SPACE IS THE PLACE: Ziv Taubenfeld solo + BLUE LINES w/ Mars Williams + Ken Vandermark & Paal Nilssen-Love

Thursday, May 26, start concert 20:30, Entrance € 12 / CvA € 8.

ZIV TAUBENFELD solo

Ziv Taubenfeld – Bass clarinet

BLUE LINES w/ Mars Williams
The Blue Lines Trio brings together three generations of improvising musicians. In an inimitable mix of throbbing swing, survey-ing impro, nomadic chords and sincere lyricism, the trio continues its restless quest for new possibilities of ensemble-playing. It is not a traditional pianotrio, but a trio, in 2012 formed by Raoul van der Weide.

In these disturbing times, George, Michiel and Raoul also are submitted to unknown musical processes, however: with unbridled devotion, the group plunges in situations where direction and grip are well remembered, but cannot function as firm values and fundamentals anymore. Balancing on the cliffs of musical existence, the ensemble manages other essentials, such as shaky dance rhythms, sharp razored lumps of chopped harmony, spaghettiplates, sucked-in melodies, stadsklanken, caressing desire, flexible manifesto’s, interim-scores and secret transfusions.

Mars Williams is an open-minded musician, composer and educator who commutes easily between free jazz, funk, hip-hop and rock, Mars has played and recorded with The Psychedelic Furs, Billy Idol, Massacre, Fred Frith, Bill Laswell, Ministry, Power Station, Die Warzau, The Waitresses, Kiki Dee, Pete Cosey, Billy Squier, DJ Logic, Wayne Kramer, John Scoffield, Charlie Hunter, Kurt Elling, Swollen Monkeys, Mike Clark, Jerry Garcia, Naked Raygun, Friendly Fires, The Untouchables, Blow Monkeys and virtually every leading figure of Chicago’s and New York City’s “downtown” scene.

John Zorn credits Mars as “one of the true saxophone players–someone who takes pleasure in the sheer act of blowing the horn. This tremendous enthusiasm is an essential part of his sound, and it comes through each note every time he plays. Whatever the situation, Mars plays exciting music. In many ways he has succeeded in redefining what versatility means to the modern saxophone player.”

George Hadow – Drums
Michiel Scheen – Piano
Raoul van der Weide – Double bass, cello, crackle box
Mars Williams – Saxophone

KEN VANDERMARK & PAAL NILSSEN-LOVE
Ken Vandermark (born September 22, 1964 in Warwick, Rhode Island) is an American jazz composer and saxophone and clarinet player. A fixture on the Chicago-area music scene since the 1990s, Vandermark has earned wide critical praise for his playing and his multilayered compositions, which typically balance intricate orchestration with passionate improvisation. He has led or been a member of many groups, has collaborated with many other musicians, and was awarded a 1999 MacArthur Fellowship.[1] He plays tenor saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet and baritone saxophone.

Drummer Paal Nilssen-Love stormed the Norwegian jazz scene in the early ’90s and has been working relentlessly ever since in both traditional and avant-garde jazz. It wasn’t long before he jumped on the metaphorical freight train Swedish saxophonist Mats Gustaffson had established between Scandinavia and Chicago; the drummer appeared on Ken Vandermark’s School Days and has enjoyed growing exposure in the U.S. since 2000. His other engagements and collaborations include trios with Frode Gjerstad, Sten Sandell, and Raoul Björkenheim, plus the group Atomic. He released his first solo CD, Sticks & Stones, in 2001.