Jazz and Experimental Music

On Canvas

Over the summer, ANW presented Darcy James Argue's spectacular "steampunk" big band, Secret Society, at the International House. This performance was the band's first US appearance outside of New York and, thanks to WHYY's On Canvas program (which has also featured performances from Andrew Bird, Lionel Loueke and Extra Golden), we can relive the excitement. Thanks to all who came out to support that event. Watch the entire episode here.

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Byram's World

As Tim said today, "It's going to be Sunday before you know it." Let's hope it doesn't come too soon. In any case, we're overwhelmingly eager to present Friday and Saturday's Composer Portrait: Tim Berne at the Philadelphia Art Alliance. Without hyperbole, Tim's work - especially all those late 90s live performances of Bloodcount and Big Satan that we saw at the Old Office - was a major influence on our excitement to present improvised music in Philadelphia. This one is real special. And, honestly, it may be quite some time before most of these pieces are performed live again, so do yourself a favor and join us. 

Please note! The public discussion between The New York Times' Nate Chinen and visual artist Steve Byram - whose work graces the covers of Berne's entire Screwgun Records catalog - is pushed back from Friday to Saturday, December 12 from 6:30-7:30pm. But still free! read more

Where is Brooklyn?

"And this music has root in this form just as man has broken away from the earth gravity to seek other forms of matter so has the form of expression in all communicated thoughts, Don Cherry is a man of creative inventiveness and it would be unnatural for him not to seek and bring about the new forms in his talent as a composer and performer the compositions as well as the titles are all in the form of the new thing, in music of the improvising world." -Ornette Coleman, from the original liner notes of Blue Note Records' Where is Brooklyn? by Don Cherry

We don't know what, precisely, Ornette is talking about here, but we're sure he's right! We do know, however, that ANW has commenced our Composer Portrait: Don Cherry season-long celebration with Dave Douglas & Brass Ecstasy's exciting performance (which included Cherry tunes The Thing, Awake Nu, and others). If you missed it, don't fret. Celebrating their 10th anniversary, Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra visits Philadelphia for the first time to perform Cherry's "Relativity Suite" (still unreleased on CD). The piece, commissioned by the Jazz Composers Orchestra Association  (under the leadership of Carla Bley) 40 years ago and recorded on Valentine's Day 1973, is an ambitious suite undoubtedly influenced by Cherry's work with Pakistani vocalist Pandit Faquir Pran Nath, also a major influence on Terry Riley, La Monte Young and Lee Konitz.

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Just A Guy Who Knows

Just A Guy Who Knows is a new 21-minute short film that was directed, shot and edited by Mike Ercolini and Dan Scofield.  Many of us know Dan as one-fourth of the Philadelphia quartet Shot x Shot. (And, by the way, we just announced this mind-blowing event with said ensemble.)  Anyway, the short film is about legendary saxophonist Sonny Simmons, who we featured last season in a duet performance with Bobby Few.  That gig was named one of Wire Magazine's best concerts of 2008. Simmons is well known for his collaborations with the leading figures in the jazz avant-garde including Charles Mingus, Eric Dolphy, Elvin Jones, Jimmy Garrison, McCoy Tyner - the list is endless and beyond impressive. Enjoy!

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February 2010

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Ars Nova Workshop (ANW) is a Philadelphia nonprofit jazz and experimental music presenting organization. ANW acts as a facilitator between artists and their audiences, while working to inform, inspire and challenge listeners in order to elevate the role of jazz, improvisation and experimental music.

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