June 2-3 (4 experimental shows in 2 evenings)
Published Tuesday, June 06, 2006 by bowerbird.org.
The marathon that is June has begun. The first weekend, with three shows in two days and two new venues, went off very well. On Friday, June 2nd, we proved that Philadelphia is capable of having two experimental music events in one night. Bowerbird produced a show featuring Denman Maroney, Jack Wright, and Reuben Radding on the same evening as an experimental music event at Slought. Six months ago there was nothing- now we’ve got choices! I can live with that....
Jack Wright and PIMA at the Marvelous
Published Thursday, May 18, 2006 by bowerbird.org.
Way back in March (that seems like decades ago in bowerbird years) we put on what turned out to be a very memorable show at the Marvelous. The show had been put together rather hastily- I was trying to accommodate a Russian musician on tour. Bowerbird was still young and a lot of things were falling through. We managed to get together a nice line up, that in the end didn’t have the Russian guy, but included Jack Wright, PIMA group, and TUNTEMATON (an amalgamation I put together).
A couple of things you should know about the Marvelous: First off, its a great independent new and used comic book, record, and cd store. They've got tons of great, hard to find things. Consequently the place is packed to the brim with stuff and space is tight. There's no performance space and there isn't a lot of room for people or musicians let alone dancers. It's also underneath a bar, which on this particular night was offering an exceptional amount of ambient noise to the occasion. The performers, for this and all the shows we had there, were intrepid in dealing with the issues of the space.
Jack made his first appearance of what will surely be many appearances on a bowerbird show that night. He had just gotten back from an extended tour of Japan and was experiencing half a planet of jetlag. Jack played two solo pieces- one on alto, one on soprano- both bordering stylistically much closer to free jazz than one would normally expect from Jack, but both captivating nonetheless. Afterwards, I remember Jack saying to me, “I haven’t played that way in years”.
-did i mention the Marvelous is a record store?
-there's some interesting interaction here between jack and the tuba poster...
-Jack had to stand on a milk crate to project over the record bins .
____
PIMA Group is a dance/music/movement/noise improvisation collaboration, which this night consisted of Melisa Putz, Marc Zajac, and Thomas Clark. Their work is exceptionally innovative and highly refined. Melisa, who's movement is the principal visual component of PIMA, is one of the most curious and open dancers willing to honestly explore the possibilities of improvisation. She, without hesitation, totally embraced the peculiarities of the space and presented us with a most memorable performance.
With the lights turned off, and only a single lamp to light the space, the musicians, who, due to the space, could not directly see the dance, created a noise-scape with various electronics and percussion that complemented a short, but exquisitely sculpted piece made entirely within the confined surface of a small rug.
all photos in this post: Michael Anton Parker
A couple of things you should know about the Marvelous: First off, its a great independent new and used comic book, record, and cd store. They've got tons of great, hard to find things. Consequently the place is packed to the brim with stuff and space is tight. There's no performance space and there isn't a lot of room for people or musicians let alone dancers. It's also underneath a bar, which on this particular night was offering an exceptional amount of ambient noise to the occasion. The performers, for this and all the shows we had there, were intrepid in dealing with the issues of the space.
Jack made his first appearance of what will surely be many appearances on a bowerbird show that night. He had just gotten back from an extended tour of Japan and was experiencing half a planet of jetlag. Jack played two solo pieces- one on alto, one on soprano- both bordering stylistically much closer to free jazz than one would normally expect from Jack, but both captivating nonetheless. Afterwards, I remember Jack saying to me, “I haven’t played that way in years”.
-did i mention the Marvelous is a record store?
-there's some interesting interaction here between jack and the tuba poster...
-Jack had to stand on a milk crate to project over the record bins .
____
PIMA Group is a dance/music/movement/noise improvisation collaboration, which this night consisted of Melisa Putz, Marc Zajac, and Thomas Clark. Their work is exceptionally innovative and highly refined. Melisa, who's movement is the principal visual component of PIMA, is one of the most curious and open dancers willing to honestly explore the possibilities of improvisation. She, without hesitation, totally embraced the peculiarities of the space and presented us with a most memorable performance.
With the lights turned off, and only a single lamp to light the space, the musicians, who, due to the space, could not directly see the dance, created a noise-scape with various electronics and percussion that complemented a short, but exquisitely sculpted piece made entirely within the confined surface of a small rug.
all photos in this post: Michael Anton Parker
