ARAM SHELTON'S ARRIVE Chicago, IL
Aram Shelton - alto saxophone
Jason Adasiewicz - vibraphone
Jason Roebke - bass
Tim Daisy - drums
Aram Shelton is a multi-instrumentalist on saxophones and clarinets, a composer & improviser, and creates electroacoustic music with computer-based electronics. While the music he makes is spread across a variety of aesthetic lines, it is connected by the importance of improvisation to develop material and express the individuality of musicians. He currently lives in Oakland, California.
Beginning on tenor saxophone while growing up on a small ranch in southeast Florida, Shelton switched to alto saxophone in college, as a way to focus on the classical techniques of the instrument. After college, Shelton lived in Washington DC for a summer where he met other young musicians interested in making music unrestricted by style. He moved to Chicago in the spring of 1999, inspired by the amount of musical activity and quickly became involved in the city’s creative music scene. While there, Shelton developed his playing style on alto saxophone while also studying clarinet and trumpet. He played creative jazz and improvised music in many settings, including the groups Dragons 1976, Arrive, and Rapid Croche. Over time he also became interested in the use of computer-based electronics for the live sampling and manipulation of acoustic instruments, and formed the group Grey Ghost with Johnathan Crawford. After several productive years in Chicago, Shelton moved out west to California to focus on his electroacoustic music at Mills College.
Shelton continues to focus on live improvisational-based music that uses both acoustic and electronic instruments. In California the groups Flockterkit, Ton Trio, Son of Gunnar Ton of Shel, the Shelton/Healy duo, the Pink Canoes, and Settled represent his music. He maintains his connections to Chicago through the groups Dragons 1976 (Multikulti), Arrive, Rolldown (482 Music), and Keefe Jackson’s Fast Citizens (Delmark).
Along the way Shelton has had the chance to perform throughout the United States, Canada and Europe with many talented musicians, including Tim Daisy, Ken Vandermark, Jason Ajemian, Josh Berman, Audrey Chen, Fred Lonberg-holm, Dave Rempis, Damon Smith, Steve Bernstein, Weasel Walter, Jason Roebke, Liz Albee, Rob Mazurek, Matt Bauder, Jessica Pavone, Fred Frith, Josh Abrams, Harris Eisenstadt, Jeb Bishop, Tim Perkis, Kevin Drumm, Jon Raskin, Frank Rosaly, Guillermo Gregorio, and Chris Brown. His playing and music has been documented on more than ten albums through various imprints including 482 Music, Locust Music, MultiKulti, Edgetone, Delmark, and his own Singlespeed Music.
A prolific and visible member of Chicago's jazz and improvised music scene,
Jason Adasiewicz is quickly gaining widespread recognition from his extensive work as a sideman as well as such high-profile honors as his strong showing in the Rising Star Vibes category of DownBeat's 2007 Critics' Poll. Critics have called him "a remarkably adroit colorist" (Jay Collins, Cadence) and "a welcome new voice" (Chris Kelsey, JazzTimes), noting his "probing sound" (Michael McCaw, AllAboutJazz.com) and ability "to create cunning and subtle rhythmic suspensions" (Derek Taylor, Dusted). Adasiewicz is a member of more than 20 working bands, including Rob Mazurek's Exploding Star Orchestra, the Nicole Mitchell Quartet, the Guillermo Gregorio Trio, and Ken Vandermark's Index Orkest.
The diversity of
Jason Roebke’s musical associations make him one of the most sought after bassists in Chicago. His playing is intensely physical, audacious, and sparse. He leads the electro-acoustic ensemble tigersmilk (Rob Mazurek, Dylan van der Schyff), co-leads the modular music and dance unit Art Union Humanscape (Ayako Kato, Tim Barnes, Michiyo Yagi), and the brutal post-drone trio overova (Fred Lonberg-Holm, Jason Adasiewicz). Roebke is also a member of various jazz bands including the Jeb Bishop Trio, Fred Lonberg-Holm Valentine Trio, Klang, Keefe Jackson Quartet, Mike Reed's People, Places, and Things, Jorrit Dijkstra’s Flatlands Collective, Jason Stein's Locksmith Isidore, and Jason Adasiewicz's Rolldown.
