Friday, November 30th, 2012

Crossovers » Michael Dessen Trio

Space 4 Art
325 15th between J and K
San Diego
8PM
$15.00 and $10.00 students
Parking is easy - on the street and at $3.00 parking lots very nearby.

Michael Dessen, trombone;
Dan Weiss, drums
Chris Tordini, Bass.

Featuring Michael Dessen on trombone and live electronics along with renowned NYC-based musicians Chris Tordini (bass) and Dan Weiss (drums), this unique ensemble blends polyrhythmic flow and intricate compositions with adventurous improvisation and spacious soundscapes. For this concert, the trio will premiere a new work, Resonating Abstractions, that was commissioned by Chamber Music America's "New Jazz Works" program, with support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Resonating Abstractions is based on work by seven contemporary visual artists as well as on broader questions surrounding the nature and practice of abstraction.

"[Forget The Pixel] is the trio's second album, and it sounds like the work of a gigging band.... These guys don't just play together-they're playing. This playfulness, as much as their fluid negotiations of Dessen's jagged rhythms and elaborate melodies, is the spoonful of sugar that make these rigorous improvisations go down easy."
- DOWNBEAT, Bill Meyer

"It's fascinating work by an exceptional group of musicians, at times combining the cheery openness of song with a sense of underlying tectonic mystery."
- NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD, Stuart Broomer

"Dessen's music is so fresh and innovative that there are few precedents with which to compare it.... The enthusiastic audience erupted with supportive whistles, shouts and sustained applause. A stunning example of creative, adventurous music, utterly devoid of cliché, stretching even the frontiers of free jazz beyond recognition."
- ALL ABOUT JAZZ, Robert Bush