Valami jazz Sárváron – A Generations Quartet (USA/Ausztria) koncertje – Oliver Lake szaxofon / Michael Jefry Stevens zongora / Joe Fonda bőgő / Emil Gross dob – Sárvár, 2015. október 22. (csütörtök) 19.00
Nádasdy Ferenc Múzeum, díszterem
Belépődíj: 1500 Ft
Oliver Lake egyaránt kiváló zenész, költő és festőművész. Life Dance címmel verseskötete jelent meg, festményeiből kiállítása volt a Montclair Művészeti Múzeumban, és USA-szerte turnézott egyszemélyes darabjával: a „Matador of 1st and 1st”-tel. Világhírűvé leginkább, mint szaxofonos és zeneszerző vált. Zenét szerzett többek között a Brooklyn Filharmonikusoknak és az Arditti Kvartettnek, hangszerelte Björk, Lou Reed és az „A Tribe Called Quest” rapzenekar zenéjét. Együttdolgozott Amiri Baraka (Le Roy Jones) költővel. Magyarországon legismertebbé az 1977-ben alapított World Saxophone Quartettel vált.
A Generations Quartet különböző korú-és életfelfogású zenészeit a magas művészi minőség és a nagyfokú kreativitás kapcsolja össze. Zenéjük egyaránt alapul a szigorú kötöttségen és a szabad improvizáción, amiből egy nehezen beazonosítható, de modern és friss hangzás teremtődik, valahol a jazz, az avantgarde, a funk, a rock és a reggae között. A New Yorkból érkező és Sárváron már többször fellépő Joe Fonda és Michael Jefry Stevens harminc éve zenél különbőző formációkban együtt. A még mindig csak a húszas éveiben járó osztrák Emil Gross a magyar határ közelében él. Zenéje a saját generációja és korábbi generációk zenéjében egyaránt gyökerezik.
The Generations Quartet featuring Oliver Lake on saxophone, Michael Jefry Stevens on piano, Joe Fonda on bass and Emil Gross on drums
Oliver Lake:”It’s all about choices,” states modern Renaissance Man Oliver Lake to explain his expansive artistic vision. An accomplished poet, painter and performance artist, Lake has published a book of poetry entitled Life Dance, has exhibited and sold a number of his unique painted-sticks at the Montclair Art Museum, and has toured the country with his one-man performance piece, Matador of 1st and 1st. But it’s his extraordinary talents as composer, saxophonist, flautist and bandleader that have brought him world-renown. Whether composing major commissioned works for the Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra and theBrooklyn Philharmonic; creating chamber pieces for the Arditti and Flux String Quartets, the Amherst Sax Quartet and the San Francisco Contemporary Players; arranging for pop diva Bjork, rocker Lou Reed and rap group A Tribe Called Quest; collaborating with poets Amiri Baraka and Ntozake Shange, choreographers Ron Brown and Marlies Yearby, Native American vocalist Mary Redhouse, Korean kumongo player Jin Hi Kim, and Chinese bamboo flute player Shuni Tsou; doing unique performances with MacArthur Award recipients, actress/author Anna Devere Smith and writer/law professor/political commentator Patricia Williams; sharing thestage with hip-hop artist Mos Def and pop star Me’shell Ndegeocello; or leading his own Steel Quartet, Big Band and cooperative ensembles the World Saxophone Quartet and Trio 3; Oliver views it all as parts of the same whole. dixieland, be-bop, soul, rhythm & blues, cool school, swing, avant-garde jazz, free jazz, rock, jazz rock.
A co-founder of the internationally acclaimed World Saxophone Quartet with Hemphill, Hamiet Bluiett and David Murray in 1977 (and recently celebrating its 30th anniversary with an album of Jimi Hendrix pieces for Justin Time Records), Oliver continued to work with the WSQ and his own various groups – including the groundbreaking roots/reggae ensemble Jump Up – and collaborating with many notable choreographers, poets and a veritable Who’s Who of the progressive jazz scene of the late 20th century, performing all over the U.S. as well as in Europe, Japan, the Middle East, Africa and Australia. The Generations Quartet stands for the clash of generations on the highest imaginable level of musical creativity. It is the reappraisal of fusion and difference regarding the life concepts and styles of the artists as well as their very different, but not contradictory, approaches towards music. The creative resources of the music of the Generations Quartet are defined by the musical concepts of the three musicians on the very basis of their originality and their traditions. The performance is based upon firmly composed music as well as free improvisation. The quartet audible output is a crisp, fresh, modern sound; indefinable somewhere in-between Jazz, Avantgarde, Funk, Rock, Reggae….. establishing a thrilling tension from the first to the last minute.?? The Generations Quartet is a multi-generational, multi-cultural and multi-genre based acoustic musical Quartet built on the rhythm section foundation of bass, piano and drums. From funk to fusion – from rock to jazz – from reggae to classical: The Generations Quartet has absorbed an eclectic blend of musical and cultural influences. Still in his early 20’s, our Austrian drummer Emil Gross lives on the border of Austria/Hungary and is firmly rooted in the music of his generation as well as past generations. Bassist Joe Fonda and Pianist Michael Jefry Stevens are both from New York City and have been performing together for close to 30 years. Together they have played with such American jazz master artists as Anthony Braxton, Pheeroan Aklaff, Wadada Leo Smith, Dave Douglas, Mark Feldman, Gerry Hemingway, Miles Griffith, Billy Martin (Martin-Medeski-Wood), Steve Turre, Cecil Bridgewater, Valery Ponamerev, Potato Valdez, Ken McIntyre, Charlie Persip, Lou Donaldson, Perry Robinson, Kenny Barron, Curtis Fuller, Chico Hamilton and many others. The influence of African American music is international in scope and pervades most societies and countries that exist on the planet. From spirituals to blues to jazz to gospel to rock to funk… Each generation builds on each succeeding generations’ achievements and learns from their mistakes. As an ensemble The Generations Quartet exists to celebrate these different musics and cultures.
