Secret Society

Secret Society with Anti-Social Music @ Galapagos - 9 March 2012

On March 9, 2012, my co-conspirators and I will be returning to Galapagos Art Space for a double-bill with the estimable Anti-Social Music. In addition to selections from Brooklyn Babylon, Secret Society will be playing music written especially for the band by Vijay Iyer and David T. Little. This is a rare opportunity to hear the band play compositions by someone else for a change. Also, Vijay and David have both written fantastic works that cut against the grain of what's expected from a large ("j-word") ensemble.

For their part, Anti-Social Music will be bringing their own Large Assemblage (though not quite so Large as ours... ) to Galapagos. They are reviving music from 11tet, a jazz composers’ workshop from the late 90′s (do you remember the '90s?), and new works written for ASM by Kamala Sankaram, Dan Lasaga and Pat Muchmore.

I'm a longtime fan of Anti-Social Music -- I think my favorite gig email from them was entitled "ASM presents 'The Glorified Rehearsal!'" -- and this double-bill has literally been years in the making. Tickets are $20 (less than $0.67 per musician! whee!) and may be procured here.

Secret Society @ The Jazz Gallery, Jan. 6-7, 2012

[cross-posted to the new Jazz Gallery blog, Jazz Speaks]

My co-conspirators and I have, as they say, "a history" with The Jazz Gallery. They were the first legitimate jazz venue to host Secret Society -- by "legitmate jazz venue," I mean a venue with the word "jazz" in its name. (That was April 5, 2007, for those keeping track.) Two selections from Infernal Machines, "Jacobin Club" and "Obsidian Flow," were commissioned by and premiered at The Jazz Gallery immediately prior to us going into the studio. Those who have not seen a big band perform in the Gallery's intimate confines are often surprised that we are able to fit at all, but we've done it enough to develop a refined and intricate method of squeezing the band onto the stage. It's always a kick to perform with the audience so close to the band, and the sound in the room is vivid, clear, and natural.

For our performances next week -- Friday, January 6 and Saturday, January 7 -- we will be reprising selections from our recent multimedia production, Brooklyn Babylon, for the first time since premiering the work at the Next Wave Festival in November. (Incidentally, we've just added some live audio from our run at the BAM Harvey Theater to the Brooklyn Babylon website.)

Additionally, in tribute to the memory of my compositional menor, Bob Brookmeyer, we will also be performing pieces of mine that bear his unmistakable imprint.

For these shows, we're very pleased to announce the return of co-conspirator emeritus Tim Hagans, whom we first encountered four years ago, during our first Canadian incursion. He'll be joined by the usual band of miscreants and ne'er-do-wells:

WINDS
Erica von Kleist
Rob Wilkerson
Sam Sadigursky
John Ellis (Jan. 6)
Mark Small (Jan. 7)
Josh Sinton

TRUMPETS
Seneca Black
Tom Goehring
Nathan Eklund
Nadje Noordhuis
Tim Hagans

TROMBONES
Mike Fahie
Ryan Keberle
James Hirschfeld
George Flynn

RHYTHM
Sebastian Noelle, guitar
Adam Birnbaum, piano
Matt Clohesy, bass
Ted Poor, drums

Tickets are $20/$10 for members/FREE for APAP badge-holders (reservations required - email info@jazzgallery.org).