Category: Press Releases

Darius Jones: Samesoul Maker // LawNOrder

What: A follow up to 2014’s The Oversoul Manual, Samesoul Maker is a new composition for male voices in an invented language.
When: Wednesday, December 6, 2017, 8:00pm
Where: Roulette, 509 Atlantic Ave Brooklyn, 2/3/4/5/A/C/G/D/M/N/R/B/Q trains & the LIRR
Cost: $25/20 Online $20/15 Doors
Info: www.roulette.org / (917) 267-0368
Tickets: General Admission $20, Members/Students/Seniors $15, $25/20 Tickets at the door

Brooklyn, NY – Darius Jones’ Samesoul Maker is the second installment of a three-part work utilizing a new language and compositional approach fully created by Jones. For his 2014 compositional debut at Carnegie Hall, Jones presented the second iteration, The Oversoul Manual, an a cappella work comprised of 15 pieces performed by his vocal quartet, the Elizabeth-Caroline Unit. An elemental part of Jones’ Mani’sh Boy mythology, the piece is a fully illuminated, radical expression of Jones’ profound love for the voice, which remains at the foundation of his creative life.

Samesoul Maker explores the commitment of the father figure during the process of childbirth on the planet Or’gen. The father figure becomes the Samesoul Maker through a daily mantra performed in a 15-part cycle using an ancient instrument to embroider the repetitions. Each cycle is seeding the love, desires and support of the father for the creation of his child. The father figure repeats this action every day to lend psychic and emotional energy, thus strengthening the bond being amongst the mothers of his Unit as they sing The Oversoul Manual.

Samesoul Maker will be proceeded by LawNOrder (pronounced “law no order”), a new 45-minute game piece dealing with social justice and American history. Each player represents a separate character (unknown to the others player) and is handed a law to follow at the beginning of the piece.

Darius Jones is a critically acclaimed alto saxophonist and composer. In 2008, Jones was awarded the Van Lier Fellowship by Roulette, which he used to launch his chamber ensemble, the Elizabeth-Caroline Unit, a project dedicated to new works for voice. Roulette continued their support for Jones’ work through a Jerome Foundation Commission, awarding Jones an Artist-in-Residence opportunity for the Elizabeth-Caroline Unit to premiere his vocal composition, The Oversoul Manual, in spring 2014. Following that performance, Jones made his compositional debut at Carnegie Hall with The Oversoul Manual in October 2014.

In 2013, Jones was nominated for Alto Saxophonist of the Year, and for Up & Coming Artist of the Year two years in a row by the Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Awards. He was one of Jazz Times’ Debut Artists of the Year for 2009, and his 2012 release, Book of Mæ’bul (Another Kind of Sunrise), was listed among NPR’s Best Top 10 Jazz Albums of that year. Critics have called him “robustly creative” (New York Times) and “one of NYC’s most incisive and passionate saxists” (Time Out New York). Jones has collaborated with Gerald Cleaver’s Black Host, Oliver Lake Big Band, Eric Revis Quartet, Nasheet Waits Quartet, Trevor Dunn’s Proof Readers, Matthew Shipp, Branford Marsalis, Jason Moran, and more.

Jeremiah Cymerman: Systema Munditotius

What: A hypnotic and mysterious piece for clarinet and percussion inspired by psychologist CG Jung from Jeremiah Cymerman.
When: Tuesday, December 5, 2017, 8:00pm
Where: Roulette, 509 Atlantic Ave Brooklyn, 2/3/4/5/A/C/G/D/M/N/R/B/Q trains & the LIRR
Cost: $25/20 Online $20/15 Doors
Info: www.roulette.org / (917) 267-0368
Tickets: General Admission $20, Members/Students/Seniors $15, $25/20 Tickets at the door

Brooklyn, NY – Composed in 2017, Jeremiah Cymerman’s Systema Mundtitotius is a hypnotic and mysterious concert length piece written as a concerto for two improvising percussionists with the accompaniment of clarinet choir. Employing a system of alternate fingerings and pitch specific electronic feedback, the clarinet choir surrounds the percussionists in a sonic environment that propels and informs the performances of the soloists. Drawing inspiration from and paying tribute to the writings and mandala drawings of Swiss psychologist CG Jung, the first iteration of Systema Munditotius took place at The Stone in New York City as the final performance of Cymerman’s 2017 week-long residency, with subsequent performances at Firehouse 12 in New Haven, CT.

