard Hines

Photo of Ulrich Krieger/Sonic Boom by Scott Groller
© CalArts 2008

Thelonious Dub, The Brad Rabuchin Trio, and Stephen Lockwood Group play fundraiser for New Orleans Musicians Clinic


Thelonious Dub, The Brad Rabuchin Trio, and Stephen Lockwood Group are helping with a project for the musicians of New Orleans. April 29th.

The funding for their beloved Musicians Clinic has recently been cut to the bone leaving many of them with nowhere to turn for important health care services.

We're going to get together and do something about it. Come to the show and bring a donation. $7 suggested.

Take a look at the video on this site and please help spread the word.

Video: http://SaveTheClinic.org


Thursday, April 29th

Stephen Lockwood 8:50-9:50
Thelonious Dub 10:10-11:10
Brad Rabuchin 11:30-Close

14 Below
1348 14th St
Santa Monica, CA 90404

Scott Heustis Group and Clucas/Cook/Liebig Trio at Tribal Cafe April 17th


Two fantastic groups playing this Saturday night @ Tribal Cafe

First up is a trio with:

Dan Clucas on trumpet
Alan Cook on drums
Steuart Liebig on bass

Saw them at Cycleway Coffee a few months ago and it was fantastic!

Next up is the Scott Heustis Group comprised of the talented rogue musicians:

Scott Heustis on guitar
Robert Leng on sax
Jeff Schwartz on upright bass
Breeze Smith on drums

This is a Saturday night, April 17th, starts at 7:00PM. No excuses... you can sleep in on Sunday.

Tribal Cafe
651 West Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90026-5026