Full Description:

Steve Swell and Omar Tamez pay homage to Tamez’s father Nicandro Tamez, a prolific yet unsung Mexican composer in the avant garde tradition, and Swell premieres his new long-form work “Composite #8″,  with Omar Tamez (guitar) Steve Swell (trombone) Darius Jones (alto) Jonathan Golove (cello) James Ilgenfritz (bass). Renowned composer and multi-instrumentalist Douglas Ewart presents Water is Tops, using sound, spoken word, and movement arts to explore the sonic, ritual, philosophical aspects of water, with multi-instrumentalist J.D. Parran, dancer/choreographer Ni’ja Whitson, and others.

Full Description:

AACM percussionist Thurman Barker leads his percussion quintet Strike Force for a set of fascinating new works.

Also a longtime AACM member, reedsman Douglas R. Ewart brings together his ensemble of New York and Midwest musicians, Inventions, to perform new works inspired by Mr. Ewart's recent experiences in Haiti and the memory of trumpeter Lester Bowie.

Strike Force: Bryan Carrott, vibraphone; Eli Fountaine, marimba; Wilson Moorman, xylophone/timpani; Ray Mantilla, conga drums and percussion; Thurman Barker, drums.

Inventions: Dee Alexander, vocalist; Kamau Brathwaite, poet; George E. Lewis, trombone and electronics; Adegoke Steven Colson, piano; Reggie Nicholson, marimba and drums; Douglas R. Ewart, reeds, voice, and percussion.