Monday, December 25, 2017

The Bleeding Edge: 12/25/2017

Scott Amendola, courtesy of Slim’s

As might be guessed, the last Bleeding Edge of the year is pretty sparse. In fact, it is about as sparse as things can get, since there is only one item to report. Nevertheless, it will be an event that will close out the year with a boom (not to mention a toot, a whistle, and a plunk) that will anticipate the traditional fireworks by a little more than 24 hours.

That event will be a performance by the Orchestra di Pazzi (which translates from the Italian into “orchestra of fools”). It is a large ensemble, whose performances consist entirely of free improvisations. (The group’s motto is “making it up one sound at a time.”) The orchestra was created by Scott Amendola, who serves as director while playing a diverse selection of percussion instruments and electronic gear. The group usually performs in selected combinations, as well as a whole.

I am not sure how much personnel varies from one performance to the next; but an impressive lineup has been planned for this end-of-year gig. All four of the ROVA saxophonists (Larry Ochs, Jon Raskin, Bruce Ackley, and Steve Adams) will participate, with Adams also working with electronics. There will also be three powerhouse guitarists: Henry Kaiser, Fred Frith, and John Schott. Vocals will be provided by Aurora Josephson and Pamela Z, the latter with her own custom-designed electronic gear. The string section (so to speak) will consist of violinists Alisa Rose and Christina Stanley, cellist Crystal Pascucci, and Zach Ostroff on bass. In addition, Soo-Yeon Lyuh will be playing her haegeum, the two-stringed bowed Korean version of a fiddle. Finally, there will be a generous percussion section consisting of Willie Winant, Robert Lopez, and Jordan Glenn, along with Mark Clifford on vibraphone.

This performance will begin at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 30. The venue will be Slim’s, which is located in SoMa at 333 11th Street. Doors will open at 7:30 p.m. Seating is limited, meaning that most ticket-holders will be standing. General admission will be $20 with a $5.82 processing fee if purchased online through an Eventbrite Web page. As long as the show has not sold out, tickets can be purchased at any time from the Slim’s box office, which is open between 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. On a show night the box office is often 30 minutes before the doors open and remains open until around 10 p.m. There is no processing fee when tickets are purchased at the box office. Finally, there is the option of purchasing a ticket that also included a fixed-price meal. Those having dinner are the first to be admitted when the doors open and are seated in the reserved balcony section. The three-course dinner includes salad, choice of entrée, and choice of dessert. Diners should arrive no later than 90 minutes after the doors open. The price is $44.95 with a $7.34 processing fee if ordered online from the same Eventbrite Web page that handles ticket sales.

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