Ted Daniel will be doing an interview on WKCR about King Oliver. Hear him speak about the legendary cornetist with Ben Young.

See more details at AllAboutJazz.com.

Make sure to catch Ted Daniel playing this music at FONT! Tuesday, June 7 at the Abrons Art Center. Co-presented with the Vision Festival. Click here for the festival schedule.

Click here for the festival schedule.

Trumpeter Stephanie Richards‘ WATERcolor performs at 9:15 on June 7th at the Abron’s Art Center.  Richards talks about her approach to sound, including the use of water as a part of the instrument. Stephanie Richards’ WATERcolor with Stephanie Richards (tpt), Qasim Naqvi and Andrew Munsey (drums), Kelly Rossum (tpt), Sam Minaie (bass).

FONT: When you look at the total history of the trumpet, from its beginnings as a signaling device, to the incredible diversity of approaches in the world now, what parts of the trumpet’s character is attractive to you? What keeps you interested in playing the instrument?

Stephanie Richards: The trumpet conforms to each player individually and irreplaceably. Your physiology, right down to how much sleep you had last night can contribute to your sound at that moment, and I love the vulnerability and sensitivity that fact presents.  Brass instruments have such vocalistic qualities—being the only instrument family besides voice itself to use human tissue to create sound, the trumpet lends itself to generating a personal individual voice for each and every player.  I also love the chameleonic tonal capabilities that the trumpet presents–we have the ability to change color so dramatically and have an unending supply of mutes and surfaces still left to be explored.  From its humble utilitarian origins, the trumpet has developed into a highly expressive vessel of music, and, I believe, with much of its story left to be told.

FONT: Your music tends towards very personal, unique sounds, some that wouldn’t conventionally be thought of as “musical” sounds. How do you make music with these sounds? How did you develop this approach?

SR: For myself, tone color, texture and “unique sounds” (growls, double buzzes etc.) as you put it, can be every bit as musical as harmonic expression can be, and ultimately I hope to meld together hand and hand.  I find micro-tonality to add unique colors that may not be found on a western harmonic “painters palette”, and of course, trumpet players have the golden gift of mutes to continuously explore means to express sound.  I believe that my background studying  orchestral music really brought a consciousness for timbre and texture to the forefront of my considerations as a composer and performer.  As I began to explore jazz traditions, I found a world of harmonic contemplation that I am continuously inspired by, but find that color and texture are naturally my first place to begin the musical process of composing, performing and improvising.

FONT: Where did the idea for your band “WATERcolor” come from?

SR: WATERcolor began as an experiment.  In the practice room (in the middle of a Clark study) my trumpet became filled with “condensation” and instead of emptying it, I began to improvise with it.  It turns out a trumpet filled with water can be quite beautiful, unpredictable and even a little bit sad sounding.  From there, I began to explore using water as a “mute”; playing with different resonances on the surface of water and varying depths and shapes of pots and pans.  Beyond exploring the sounds of water, the instrumentation for WATERcolor is two drumsets and bass so naturally, rhythm is the center-point of our ensemble.

Interview by Douglas Detrick.

Click here for the festival schedule.

Robert O’Haire presents two of his recent films, one documents the last project of Bill’s, and the other follows the recording of Joseph Daly’s “Earthtones”, a new work for large jazz ensemble. Below are trailers to the two films, and brief interview with filmmaker Robert O’Haire.

TUESDAY, JUNE 7th – 7:45 – Two films by Robert O’Haire: “Bill Dixon: Going to the Center” and “Joseph Daley: Earthtones” at the Abrons Arts Center.

FONT: Both of your films document the recording of significant works for large ensembles, both monumental undertakings by Bill Dixon and Joseph Daley. What about these projects did you feel needed to be exposed beyond the actual recordings themselves?

Robert O’Haire: Before I start a documentary project I really don’t know what the root of the story will be until all the footage has been shot and digested by myself and the editor Jeff Burns.  When you review the footage long enough it begins to speak to you and tell you what needs to be done, the subject in fact lets you know what to do.  So to answer your question, the thing that is exposed is the individual, and the film becomes as interesting as the person in focus.

FONT: Could you describe your relationship with Bill Dixon? This project turned out to be the last in a long and productive musical career. Did you get a sense of how he felt about this? Essentially, did he know this would be his last project?

Robert O’Haire:I didn’t know Bill Dixon before going up to firehouse12 for the Tapestries recording sessions, so I couldn’t compare this experience with any other of his projects. It was very clear from the beginning that Bill was a serious person.  He did not appear to be a sick man.  He was in the studio to work and the days were long.   I mainly tried to stay out of his way.

Three of us were shooting..myself, Jeff Burns and Nick Cretens in a glass recording booth with all the musicians..so we needed to be very quiet while getting all the shots.  It was great watching him work up close and listening to him speak for hours about his process…something I will never forget.

More about Bill Dixon from Taylor Ho Bynum: Bill Dixon, 1925-2010.
Interview by Douglas Detrick.

Ted Daniel on the trumpet, King Oliver and his upcoming set at FONT’s We Speak series. Ted Daniel’s International Brass Membrane Corps performs June 7th at the Abrons Art Center, co-presented by the Vision Festival.

8:30 – Ted Daniel’s International Brass Membrane Corps salutes King Oliver, with Ted Daniel (cornet),Charles Burnham (violin), Howard Johnson (tuba), Warren Benbow (drums), Orlando ‘Que’ Rodriguez (percussion).

FONT: When you look at the total history of the trumpet, from its beginnings as a signaling device, to the incredible diversity of approaches in the world now, what parts of the trumpet’s character is attractive to you? What keeps you interested in playing the instrument?

