East German cello/piano duo CEEYS and California composer/multi-instrumentalist/producer Christopher Sky visit Seattle on their first West Coast tour together. They are joined by Portland composer Keith Kenniff (aka Goldmund), giving his first public performance in four years.

Christopher Sky is an American composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer based in Los Angeles. His first EP, Cotton Dream, featuring contributions from Paul Espinoza on guitar, was released in 2011 through his own label, Sejatski Ltd. This was followed by Audio Memory, with a stronger emphasis on guitar-based loops and sound design. After taking time off to focus on his Let’s Drive to Alaska project – releasing In the Fifth House in 2016 – Sky returned in 2018 with By the Ocean, his first solo work in seven years, featuring five brand new songs, plus remixes by Mirror, Jubilant Ecstasy Dream and HEARTMIND. Two-track EP Orpheus and Eurydice, an ode to the classic tale of love and loss, was released on Valentine’s Day 2018. Vastness was released on Aagoo Records and Hidden Shoal Recordings in November 2018, followed by a UK and European Tour December 2018 and California Tour January-October 2019.

CEEYS’ beautiful abstract compositions have received excellent press and their releases can be found on the acclaimed labels 1631 Recordings, Oscarson and Neue Meister. “It’s an extraordinary piece of music. It’s a work of two brothers, Sebastian on cello and Daniel on piano, and together they play as CEEYS. I saw them premiere tracks from their new album at Neue Meister gig that I went to very recently in Berlin. This is a project, which is actually dedicated to their parents and it is written about the buildings that surrounded them in their childhood, growing up on the streets of East Berlin.” – Mary Anne Hobbs BBC Radio 6 Music

A Pennsylvanian by birth, Keith Kenniff is an honors graduate of Boston’s esteemed Berklee College of Music, best known as the brains behind dulcet ambient/electronic practitioner Helios and post-classical piano minimalist music as Goldmund (the latter’s music once described by no less an authority than Ryuichi Sakamoto as “…so, so, so beautiful…”. Together with his wife Hollie, Keith also records as Mint Julep, and the two released their debut album, Save Your Season, which NME coined as “Unquestionably beautiful”. A succession of albums under those aliases has made Kenniff the darling of discerning critics and his music has been widely used in film, TV, and advertising, for clients such as Apple, Facebook, Google, Paramount, MTV and Warner Brothers.

“…his accomplishment and expertise on various instruments is gratifyingly apparent…” – PITCHFORK

“Exuding beauty but also suspense, this is the sort of minimalist music that fills a room with even the faintest of its sounds, not the sort that disappears into the walls without anyone noticing.” – POP MATTERS

“…The overall effect is cinematic, like a film score composed by Erik Satie.”- NPR

Throughout his career, saxophonist and composer Briggan Krauss has pushed the limits of acoustic performance and improvisation. An iconic performer, his approach to composition has developed into a morphology of sound, documented most recently on this year’s release Art of the Saxophone: The Lethe Lounge Sessions (Iluso).

Krauss’ connection to Seattle is strong. He studied at Cornish College of the Arts, worked with guitarist Brad Shepik, and played in pianist Wayne Horvitz’ Pig Pen quartets. Moving to New York City in 1994, he immersed himself in the downtown scene, stretching sound as part of Steven Bernstein’s Grammy-winning group Sexmob, among other projects. With a roving musical imagination that has brought him to the guitar, sound art, and media installation, Krauss has counterbalanced his critically acclaimed recordings as a leader and sideman—notably on Bill Frisell’s 2004 release Unspeakable, with academic work and installation art. Currently, he is a professor in the Performance and Interactive Media Arts [PIMA] and Sonic Arts MFA programs at Brooklyn College.

Art of the Saxophone continues a series of landmark recordings that mark his major contribution to solo-saxophone performance. Recorded over two days at the Lethe Lounge, Krauss practically manifests his experimental extension of practice. Through various forms of muting—including his signature towel-mute—he uses a repertoire of long tones and multiphonics to rigorously sculpt his sound. The product is boundary-pushing.

Presented by Earshot Jazz Festival.

