ZORN@70 at ROULETTE PART TWO: Cobra
$35 advance, $40 doors ($25 student/senior age 65+ w/ID)
- Wendy Eisenberg, guitar
- Taylor Levine, guitar
- Trevor Dunn, electric bass
- Alexandra Simpson, viola
- Michael Nicolas, cello
- Jorge Roeder, double bass
- Brian Marsella, piano
- Ikue Mori, electronics
- Kenny Wollesen, drums & vibraphone
- Sae Hashimoto, drums & percussion
- Ches Smith, drums & percussion
- Cha Cha La Fox, violin
- John Zorn, prompter
John Zorn returns to Roulette for the second of four concerts celebrating his 70th birthday with his infamous game piece Cobra, which first premiered at Roulette in 1984. Renowned as a landmark work, Cobra remains one of the most commonly played compositions in new music. Under the direction of the composer himself this latest performance brings together a stellar lineup of New York's preeminent purveyors of new and improvised music, including a special guest on violin (to be announced). Cobra is never really Cobra without Zorn himself at the helm—and here the music takes some surprising turns that even he never expected.
About Wendy Eisenberg, guitar
Wendy Eisenberg is an improviser and songwriter who uses guitar, pedals, the tenor banjo, the computer, the synthesizer and the voice. Their work spans genres, from jazz to noise to avant-rock to delicate songs; their performances span venues, from international festivals to intimate basements. Though often working solo as both a songwriter and improviser, with acclaimed releases on Tzadik, VDSQ, Out of your Head, and Garden Portal, they also perform in the rock band Editrix, and in endless other combinations of their heroes and peers including Allison Miller, Carla Kihlstedt, John Zorn, Billy Martin, and Caroline Davis. They are also a writer on music and other things, with published essays on music in Sound American, Arcana, and the Contemporary Music Review.
https://www.wendyeisenberg.com/About Taylor Levine, guitar
Guitarist Taylor Levine is a founding member of Dither, an electric guitar quartet. In addition, Taylor often performs a variety of composed and improvised music with a wide range of groups. Some of these include Signal Ensemble, Kronos Quartet, Marc Ribot, Tyondai Braxton, Erykah Badu, Bang On A Can, Eighth Blackbird, Blarvuster, Newband, Weasel Walter, Eve Beglarian, Ethel, New York City Opera, New World Symphony, London Sinfonietta, BBC Orchestra, and Wordless Music Orchestra. Taylor also pursues an active role as an educator. He studied at The Manhattan School of Music and The Amsterdam Conservatory. Taylor currently resides in Brooklyn, where he can often be found building a variety of electronic circuits.
About Alexandra Simpson, viola
About Michael Nicolas, cello
A “long-admired figure on the New York scene,” (The New Yorker), cellist Michael Nicolas enjoys a diverse career as chamber musician, soloist, recording artist, and improvisor. He is the cellist of the intrepid and genre-defying string quartet Brooklyn Rider, which has drawn praise from classical, world music, and rock critics alike. As a member of the acclaimed International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), he has worked with countless composers from around the world, premiering and recording dozens of new works. Another group, Third Sound, which Michael helped found, made its debut with an historic residency at the 2015 Havana Contemporary Music Festival in Cuba. Earlier in his career, he played with the wildly popular South Korean chamber group Ensemble Ditto, and also held a post as Associate Principal Cellist of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal. His solo album, Transitions, is available on the Sono Luminus record label.
Of mixed French-Canadian and Taiwanese heritage, Michael was born in Canada, and currently resides in New York City. He is a graduate of The Juilliard School.
http://michaelnicolascellist.com/About Jorge Roeder, double bass
About Brian Marsella, piano
About Ikue Mori, electronics
About Kenny Wollesen, drums & vibraphone
About Sae Hashimoto, drums & percussion
Sae Hashimoto (sa-eh ha-shee-moh-toh) is a Japanese-born percussionist whose multifaceted career extends beyond barriers of genre and classification. Her unique approach to performance is cultivated by her intensive classical training and a decade of freelance experience in NYC performing symphonic, baroque, contemporary, and avant-garde music.
https://saehashimoto.com/