Full Description:
THB (cornet, compositions,) Matt Bauder (tenor sax, clarinet,) Mary Halvorson (electric guitar,) Evan O'Reilly (electric guitar,) Jessica Pavone (viola, electric bass,) Loren Kiyoshi Dempster (cello,) Tomas Fujiwara (drums.)
The THB Ensemble is a small ensemble committed to the further exploration of the extensions of composition and improvisation pioneered by masters like Ellington, Ives and members of the AACM. Led by cornettist/composer Bynum (best known for his work with Anthony Braxton, Cecil Taylor, and the Fully Celebrated Orchestra,) the group features some of New York's most outstanding young musicians, all established as leaders and composers in their own right, with the skills to navigate through many styles and genres in the search for something else.
Taylor Ho Bynum is a performer on cornet and various brass instruments, composer and bandleader. Born in 1975, Bynum was raised in Boston and presently resides in Brooklyn. He has established a reputation as a unique musical voice willing to take chances in a wide variety of artistic contexts. His projects cover a diverse range of artistic expression -- from ensembles in the jazz tradition, to work with DJs, contemporary classical composers and world music ensembles, to composing for film and theater, to collaborations with dancers and visual artists. He presently leads his Sextet and the nine-piece ensemble SpiderMonkey Strings, and works with many of the leading figures in creative music. Bynum's work with Anthony Braxton has spanned ten years and projects ranging from duo to orchestra, most recently touring Europe with Braxton's new Sextet and Trio, and co-conducting Braxton's European Creative Orchestra. Their CD "Duets (Wesleyan) 2002" has received wide critical acclaim. Bynum's next CD as a leader, "Other Stories (Three Suites,)" with SpiderMonkey Strings, will be released on 482 Music this fall. Check out www.taylorhobynum.com for more info.
The Village Voice calls Bynum "one of the savviest trumpeters to come along in recent years, a growling sound-and-space man in the tradition of Lester Bowie" and Signal to Noise Magazine reports, "his command of color and nuance is supreme...I don't know how he did any of this, but it's wonderful...Sheer joy."