For the past fifteen years, composer and performer Jeremiah Cymerman has become an increasingly integral part of the New York Downtown scene, charting a colorful career as a clarinetist, improviser, sound artist, recording engineer, archivist and podcaster. Frequently using the recording studio as a primary compositional tool, Cymerman’s work reflects a passionate interest in improvisation, electronic manipulation and production, as well as solo clarinet and ensemble performance practices. As a performer, he has worked closely with John Zorn, Toby Driver, Mario Diaz de Leon, Brian Chase, Christopher Hoffman, Evan Parker, Nate Wooley, Joshua Rubin, Anthony Coleman, Matthew Welch, and others. He has performed in over twenty countries as well as numerous cities in the United States, from grand concert halls to anarchist squats. Having released two albums on Tzadik Records, since 2012, he has been releasing music on his own label, 5049 Records, with six full length albums to date, featuring artists Evan Parker, Mario Diaz de Leon, Nate Wooley, Toby Driver, Peter Evans and others. Since 2013, via his 5049 Podcast, he has been documenting long-form, one on one conversations on a weekly basis with an increasingly diverse cast of the most important and distinctive living musicians.

Go: Organic Orchestra: Murmuration

What: New work from Adam Rudolph’s Go: Organic Orchestra, a 21st century vision of a “future orchestra.”
When: Monday, November 27, 2017, 8:00pm
Where: Roulette, 509 Atlantic Ave Brooklyn, 2/3/4/5/A/C/G/D/M/N/R/B/Q trains & the LIRR
Cost: $25/20 Online $20/15 Doors
Info: www.roulette.org / (917) 267-0368
Tickets: General Admission $20, Members/Students/Seniors $15, $25/20 Tickets at the door

Brooklyn, NY – Ever since its first performance at Roulette in 2006, Go: Organic Orchestra has embraced a 21st century vision of a “future orchestra.” Artistic director Adam Rudolph‘s prototypical approach to composing and improvisational conducting embraces music forms and cosmologies from around the world. Using a non-linear score with his unique approach to rhythm as the seed material, Rudolph improvisationally conducts the musicians in concert, creating spontaneous orchestrations serving as both context and inspiration for the musician’s improvisational dialogue. Murmuration is a new work performed by a 35-piece orchestra.

The New York City-based Go: Organic Orchestra is a multicultural and multi-generational chamber orchestra combining western and non-western instrumentation to present a serious contemporary music. For the past four decades, composer, improviser and percussionist Adam Rudolph has performed extensively in concert throughout North & South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Hailed as a “pioneer in world music” by the New York Times and “a master percussionist” by Musician Magazine, he has released over 25 recordings under his own name, featuring his compositions and percussion work. Rudolph composes regularly for his ensembles Adam Rudolph’s Moving Pictures, Hu: Vibrational percussion group, and Go: Organic Orchestra, an 18-to-54-piece group for which he has developed an original music notation and conducting system. He has taught and conducted hundreds of musicians worldwide in the Go: Organic Orchestra concept. In 1995 Rudolph premiered his opera The Dreamer, based on the text of Friedrich Nietzsche’s The Birth of Tragedy.

“The Go: Organic Orchestra sounded unbelievable. But it was believable because we were listening to it.”