The extraordinary Brazilian-American composer, pianist, and vocalist Clarice Assad deftly spans the worlds of the classical, jazz, and Brazilian music. For this concert, in addition to performing solo works for piano and voice, she will also present three works for string quartet (Seattle stars Brandon Vance, Sarah Pizzichemi, Heather Bentley, Gretchen Yanover):

Synchronous (2015), for string quartet + soloist (voice by Ms. Assad)
Obrigado (2011), for string quartet + solo violin (Michael Jinsoo Lim)
Rodapião (2016), for string quartet + bass (played by Ms. Assad)

A bold composer, a brilliant pianist, and an inventive vocalist all rolled into one, Clarice Assad floats freely across musical idioms, drawing on an array of sounds from Amazon forest wildlife to operatic arias. A classically-trained pianist, Assad’s music is a reflection of Brazil’s musical melting pot heritage of African rhythms mixed with European melodies and harmonies. Renowned for her musical scope and versatility, her evocative colors, rich textures, and diverse stylistic range, Assad is a prolific Grammy-nominated composer with over 70 works to her credit. Her work has been commissioned internationally by organizations, festivals and artists, and are published in France (Editions Lemoine), Germany (Trekel), Criadores do Brasil (Brazil) and in the US by Virtual Artists Collective Publishing. Ms. Assad has released seven solo albums and appeared on or had her works performed on another 30. Her music is represented on Cedille Records, SONY Masterworks, Nonesuch, Adventure Music, Edge, Telarc, NSS Music, GHA, and CHANDOS. Her award-winning Voxploration Series on music education, creation, songwriting and improvisation has been presented throughout the United States, Brazil, Europe and the Middle East.

Presented by Nonsequitur as part of the Earshot Jazz Festival.

Over the past decade, Darius Jones has created a recognizable voice as a critically acclaimed saxophonist and composer by embracing individuality and innovation in the tradition of African-American music. He has been recognized not only for his dynamic emotional and technical range on the alto saxophone, but for his compositional and improvisational breadth and depth that pulls uncompromisingly from every corner of his self in search of more pure and absolute ways to communicate and be understood. He is equally at home in a classic avant-garde setting with open air to fly as he is composing focused vocal chamber ensemble compositions. At any point in time, he is able to call on the rich melodic histories of soulful blues and church traditions and then seamlessly transition to powerful split-tones reminiscent of Pharoah Sanders and Roscoe Mitchell. In the perpetual unveiling of his own story and relentless pursuit of truth, his extensive command of musicality and humanity promises to reveal something to all who attend.

In the words of Jones, “When we get outside our comfort zones we feel the discomfort from the unknown because we don’t know where we belong, where to step. In that lack of knowing, we actually begin to surprise ourselves. We begin to open up, and our perspective widens. We see and understand things we didn’t before. I believe that this makes us more patient and compassionate, which can break down barriers of hatred and fear.”

Seattle/New York poet and jazz thinker, Paul Harding, will take the stage with Darius after the music set for an interview and discussion.

Presented by Earshot Jazz Festival.

Award-winning composer Amy Denio presents her newly expanded chamber suite Truth Is Up For Grabs for 21 instruments with projected video by James Drage.

Denio’s rich and lively musical suite is inspired by current events, the political economy of war, and by poems written by Pablo Neruda. Video artist James Drage has created beautiful moving images for each section. The instrumentation includes strings, brass, woodwinds, and two percussionists – from Kurdistan and Mexico. The ensemble will be conducted by Mike Jauregui.

This performance is sponsored by the Seattle Composers Alliance, and made possible in part by funding from The Office of Arts and Culture and from 4Culture.

(artwork: Anne Marie Grgich)

Award-winning composer Amy Denio presents her newly expanded chamber suite Truth Is Up For Grabs for 21 instruments with projected video by James Drage.

Denio’s rich and lively musical suite is inspired by current events, the political economy of war, and by poems written by Pablo Neruda. Video artist James Drage has created beautiful moving images for each section. The instrumentation includes strings, brass, woodwinds, and two percussionists – from Kurdistan and Mexico. The ensemble will be conducted by Mike Jauregui.

This performance is sponsored by the Seattle Composers Alliance, and made possible in part by funding from The Office of Arts and Culture and from 4Culture.

