Earshot: Tom Varner Tentet + Sjenka

Presented by Earshot Jazz Festival.

The French horn has a rather short list of jazz masters, usually led by Julius Watkins. One of Watkins’s foremost proponents, Tom Varner presents his tentet performing their new CD, Heaven and Hell. The new work showcases the orchestration of Varner’s elastic harmonics, his use of the ensemble as an instrument, and his Ellingtonian ability to animate against the instruments’ limitations.

Sjenka is young trombonist Andy Clausen’s ambient electronic trio, which synthesizes diverse musical styles into dynamic layered soundscapes filled with striking juxtapositions.