—Yusef Lateef

The Nubian Word for Flowers; A Phantom Opera // Rainbird

What: Premiere of The Nubian Word for Flowers by Pauline Oliveros and IONE, plus scenes from Rainbird by Aaron Siegel & Mallory Catlett.
When: Thursday, November 30, 2017, 8:00pm
Where: Roulette, 509 Atlantic Ave Brooklyn, 2/3/4/5/A/C/G/D/M/N/R/B/Q trains & the LIRR
Cost: $25/20 Online $20/15 Doors
Info: www.roulette.org / (917) 267-0368
Tickets: General Admission $20, Members/Students/Seniors $15, $25/20 Tickets at the door

Brooklyn, NY – Experiments in Opera, ICE (International Contemporary Ensemble), and M.o.M., Inc. celebrate the life and legacy of Pauline Oliveros with the premiere of her opera collaboration with writer / director IONE. Encompassing the Nubian Diaspora and the life of Lord Horatio Herbert Kitchener of Khartoum, the opera uses live performance, electronics and moving images to create a deep dream exploration of Nubian soul and Colonial Mind. EiO will also present selections from Rainbird, a work-in-development between EiO co-founder Aaron Siegel and director Mallory Catlett, based on the work of author Janet Frame.

IONE is an author, playwright, director, and improvising text-sound artist. She has taught and performed throughout the world with her partner and spouse of 30 years, Pauline Oliveros. IONE was Artistic Director of Deep Listening Institute for 15 years and currently works as a Deep Listening Certification Instructor at the Center for Deep Listening in Troy, NY. As Founding Director of M.o.M., Inc. (The Ministry of Maåt), IONE encourages and supports women’s well-being and sustains a vibrant international community of writers, visual artists, and musicians.

Experiments in Opera is a composer-driven company focused on re-writing the story of opera. EiO invites composers, directors, designers and performers to create new work that embraces unconventional mediums, a range of production scales, and explores collaboration between all types of artists working to share their visions. International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) is an artist collective committed to transforming the way music is created and experienced. As performer, curator, and educator, ICE explores how new music intersects with communities across the world. M.o.M., Inc. (The Ministry of Maåt) is an international spiritual and educational organization nurturing the a harmonious and balanced world community.

Raz Mesinai: Sleepwalker 3

What: Sleepwalker 3 for piano, violin, bass and electronics combines dub, contemporary composition, and sound system design.
When: Wednesday, November 15, 2017, 8:00pm
Where: Roulette, 509 Atlantic Ave Brooklyn, 2/3/4/5/A/C/G/D/M/N/R/B/Q trains & the LIRR
Cost: $25/20 Online $20/15 Doors
Info: www.roulette.org / (917) 267-0368
Tickets: General Admission $20, Members/Students/Seniors $15, $25/20 Tickets at the door

Brooklyn, NY – Roulette dives into dub with Raz Mesinai’s Sleepwalker 3, a piece for piano, violin, bass and electronics that combines dub, contemporary composition and sound system design. The evening’s performance will be the third iteration of the piece, with the first version having been performed nearly seven years ago.

Dub producer, film composer, and sound designer Raz Mesinai has been producing records since 1989 on a wide range of labels including the legendary punk / hardcore dub label ROIR, John Zorn’s Tzadik imprint, and others. His work has been featured in films by Darren Aronofsky and Ridley Scott. In 2014, Mesinai formed Underground Producers Alliance (UPA), an innovative school for music production, with legendary producer Scotty Hard of Wu Tang Clan and Jungle Brothers.

Violinist and composer Todd Reynold has performed with Bang On A Can All Stars, Bruce Springsteen, Steve Reich Ensemble; while bassist Shahzad Ismaily has performed with Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, and Brian Eno. Both musicians serve as mentors at the Underground Producers Alliance.

