Craig Taborn / Mette Rasmussen / Ches Smith Trio | Ars Nova Workshop
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Craig Taborn / Mette Rasmussen / Ches Smith Trio

June 16, 2022

Ars Nova Workshop presents the remarkable American-Scandinavian trio of pianist Craig Taborn, saxophonist Mette Rasmussen, and drummer Ches Smith, in a live performance at the MAAS Building in Philadelphia, Thursday, June 16 — bringing together three of the most inventive and thoughtful voices in modern improvised music.

Craig Taborn

A leading figure of both piano and electronic music in the jazz, improvisational, and creative music scene for over twenty five years, Craig Taborn has played and recorded with many luminaries across the spectrum of creative music, including Roscoe Mitchell, Wadada Leo Smith, Lester Bowie, Dave Holland, Tim Berne, John Zorn, Chris Potter, and many others. He possesses one of the most singular approaches to the keyboard of any pianist today, and has engaged in duo performances with fellow visionaries Vijay Iyer and Kris Davis. His own groups include the Daylight Ghosts Quartet, the electronic project Junk Magic, the electro-acoustic duo Heroic Enthusiasts with Dave King, and a trio with cellist Tomeka Reid and Ches Smith.

Mette Rasmussen

Mette Rasmussen is a Danish saxophone player based in Norway who draws from a wide range of influences spanning free jazz to textural soundwork. Rasmussen works on exploring the natural rawness of her instrument – experimenting on what the saxophone is capable of in sound and expression, with and without preparations. Much in demand, she has performed with the likes of Alan Silva, Chris Corsano, Ståle Liavik Solberg, and with her Trio Riot group with Sam Andreae and David Meier. She has toured internationally with Godspeed You! Black Emperor and collaborated with such venturesome players as Torbjörn Zetterberg, Johan Berthling, Raymond Strid, Paul Lytton, Barry Guy, Julien Desprez and Zeena Parkins.

Ches Smith

Originally from Sacramento, California, Ches Smith is a drummer, percussionist, and composer based in New York. He has collaborated with a host of artists on many scenes since the early 2000s, including Marc Ribot, Tim Berne, John Zorn, Darius Jones, David Torn, Nels Cline, Mary Halvorson, Terry Riley, Dave Holland, Secret Chiefs 3, Xiu Xiu, Good for Cows, Theory of Ruin, and Mr. Bungle, among others. He has nine records to his name as a bandleader that feature his writing and ensemble curation, and is a devout student of Haitian Vodou drums, performing in religious and folkloric contexts in New York and Haiti for the last decade, the results of which can be heard via his ensemble We All Break.


Cover: Craig Taborn, Ches Smith, and Mette Rasmussen (left to right). Photo by Peter Gannushkin.
Thursday, June 16
xxx8:00pm

Category

  • Performance

Program Info

$25 General Admission
All Ages

Featuring

Taborn / Rasmussen / Smith Trio

  • Craig Taborn – piano
  • Mette Rasmussen – saxophone
  • Ches Smith – drums

Venue

MAAS Building (Garden Entrance)
Philadelphia, PA