Roulette celebrates composer Henry Threadgill with two nights dedicated to ensembles from throughout his career.
Night ONE features recently formed “legacy” bands: Very Very Circus (Marcus Rojas, Chris Bates, Brandon Ross, Jose Davila, Miles Okazaki, Gene Lake, Noah Becker) and Air Legacy Trio (Marty Ehrlich, Pheeroan akLaff, Hilliard Greene).
Night TWO features recently formed “legacy” bands: Make a Move (Brandon Ross, Darius Jones, David Virelles, Stomu Takeishi, JT Lewis), and The Sextett (Frank Lacy, Jonathan Finlayson, Mike Lee, Christopher Hoffman, Ken Filiano, Newman Taylor Baker, Reggie Nicholson).
First Set: Make A Move // Second Set: The Sextett
Make A Move was initiated by Threadgill in Goa, India in October of 1995. Enlisting guitarist Brandon Ross and accordionist and harmonium player Tony Cedras to join him in India for a preliminary development period of a new phase of his writing, the band was finalized in December 1995, with the recruitment of drummer JT Lewis and bassist Stomu Takeishi. Make A Move officially premiered at The Knitting Factory in January of 1996 for a 6 night run, and Where’s Your Cup?—the classic debut album by the band—was recorded immediately following this debut engagement. Active until 2002, Make A Move released 2 studio albums (before Zooid, Threadgill’s longest running band, came into being). Adding Darius Jones and David Virelles, the legacy formation of Make A Move brings a distinctive timbral palette and a fresh rhythmic slant to each of Threadgill’s many compositional facets.
Brandon Ross electric & acoustic guitars
JT Lewis drums
Stomu Takeishi bass
David Virelles harmonium & keyboards
Darius Jones alto saxophone
Threadgill’s Sextett (not to be confused with his Sextet, an earlier iteration of the two-drummer configuration) was formed in the mid 1980s. The group contained two drummers, double bass, cello, trumpet, and trombone, in addition to Threadgill’s alto sax and flute. Among the players were drummers Pheeroan akLaff, John Betsch, Reggie Nicholson, and Newman Taylor Baker; bassist Fred Hopkins; cellist Diedre Murray; trumpeters Rasul Siddik and Ted Daniels; cornetist Olu Dara; and trombonists Ray Anderson, Frank Lacy, Bill Lowe, and Craig Harris. This iteration includes Frank Lacy, Reggie Nicholson, and Newman Taylor Baker, plus additions Jonathan Finlayson (trumpet), Mike Lee (flute/alto flute/clarinet/alto sax), Christopher Hoffman cello, and Ken Filiano (bass). According to bandleader Frank Lacy, there has only been one other time that the music of Threadgill’s Sextett has been presented, in Harlem some years ago, making this a not-to-be-missed opportunity to hear this vital music.
Frank Lacy trombone
Jonathan Finlayson trumpet
Mike Lee flute/alto flute/clarinet/alto sax
Christopher Hoffman cello
Ken Filiano bass
Newman Taylor Baker drums
Reggie Nicholson drums
A livestream will be available free of charge at 8pm on the day of the performance and archived for future viewing. Watch below or on YouTube.