David First: The Western Enisphere

What: Western Enisphere presents new work for ensemble & electronics exploring hyper-minimalist microtonality.
When: Tuesday, November 14, 2017, 8:00pm
Where: Roulette, 509 Atlantic Ave Brooklyn, 2/3/4/5/A/C/G/D/M/N/R/B/Q trains & the LIRR
Cost: $25/20 Online $20/15 Doors
Info: www.roulette.org / (917) 267-0368
Tickets: General Admission $20, Members/Students/Seniors $15, $25/20 Tickets at the door

Brooklyn, NY – Hyper-minimalist microtonality and sensual phenomena take center stage as Western Enisphere presents new work for ensemble and electronics. Formed by David First and Jeanann Dara in April 2012, Western Enisphere seeks to develop a body of hyper-minimalist, audio / video just intonation and microtonal works steeped in First’s concepts of Gestural Improvisation, defined as a set of procedures that isolates musical elements and elevates them to the level of most significant extrapolative detail. Comprised of a cast of in-demand musicians in New York City, the ensemble has worked extensively to internalize what First calls “a virtuosity of slowness and safecracker focus, with the goal of both resonating with, and attempting to subvert, the laws of nature.”

David First has always been fascinated by opposites and extremes. At age 20, he played guitar with renowned avant-jazz pianist Cecil Taylor in a legendary Carnegie Hall concert. Two years later, he was creating electronic music as an artist-in-residence at Princeton University and leading a Mummerʼs String Band in Philadelphia parades. As a composer, First has created everything from finely crafted pop songs to long, severely minimalist microtonal droneworks. First’s performances often find him sitting trance-like without seeming to move a muscle, unless he is playing with his psychedelic punk band, Notekillers, at which time he is a whirling blur of hyperactive energy. He has been called “a fascinating artist with a singular technique” in The New York Times, and “a bizarre cross between Hendrix and La Monte Young” in the Village Voice. First’s most recent project, Same Animal, Different Cages (Fabrica Records), is a series of solo LPs on a variety of instruments, including acoustic guitar, analog synth, harmonica (forthcoming September 2017), and sitar (forthcoming early 2018).

Cluster Ensemble Plays Philip Glass: Music with Changing Parts

What: Cluster Ensemble presents Philip Glass‘ Music with Changing Parts for the first time in several decades in New York City.
When: Tuesday, October 31, 2017, 8:00pm
Where: Roulette, 509 Atlantic Ave Brooklyn, 2/3/4/5/A/C/G/D/M/N/R/B/Q trains & the LIRR
Cost: $25/20 Online $20/15 Doors
Info: www.roulette.org / (917) 267-0368
Tickets: General Admission $20, Members/Students/Seniors $15, $25/20 Tickets at the door

Brooklyn, NY – For the first time in New York City in several decades, Slovakia’s Cluster Ensemble will play Philip Glass’ minimalist masterpiece Music With Changing Parts on the occasion of the composer’s 80th birthday year. Far from a traditional presentation, Cluster Ensemble’s unique take on the this work from Glass’ early minimalist phase will utilize live video comprised of digitized fragments of a dance performance.

Formed in 2009 in Bratislava, Slovakia, Cluster Ensemble is comprised of nine members playing three electric organs, flute, clarinet, saxophone, electric guitar, marimba and VJ. The ensemble originated with the Slovakian premiere of Steve Reich’s Six Pianos, performed in a piano store in Bratislava. Since then, the loose grouping of artists surrounding the artistic duo of Ivan Šiller and Fero Király have played all over the world, including Austria, Germany, Denmark, Norway, and the United States. The ensemble specializes in rarely-played ensemble works by composers such as Philip Glass, Steve Reich and John Cage, as well as their own artistic projects. The group’s first album, Cluster Ensemble Plays Philip Glass, was released in June 2016 to critical acclaim in Pitchfork, The Guardian, and others.

