ROVA NEWS – February 2008

NEWS FLASH! Thursday night Feb 14:
Art of the Improvisers show LIVE! on KFJC

Radio station KFJC-fm will broadcast Rova’s recent Art of the Improviser show this Thursday, Feb14th, from 7 pm to 9pm PST, hosted by Outlier. Check KFJC's Specials and Events listing for complete replay information. The broadcast recorded at CounterPULSE in San Francisco on January 11, 2008 will feature:
Liz Allbee
MaryClare Brzytwa
Aurora Josephson
LaDonna Smith
Karen Stackpole
Rova

Super kudos to KFJC for their adventurous programming and valued support!


Roscoe Mitchell presents his Improv:21 on February 20!

♦ Upcoming shows

♦ Improv:21 ? Roscoe Mitchell

♦ RadiOM ? Improv:21 series archived online

AS WAS: February 4 marked the 30th anniversary of Rova's first concert!

In the fall of 1977 Larry Ochs, Bruce Ackley, Jon Raskin and Tony Blase began to rehearse for a saxophone quartet performance as part of the 3rd Annual Free Music Festival to take place in San Francisco in November that year. Stuff happens, so by the time the postponed affair took place in February of 1978, Tony had gone on to other things, making an opening for Andrew Voigt to join and help inaugurate Rova. (This is when Jon switched from alto to baritone!)

Larry taped that first concert at Mills College, and we all liked what we heard happening. The rest is 3 decades of history, the past two of which have been happily shared with maestro Steve Adams. .

Upcoming shows


Albert Ayler, Harlem, 1966 photo: Val Wilmer
Henry Kaiser's Healing Force + Rova
Tuesday, February 19 at 8 pm
Rova opens the show with a quartet set of recent works, followed by Henry Kaiser's Albert Ayler dedication band Healing Force. Rova members will sit in individually on each of the tunes. Healing Force is Aurora Josephson: voice; Henry Kaiser: guitar; Mike Keneally: piano, guitar and voice; Damon Smith: bass; Weasel Walter: drums.

The Climate Theatre
285 Ninth Street (at Folsom)
San Francisco
(415) 263.0830
Sliding scale $7 - $10
climatetheater.com





Rova at The Jazz School Berkeley
Friday, February 29 at 8 pm
In preparation for our two week tour of Europe in early March, Rova will play two sets, featuring new pieces by Quartet members. If you haven?t made it to a show at the Jazz School, check this out; we really think this is a great venue to really listen to creative music.

The Jazz School
2087 Addison Street
Berkeley
(510) 845-5373
$15
jazzschool.com

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Improv:21 ? Roscoe Mitchell:
Improvising with Roscoe Mitchell
One of the pioneers of the improvised music scene, a founding member of the historically important AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians) and the The Art Ensemble of Chicago, a band that influenced (and continues to influence, even if they aren't aware of it) every young musician coming up in the parallel if distinct worlds of jazz and improvised music from the late 1960's on, Roscoe Mitchell will join Derk Richardson and you, the audience, in an improvised discussion and informance on the music of the 21st century, jazz, compositions for improvisers, the life of the artist, and whatever else comes into play when minds open and tune in. Don't miss this one...
[click] For more on Mr. Mitchel

The Marsh
Wednesday, February 20 at 7:30 PM
1062 Valencia Street
San Francisco
(between 21st and 22nd Streets, near 24th Street BART)
Admission $10

The Marsh, in association with Other Minds, is co-sponsor of the 2007- 2008 season of Improv:21. For more info visit: Improv:21.

Rova:Arts is pleased to continue the third season of Improv:21, a series of ?informances? on twenty-first century music that explores the connection between predetermined structure (composition) and performer interpretation (improvisation). Led by master improvisers and composers from the Bay Area and beyond, and hosted by music writer and KPFA radio host Derk Richardson, Improv:21 programs look at the many ways of organizing improvisation through a shifting (i.e. ?improvised?) combination of onstage lecture and dialogue, musical demonstration and performance, and audience question-and-answer forum.

Coming up in the Improv:21 season
April 16 ? Mark Dresser
May 21 ? Scott Amendola
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RadiOM ? Improv:21 series archived online

Want to sample some of the earlier Improv:21 informances? We will be uploading one show every two months to (the web site of Other Minds) until the entire series is online. And there is a lot of information in each show.

Here's what's available at the moment:

Rova
Nels Cline
Fred Frith
Carla Kihlstedt
Gino Robair

To get news from Other Minds click here.

Quoting Garth Powell: If the music's too fast, listen slower.

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