Mat Maneri, viola
Daniel Levin, cello
Russ Lossing, wurlitzer & piano
Gerald Cleaver, drums
Daniel Levin’s Coelacanth brings together four of today’s most original voices on their respective instruments to create a multi-dimensional, richly textured world of sound and experience, employing shifting constellations of sonic events in order to produce a variety of kinetic sound sculptures that the musicians both inhabit and influence simultaneously.
No matter what setting he plays in, cellist Daniel Levin occupies a musical space bordered by many kinds of music, but fully defined by none of them. Elements of European classical music, American jazz, microtonal and new music, and European free improvisation all figure prominently in his unique sound. As critic John Sharpe observes in The New York City Jazz Record, “he invokes all manner of musics with prodigious skill: jazz, classical, improv, noise, vocal chorus. His technique is unquestioned and he revels in the physicality of the instrument. Those with an adventurous streak or interest in the outer reaches of the cello universe will find much to savor.”
Mat Maneri, born in Brooklyn, New York is an American composer, improviser and jazz violin and viola player, specifically derivatives such as the five-string viola, the electric six-string violin, and the baritone violin. He started releasing records as a leader in 1996 and has performed and recorded worldwide. Maneri has worked with Ed Schuller, John Medeski, Roy Campbell, Paul Motian, Tomasz Stanko, Robin Williamson, Drew Gress, Tony Malaby, Ben Monder, Barre Phillips, Joëlle Léandre, Marilyn Crispell, Craig Taborn, Ethan Iverson, David King and many others.
Penetrate the world of modern jazz, improvisation and composition today and you will find one of its most stimulating and innovative artists. Russ Lossing is drawing worldwide attention for his unique vision, deep integrity, and thoughtfully humanistic voice. He is known for his examining musicality. Lossing is a provocative and fresh leader in creating alternatives to long held conceptions in music. His individual voice, as a player and composer, is sought out in the jazz and avant-garde fields emerging in music today.
Drummer Gerald Cleaver, born and raised in Detroit, is a product of the city’s rich music tradition. Inspired by his father, drummer John Cleaver, he began playing the drums at an early age, gaining early invaluable experience with Detroit jazz masters Ali Muhammad Jackson, Lamont Hamilton, Earl Van Riper, and Pancho Hagood. He moved to New York in 2002, and he has toured and/or recorded with Henry Threadgill, Roscoe Mitchell, Lotte Anker, Matt Shipp, William Parker, Craig Taborn, Kevin Mahogany, Charles Gayle, Mario Pavone, Ralph Alessi, Jacky Terrasson, Muhal Richard Abrams, Tim Berne, Jemery Pelt, Ellery Eskelin, David Torn, Miroslav Vitous, Terje Rypdal, Michael Formanek and Tomasz Stanko, among others.