Optics 0:1 Combinations (Night 3)

What: Optics 0:1: Combinations examines the modalities of creation, production, and performance involving video-based technologies.
When: Thursday, November 9, 2017, 8:00pm
Where: Roulette, 509 Atlantic Ave Brooklyn, 2/3/4/5/A/C/G/D/M/N/R/B/Q trains & the LIRR
Cost: $25/20 Online $20/15 Doors
Info: www.roulette.org / (917) 267-0368
Tickets: General Admission $20, Members/Students/Seniors $15, $25/20 Tickets at the door

Brooklyn, NY – Victoria Keddie’s multimedia festival, Optics, returns to Roulette for three evenings in November. This year’s edition, Optics 0:1 Combinations, examines modalities of creation, production, and performance involving video-based technologies, focusing on combinations of multimedia within the context of a live performance. Areas of focus include multi-channel video camera recording processes and live production, choreography of space and movement, and photographic sound. In addition to unique programming each night, the festival will include an ongoing media installation of “Pattern Language” by Peter Burr as well as video programs curated by Enrico Camporesi (Centre Pompidou, Paris), Kolbein Holgi & Rebecca Moran (Reykjavik), and Mark Pilkington (Quietus Press / Strange Attractor, London).

Thursday’s programming includes —

Zach Layton with Victoria Keddie, Elisa Sanitago, Felicia Ballos present “Transduction,” new work for electronic video and sound controlled camera system and movement.
Tatiana Kronberg and Meg Clixby perform new work that presents the darkened chamber of the performance space as a metaphor for the unconscious brain activity of electrochemical waves.

Victoria Keddie is an artist working within cross disciplines of sound, video, installation, and performance as well as electronic sound, video composition, and choreography. Of interest are the fluctuations of electromagnetic activity, stereoscopic image and dimensional spaces, satellite debris and collision, image and sound synchronicity and collapse, time sensitivity, and the body in relation to the machine. Keddie is the co-director of E.S.P. TV, a nomadic TV studio that hybridizes technologies to realize synthetic environments and deconstruct the televisual for live performance. In January 2018, Keddie will launch “Satellite Studio” in Garlock, CA, using a 10 ft C band satellite dish receiver to track LEO space debris for sonic compositions.

Optics 0:1 Combinations (Night 2)

What: Optics 0:1: Combinations examines the modalities of creation, production, and performance involving video-based technologies.
When: Wednesday, November 8, 2017, 8:00pm
Where: Roulette, 509 Atlantic Ave Brooklyn, 2/3/4/5/A/C/G/D/M/N/R/B/Q trains & the LIRR
Cost: $25/20 Online $20/15 Doors
Info: www.roulette.org / (917) 267-0368
Tickets: General Admission $20, Members/Students/Seniors $15, $25/20 Tickets at the door

Wednesday’s programming includes —

Kuperus and Miller perform “The Perfect Accent Piece,” a four-part study in absurdity, domestic repetition, and (un)reviewed & under-viewed situations.
Koen Holtkamp (as Beast) performs new work for laser projection and electronic sound.
Charas, Syeus and Matthew Mottel perform “Charas: The Improbable Dome Builders,” an audio/visual performance incorporating Syeus Mottel’s photographs from the new book CHARAS: The Improbable Dome Builders.

Optics 0:1 Combinations (Night 1)

What: Optics 0:1: Combinations examines the modalities of creation, production, and performance involving video-based technologies.
When: Tuesday, November 7, 2017, 8:00pm
Where: Roulette, 509 Atlantic Ave Brooklyn, 2/3/4/5/A/C/G/D/M/N/R/B/Q trains & the LIRR
Cost: $25/20 Online $20/15 Doors
Info: www.roulette.org / (917) 267-0368
Tickets: General Admission $20, Members/Students/Seniors $15, $25/20 Tickets at the door

Tuesday’s programming includes —

Nina Sobell revisits her 1972 work “Glass” for multi-channel video camera, broken glass, and mirror, silicone, and projection.
Amy Ruhl performs “Between Tin Men,” a multi-media performance, video, and installation project adapted from L. Frank Baum’s The Tin Woodsman of Oz.
Samantha CC performs new work for multi-channel broadcast.