The Bleeding Edge: 10/3/2023

In last week’s column, all but one of the events had already been reported. This week only one event was previously reported, the first of this month’s events taking place at The Lab. The new events are as follows:

Friday, October 6, 5:30 p.m., Bird & Beckett Books and Records: Composer Erik Jekabson will lead a quartet in a program of his original works. He will alternate between trumpet and flugelhorn, performing with pianist Matt Clark, Dan Feiszli on bass, and drummer Brian Fishler. Bird & Beckett is located at 653 Chenery Street, a short walk from the Glen Park station that serves both BART and Muni. The Web site (hyperlink above) has not yet provided any information about the price of admission.

Friday, October 6, 8:30 p.m., Bird & Beckett Books and Records: The second event of the evening at this venue will be a release concert of an album of original songs based on the residents and history of the Cadillac Hotel. (Many readers should know by now that the Cadillac is also the venue for free concerts in a variety of different genres.) The vocalist will be Christie Aida, accompanied at the piano by Billy White and by Dave Mihaly alternating between percussion and guitar.

Friday, October 6, and Saturday, October 7, 8 p.m., Gray Area Art And Technology: I must confess that, in the past, I have been a bit skeptical about Gray Area, coming away with the impression that attendees are more interested in “making the scene” than in attentive listening. However, Francisco López, Barbara Ellison, Olivia Block, Daniel Menche, and Michael Gendreau have put together a two-evening weekend program entitled Crisis Data Transfer; and my current impression is that listening will be the priority. The Friday program will be presented by López and Ellison. It will be evening of “cyber immersion” based on technology they call “VirtuAural Electro-Mechanics.” The Saturday evening will consist of surround sound performances by Block and Menche. Gray Area is located in the Mission at 2665 Mission Street. Admission will be $25 for a single performance with a $45 rate for attending both evenings. Tickets may be ordered through a Gray Area Web page, which also includes information about a “Pre-Party” on Thursday, October 5.

Poster of the ensemble PHASE performers (from the BayImproviser event page for the performance of Self_Less)

Saturday, October 7, 6 p.m., NOHSpace: ensemble PHASE will perform Self_Less, a multipart series of music works composed by Edward Schocker. A text has been prepared by Erik Ehn, and Keith Evans will provide projected images. The performance itself will incorporate live music, projected and pre-recorded audio of stories from people who have unique neuropsychological experiences, such as Alzheimer’s disease, out-of-body experiences, epiphanies and body integrity identity disorders. The “mission” behind the composition of Self_Less is to bring awareness of the connections among brain, body, mind, and self. The performance will take place in the NOHSpace Theatre of Yugen. NOHSpace is located In the Mission at 2840 Mariposa Street. There will be no charge for admission, but those interested in attending are encouraged to make a reservation through the Eventbrite event page.

Saturday, October 7, 7:30 p.m., Center for New Music (C4NM): C4NM will begin the month with a program entitled Three Composers, New Music. The composers will be Michael S. Rothkopf, Marc Evanstein, and Ric Louchard. Both Rothkopf and Evanstein work with digital technology, while Louchard’s music involves improvisational elements and storytelling. Both Evanstein and Louchard will contribute to the performances as pianists. The other performers will be soprano Amy Foote, saxophonist Joshua Marshall, Meerenai Shim on flutes of different sizes, and clarinetist Caleb Rose. For those that do not yet know, C4NM is located at 55 Taylor Street, half a block north of the Golden Gate Theater, which is where Golden Gate Avenue meets Market Street. General admission will be $15 with a $10 rate for members and students, and tickets may be purchased in advance through an Eventbrite event page. Since this is the beginning of the month, it is a good time to account for the remaining events of the month as follows with Eventbrite hyperlinks attached to the date and time of each of the performances:

• Sunday, October 8, 8 p.m.: This will be a two-set program. Illusion of Safety is the rubric that Daniel Burke has applied to the “many conspirators” that have performed with him since 1983, resulting in over 40 albums. These have given him the opportunity to explore and exploit almost every facet of “the avant sound plane.” The other set will be taken by Thomas Dimuzio, who has been exploring different aspects of electronic gear since the Eighties. General admission will be $15 with a $10 rate for members and students.
• Saturday, October 14, 7:30 p.m.: Bassist Jeong Lim Yang is the leader of the Zodiac Trio. She will perform with Jason Levis on drums and pianist Santiago Leibson. They will perform music from their album Zodiac Suite: reassured, which is a reconstruction of Zodiac Suite, an album recorded in 1945 by pianist Mary Lou Williams. General admission will be $15 with a $10 rate for members and students.
• Friday, October 20, 8 p.m.: Dilate Ensemble is an audio-visual collaborative group. Audio is provided by Scott L. Miller working with electronics and Kyma technology, vocalist Luisa Muhr, and Jon Raskin, best known as a saxophonist but also performing on concertina and recycled materials. Muhr will also contribute to the visual side with her own choreographic approach to movement. She will perform in a media installation created by Carole Kim, who will also provide live visuals. The group is currently on a mini-tour of northern California; and, for this performance, they will be joined by Body Weather Laboratory dancer Oguri. General admission will be $15 with a $10 rate for members and students.
• Saturday, October 21, 12 p.m.: The month will conclude with the regular installment of G|O|D|W|A|F|F|L|E|N|O|I|S|E|P|A|N|C|A|K|E|S. As usual, vegan pancakes will be included with the price of admission. General admission is between $10 and $7 with a $6 rate for members and students. Music will be provided by Dinosaurs With Horns, the duo of Rick Potts and Joseph Hammer.

Sunday, October 8, Bird & Beckett Books and Records: This will be an album release concert performed by The Schimscheimer Family Trio. The (unrelated) members of the trio are saxophonist Kasey Knudsen, Michael Coleman on piano, and drummer Jon Arkin. The title of their new album is Genogram, inspired by “an unhinged family reunion.” There will be a $20 cover charge to provide payment to the performers.