William O. (Bill) Smith advanced classical clarinet technique and at the same time mastered a deliciously swinging style in his 55-year collaboration with Dave Brubeck to become one of the world’s great clarinetists. He performs his captivating compositions and improvisations solo and with longtime friends: trombone master Stuart Dempster and clarinetist Jesse Canterbury. The program includes his Five Fragments for Double Clarinet (1977), Paris Imp (1996) for clarinet and improvising computer, Sumi-e (2000) for clarinet and computer-transformed sounds, and improvisations in assorted duo and trio combinations. Co-presented by Earshot Jazz Festival & Nonsequitur.

Inverted Space, the University of Washington’s contemporary music ensemble, opens its season on the Wayward Series at the Good Shepherd Center with the music of University of Washington composers. One, two, three, four, three, two, one – this concert features new small ensemble works written by the talented students of the University of Washington, including duos for saxophone and cello, and a solo work for violin and electronics.

Jeff Bowen: Variations, for solo violin and electronics
Kaley Earton: don’t trust air you can’t see, for violin and cello
Jacob Sundstrom: come on now, try it out, for flute, violin and cello
Josh Archibald-Seiffer: Doors for saxophone, violin, cello and piano
Arvo Pärt: Fratres, for violin and piano
Kevin Baldwin: the armless clock understands time, for cello and saxophone
Robert Dick: Or, for solo flute

Performers:
Daria Binkowski, flute
Luke Fitzpatrick, violin
Kevin Baldwin, saxophone
Ivan Arteaga, saxophone
Sonja Myklebust, cello
Haeyoon Shin, cello
Brooks Tran, piano

Eric Vloeimans, a breathtaking Dutch trumpeter, has teamed to acclaimed effect with virtuosic Belgian accordion improviser Tuur Florizoone and German cellist Jörg Brinkmann. The latter plays the light, lush, grounding instrument gorgeously as the trio interprets film-inspired originals and the likes of the themes from Rosemary’s Baby and Cinema Paradiso.

Presented by Earshot Jazz Festival, with support provided by The Netherlands-America Foundation and the Performing Arts Fund.

Pamela Z is a composer/performer and media artist who makes solo works combining a wide range of vocal techniques with electronic processing, samples, gesture activated MIDI controllers, and video. She has toured extensively throughout the US, Europe, and Japan. Her work has been presented at venues and exhibitions including Bang on a Can (NY), the Japan Interlink Festival, Other Minds (SF), the Venice Biennale, and the Dakar Biennale. She’s created installation works and has composed scores for dance, film, and new music chamber ensembles. Her numerous awards include a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Creative Capital Fund, the CalArts Alpert Award, The MAP Fund, the ASCAP Award, an Ars Electronica honorable mention, the NEA/JUSFC Fellowship, and a Djerrassi Resident Artist Program residency.

Presented by Nonsequitur.

An evening of drum and percussion music, provided by four notable drummers in Seattle’s creative music scene: Don Berman, Greg Campbell, Christopher Icasiano, and Gregg Keplinger. The format of the evening will be a solo piece by each performer, and the concert will culminate with an improvisation by all four of the percussionists performing together. Come and enjoy an evening of creative percussion music!

Scrape returns to the lovely acoustic of the Chapel Performance Space stage with new tunes by James Knapp and a premiere by guest composer Brendon Williams. Gorgeous sonorities characterize this improvising string orchestra’s sound. With soloists Gregg Belisle-Chi, Chris Symer and Julian Smedley, plus others.

min is a new 40-minute piece for chamber orchestra by Seattle composer John Teske, the third in a series of works dealing with human consciousness. The theme is “intention,” specifically on where individuals and groups place their focus and how they make choices. As the piece progresses, musicians are given more freedom to choose how they relate to each other and the written material. min will be premiered by the Broken Bow Ensemble, a 26-piece group of strings and woodwinds, each with an individual part.

Seattle-based composer John Teske writes contemporary concert music for soloists, chamber groups, and chamber orchestra. Founder of the Broken Bow Ensemble and a series of “any ensemble” performances (featuring music written for flexible instrumentation), he focuses on enhancing the listener experience, utilizing extended techniques and guided improvisation to create pieces that are well-crafted while maintaining a human and organic feel. His recent work includes site-specific performances in Seattle parks and at the Seattle Center, Space Weather Listening Booth (a hybrid electroacoustic installation and acoustic performance piece in collaboration with Nat Evans), and compositions for chamber orchestra supported by a grant from the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture. He graduated from the University of Washington, where he studied with Joël-François Durand, Juan Pampin, and Josh Parmenter.

Bad Luck (drummer Chris Icasiano + saxophonist Neil Welch) release their third full-length record Three, available through local record label Table & Chairs, or free with a $15 donation tonight. Opening the show will be songwriter Tomo Nakayama of Grand Hallway.

HUSH – music of the lower decibel persuasion

We’ll be creating some beautiful improvisations in the Chapel that will focus on the wide dynamic range from medium to quite quiet. Featuring Carmen Rothwell, bass; Mike Gebhart, percussion; Christian Pincock, trombone; Ammon Swinbank, flutes; and Eric Barber, saxophones.