This multimedia performance features a new ensemble and original compositions by pianist/composer Kris Davis in response to selected excerpts of six films by the pioneering artist Julian Charrière. In March of 2020, at a New York gallery, Davis’ freely improvised an alternative soundtrack for his two-and-a-half-hour film Towards No Earthly Pole. The experience created a desire to more fully explore the musical possibilities triggered by his work. For tonight’s performance, Davis has chosen fragments from six of his films, assembling them in a suite that offers a narrative for her sonic vision.

Kris Davis: piano
Angela Sanchez: moog
Hidemi Akaiwa: microtonal koto/keyboards
Mat Maneri: viola
Trevor Dunn: bass
Sam Pluta: electronics
Taylor Ho Bynum: trumpet

Julian Charrière is a French-Swiss sculptor, photographer, and filmmaker who lives and works in Berlin. His work engages deeply in cultural concepts of Nature, Time, Landscape, and the Anthropocene.

Kris Davis is a Canadian pianist, composer, and educator, who has lived in New York City for the past twenty years. Davis explores structure and freedom through composition and improvisation, drawing from a wide range of musical traditions and practices.