Ted Daniel: In considering your question as to what part of the trumpet’s character is attractive to me, I would say mainly it is the trumpet’s sonority.  For me, the timbre of this brass instrument is intriguing in that it is at once both persistent and enticing. You refer to the instrument first being used as a signaling device.  I have first hand knowledge of that capability as I was often assigned the duty of bugler of the week while serving in the army band.  I was expected to play a variety of “calls” throughout the day for various troop activities.  An example of the persistent character of the instrument would be emphasized during the call “reveille” (wake up call) as oppose to the more enticing character of the instrument revealed in the call “Taps” (last call of the day or for funerals). These calls are based on Read More

FRIDAY, JUNE 3rd, 7pm, Rubin Museum of Art
Honoring Bill Dixon

with long-time Dixon collaborators Taylor Ho Bynum, Stephen Haynes, and Rob Mazurek (cornets, trumpets), William Parker (bass), Warren Smith (percussion), and special guests Stanton Davis and Wadada Leo Smith (trumpets).

Rubin Museum of Art, 150 West 17th St, NYC, 212.620.5000 x344
Tickets are $18 in advance, $20 at the door, and $5 for students, and include a post-concert guided tour of the museum.

SUNDAY, JUNE 5th, doors at 7pm and concert at 7:30,(Le) Poisson Rouge
Wadada Leo Smith’s Golden Quartet

with Angelica Sanchez (piano), John Lindberg (bass), Pheeroan akLaff (drums)

(Le) Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker St, NYC, 212.505.3474
Tickets are $18 in advance, $22 at the door, and $15 for students.

TUESDAY, JUNE 7th, beginning at 7pm, Vision Festival 16, Abrons Arts Center
FONT at the Vision Fest headlined by a performance by
Polish trumpet legend Tomasz Stanko,
in his first appearance at FONT or the Vision Festival.

Main Stage:
7pm – Amir ElSaffar’s With/Between, with Amir ElSaffar (tpt, voice), Jen Shyu (voice), Liberty Ellman(guitar), Francois Moutin (bass), Tomas Fujiwara (drums).

8:30 – Ted Daniel’s International Brass Membrane Corps salutes King Oliver, with Ted Daniel (cornet),Charles Burnham (violin), Howard Johnson (tuba), Warren Benbow (drums), Orlando ‘Que’ Rodriguez(percussion).

10:00 – Tomasz Stanko Quartet, with Tomasz Stanko (tpt), Sylvie Courvoisier (piano), Mark Feldman(violin), Mark Helias (bass).

Downstairs Theater:
7:45 – Two films by Robert O’Haire: “Bill Dixon: Going to the Center” and “Joseph Daley: Earthtones”.

9:15 – Stephanie Richards’ WATERcolor with Stephanie Richards (tpt), Qasim Naqvi and Andrew Munsey (drums), Kelly Rossum (tpt), Sam Minaie (bass).

10:45 – Jonathan Finlayson’s Sicilian Defense, with Jonathan Finlayson (tpt), Miles Okazaki (guitar), Keith Witty (bass), Damion Reid (drums).

Abrons Arts Center, 466 Grand St, NYC, 212.598.0400
Tickets are $30 at the door, $140 for a Vision Festival pass, and $20 for students and seniors

The Festival of New Trumpet Music is made possible in part through the generous support of Chamber Music America, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts, Meet the Composer’s Cary New Music Performance Fund, the Bill Dixon Music Fund, and its individual donors and volunteer board.

COMING UP: A week-long tribute to Kenny Wheeler in October 2011.

Congrats to Ingrid Jensen and Jon Wikan on their new arrival, Kårinna Talise Wikan!

Join our friends TILT Brass for their CD release gig this Saturday. Some of the best new music brass players will be there. Great night of music!

TILT Brass presents:
To TILT: Vol. 1 CD Release & TILT Brass Benefit

Saturday, April 2nd, 2011
Doors Open at 7PM, $10

Invisible Dog Art Center
51 Bergen Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11201 [gmap]

Featuring Performances by:

Phantom Orchard (Zeena Parkins & Ikue Mori) with
Nate Wooley/Peter Evans Trumpet Duo
::1st meeting of this world-class improvising “double duo”
TILT Creative Brass Band
::Works by Curtis Hasselbring, Mauricio Kagel
TILT SIXtet
::Works by John King, Chris McIntyre
TILT Brass, various forces
::Works by Lois Vierk, Rhys Chatham, Fredric Rzewski, Christian Marclay

On Saturday, April 2nd, local new music organization TILT Brass celebrates the release of its first full-length recording by presenting an evening of adventurous brass and electronic music. In addition to featuring its own resident ensembles, the 10-piece TILT Creative Brass Band and TILT SIXtet, the event includes the debut collaboration between all-star improvising duos Phantom Orchard (Zeena Parkins and Ikue Mori) and Nate Wooley/Peter Evans Trumpet Duo. Taking place within the beautiful 1st floor installation space at Brooklyn’s Invisible Dog Art Center, the April 2 festivities also function as the official launch of and benefit for TILT Brass, Inc., the administrative and fundraising branch of this “vital new music ensemble” (Time Out NY).

Interview with Nate Wooley

By Douglas Detrick

Nate Wooley, recipient of the FONT commission in 2007, is among the most unique, creative and powerful trumpeters in the world today. He is a busy musician, with a full touring schedule, a steady stream of gigs in New York and a long list of albums in his discography. His newest, (Put Your) Hands Together, features a set of new compositions for his quintet, and is out now on Clean Feed Records. Hands Together is essentially a jazz album. If you are familiar with Nate’s music, you know this isn’t normally what he does, but what could have sounded like a musical shotgun wedding instead sounds natural and compelling.

Read More

A sold out first set! If you’re in town stop on by, the band is playing great and there’s a bunch of new music as well as tunes from Spirit Moves.