Tim Daisy has been an avid member of Chicago's thriving music scene since moving there in 1997 and has performed, recorded, and written music for many of the city's creative ensembles. In 2001, Tim joined the Vandermark 5 and has since recorded four albums, a box set of music recorded live in Poland, and a double LP to come out soon on the Polish "Not Two" label. The Vandermark 5 continues to tour and record extensively as it enters its 11th year as an ensemble in 2007—something not seen very often in the world of improvised music. Tim leads two groups of his own: Festival Quartet and Sky and Lights. Each group explores the relationship between thematic material and improvisation with the members of the groups defining the overall character of the music through their respective personalities. Other groups that Tim currently works with are: The Engines (with Jeb Bishop, Dave Rempis, and Nate McBride), The Rempis Percussion Quartet (with Dave Rempis, Anton Hatwich, and Frank Rosaly), Dragons 1976 (with Aram Shelton and Jason Ajemian), Abranchadaisian (with Jaimie Branch and Jason Ajemian), Klang (with James Falzone, Jason Adasiewicz, and Jason Roebke), Kyle Bruckmann's WRACK (with Jason Stein, Jenn Claire Paulson, and Anton Hatwich), and the Frame Quartet (with Ken Vandermark, Fred Lonberg-Holm, cello and Nate McBride).
MATT DAVIS
solo guitar
Matt Davis is a jazz guitarist based in Philadelphia. In addition to performing, Matt is an active composer, teacher and arranger. Hailed as "brilliant" by the Philadelphia Daily News, Matt’s original 12 piece ‘modern chamber jazz ensemble’, called "Matt Davis’ Aerial Photograph" performs regularly in and around town. Matt has shared the stage with notable musicians such as Odean Pope, Dave Liebman, Paulina Oliveros, John Swana, Terrell Stafford, Mickey Roker, and others. He is a recipient of numerous awards and honors including grants from ASCAP, the American Composers Forum, The National Parks Service, The Banff Center, etc. Matt currently serves as Senior Lecturer in Jazz guitar performance at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. http://www.mattdavisguitar.com/
DAN BLACKSBERG'S SYNTHESIS MUSIC
Dan Blacksberg - trombone
Carlos Santiago - violin
Matt Engle - bass
Dave Flaherty - drums
Dan Blacksberg is a trombonist who is working to expand the range of the trombone in jazz and improvised music. A native and resident of Philadelphia, he has been seen all around town with such local musicians as Jack Wright, Toshi Makihara, Sonic Liberation Front and with Bobby Zankel's Warriors of the Wonderful Sound. He has appeared in concerts produced by Bowerbird and the Ars Nova Workshop. In addition, Dan has performed with Anthony Braxton (the premiere of Composition 19 for 100 tubas), Taylor Ho Bynum, Joe Morris, Mike Pride, Nate Wooley, Katt Hernandez, Daniel Levin and Joe Maneri in many venues in New York and Boston. Dan holds a bachelor's degree from the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied with musical luminaries Bob Brookmeyer and Ran Blake. At NEC, Dan had the opportunity to work with Irene Aebi on the U.S. Premiere of her late husband Steve Lacy's song cycle Futurities (2004), and with Gunther Schuller in the world premiere of his monumental work Encounters (2003). Dan is also one of the premiere trombonists in the world of Klezmer. Dan has performed with Frank London, Michael Alpert, Adrienne Cooper, Alan Bern, Aaron Alexander, and the Shirim Klezmer Orchestra. He has performed twice at the Krakow Jewish Music Festival as well as the Montreal Jazz Festival and is a well known presence at KlezKamp and KlezKanada.