(artwork: Anne Marie Grgich)

The Seattle-based piano trio Don’t Move creates mosaic after mosaic of sound. Together, the group splatters sonic colors against rippling rhythmic canvases; they overlay uniquely shaped melodies and flashes of bursting energy to form a one-of-a-kind puzzle of song that hangs framed in your mind above the mantle.

Comprised of the delightfully narrative pianist, Eric Bob Warren Ainley, the dramatic and stalwart bassist, Ray Clemens, and locomotive drummer, Jeff DeRoshia, the trio, which first formed in 2014, darts one way and then quickly the next. Their music spools out in both direct and improvised ways, showcasing a love for thoughtful, angular compositions.

Don’t Move has played prominent Seattle festivals like Hempfest and venues like the Sea Monster Lounge and the Jewel Box Theater, and held regular residencies at popular watering holes like Vito’s and Brass Tacks. With each performance, the band debates in music the merits of recklessness against the need for control. And in your mind, they live on.

The Sound Ensemble presents Reflections, a musical meditation on who we are as individuals and as a community, what our impact on the world has been and where we can go from here. Join us for this wonderful evening of music, community and refreshments. You won’t want to miss this incredible performance by rising star violinist Marley Erickson!

Who are we?
Contretemps – Christopher Dietz (World Premiere)
Zodiac for Violin and Chamber Orchestra – Jerry Mader
Soloist: Marley Erickson

What have we done?
Under Bleak Skies – Jennifer Butler

This beautiful world
Loki’s Castle – Sang Mi Ahn

Where do we go from here?
Nonet No. 2 – Bohuslav Martinu

Different Drummer has a whole new show! Comprised of three string players from the region’s premier chamber orchestra, the Northwest Sinfonietta, these “classical musicians” definitely know how to step out of their orchestral habitat. Violinist Brandon Vance is a two-time winner of the US National Scottish Fiddle Championship. Gretchen Yanover is an acclaimed electric cellist with three solo albums to her credit. Bassist Anna Doak has performed and/or recorded with Dave Mathews, Joe Williams, Spirit of the West, Jeremy Enigk, Tommy Tune, Joel Fan & Linda Ronstadt. Add to the mix Don Dieterich, a percussionist who is willing to whack on any number on non-traditional gadgets from lampshades to garbage cans, and you’ve got a show that represents genres as varied as the artists presenting it. Prepare to be entertained, amused and exhilarated by this unique collaboration!

“Different Drummer proves that minimalism can bite. The level of musicianship amongst the three is tonally sculpted, their arrangements complex and disciplined, showcasing a ferocious synchronization between the double bass and violin. Though the group is small in numbers, their size ends up acting as an advantage. Within each arrangement listeners can hear the unique styles from individual parts, a rarity in a large percent of the music we hear today.” — Connor Creighton, Earshot Jazz Aug 2016

Canções Profundas (Deep Songs) is an evening-length work by Seattle composer Steve Peters. Inspired by research into his family history in the Azores, a chain of nine volcanic islands in the mid-Atlantic, this evocative sonic poem explores themes of migration, diaspora, memory, identity and emotional/cultural ties to place. (See project blog for more info.)

Combining elements of narrative, documentary, and folk and experimental music, Canções Profundas (Deep Songs) is a vivid multi-layered mix of environmental sounds and music Peters collected in the Azores and in California, tracing the journey of his Portuguese immigrant ancestors. Beginning with the primal sounds of simmering geothermal pits and ocean waves gurgling in lava tubes, the piece spans the natural world of animals, the human world of agriculture, religious ceremonies, and community celebrations, following whales across the deep ocean to a distant land where the culture takes root and tenaciously survives, finally ending in the cemetery where Peters’ great-great grandparents are buried. A small ensemble of musicians modeled on Azorean brass bands surrounds the audience, improvising in response to the field recordings, and on traditional folk tunes.

Greg Campbell, percussion; Jesse Canterbury, clarinets; Lesli Dalaba, trumpet; Amy Denio, clarinet & saxophone; Steve Peters, saxophone; Christian Pincock, trombone. With recorded contributions by Joshua Parmenter, additional electronic processing; and Rafael Carvalho, viola da terra.

Presented by Nonsequitur. Made possible in part by a GAP grant from Artist Trust (2011) and an Artist Project grant from 4Culture (2014), and a Jack Straw Artist Support Program residency (2014).