I N - T H I S - I S S U E :

Southeastern Michigan Jazz Association ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN SEMJA UPDATE is published monthly.  It is edited by Lars Björn and Piotr Michalowski with additional assistance from Barton Polot (production editor and Webmaster), Judy Alcock, Margot Campos, Lynn Hobbs, and Marcel Niemiec. Contact: update@semja.org

Reeds of Change at Edgefest 2009

The 2009 Edgefest at Kerrytown Concert House in Ann Arbor celebrates the constantly changing world of reeds October 14-17. The festival will feature several unique performances by some of the very best avant garde artists from New York, Chicago, Detroit and Europe. A complete schedule can be found below (or at www.kerrytownconcerthouse.com), but some of the highlights should be pointed out.

Roscoe Mitchell has been one of the leading saxophonists on the avant scene since the 1960s when he was a moving force in AACM and the Art Ensemble of Chicago. He has also made a mark as one of the foremost composers of the genre. Mitchell will appear on opening night and the last day of the festival. On Wednesday at 9:30 he will appear in a duet with the baritone voice of Thomas Buckner, who has worked with a long line of new music composers for the last thirty years. Since both are veteran solo and duo artists, they are very likely to produce some exciting sounds together. On Saturday afternoon (4:00 p.m.), Mitchell will perform with the Yuganaut trio, which includes keyboardist Stephen Rush, a leading figure on the local avant scene.

Marty Ehrlich has lived in the Big Apple since the late seventies and has been celebrated both as a composer and a player of most woodwinds, and often compared to Eric Dolphy. Ehrlich will perform with his "4 Altos" group (Friday at 10:00 p.m.), which includes two veteran Edgefest performers of note, Ned Rothenberg and Andrew Laster. Ehrlich is also part of a group that performs a new piece by Andrew Bishop (University of Michigan composer and saxophonist) at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday. Following the 4 Altos will be the Third Man Trio from Amsterdam/New York with legendary drummer Han Bennink and American expatriate altoist Michael Moore. While Bennink and Moore have performed multiple times at the festival, accordionist Will Holshouser will be a new acquaintance. The trio is on its first American tour and is scheduled to record.

Guitarist Brad Shepik's interest in "world music" is well known to those who have heard him over the years at Kerrytown Concert House. This time he will present his recently recorded "Human Activity Suite" with an all-star group of downtown (New York) players: trumpeter Ralph Alessi, organist/accordionist Gary Versace, bassist Drew Gress and drummer Tom Rainey (Saturday, 7:00 p.m.). The suite promises to cover the music of all continents and with Shepik in charge this is not an unrealistic goal.

Some of Detroit's best free players will perform as the Conspiracy Winds under the direction of tenorist Faruq Z. Bey on Saturday afternoon (2:00 p.m.), and former Detroiter Oluyemi Thomas will present a music-poetry concert on Thursday night (10:00 p.m.). The ultimate reed performance will probably be the Reeding-The Riot Act with many of the festival's reed players on Saturday night (9:00 p.m.). Also do not forget the Edgefest Parade at noon on Saturday, which is open to everyone who owns an instrument. It has been a blast at previous fests.

Edgepasses and reservations are available via KCH's web page or by phone (734-769-2999). Please note that there are also a number of free concerts throughout the festival.

The Kerrytown Concert House is located at 415 North Fourth Avenue in Ann Arbor.

2009 EDGEFEST Schedule

All performances at the Kerrytown Concert House, unless otherwise noted.

Wednesday, October 14

7:00 Jason Stein’s Locksmith Isidore • Jason Roebke, Mike Prid

9:30 Roscoe Mitchell and Thomas Buckner

Thursday, October 15

8:00 Tomas Ulrich’s Cargo Cult • Rolf Stum, Michael Bisio
Opening: Andrew Bishop’s The Ballad Age • performed by Marty Ehrlich, Sarah Schoebeck, and a saxophone quartet

10:00 Positive Knowledge • Oluyemi Thomas, Kenn Thomas, Michael Bisio, Ijeoma Thomas

Friday, October 16

8:00 Gravitas Quartet • Wayne Horvitz, Ron Miles, Sara Schoenbeck, Peggy Lee

10:00 4 Altos • Marty Ehrlich, Ned Rothenberg, Michael Attias, Andrew Laste
Third Man Trio — with Han Bennink, Michael Moore, Will Holshouser

Saturday, October 17

2:00 Conspiracy Winds Ensemble • Faruq Z. Bey, Skeeter Shelton, Tony Holland, Michael Carey,Marko Novachcof

4:00 Yuganaut • Roscoe Mitchell, Stephen Rush, Tom Abbs, Geoff Mann

7:00 Brad Shepik’s Human Activity Suite • Ralph Alessi, Gary Versace, Drew Gress, Tom Rainey

9:00 Reeding - The Riot Act • all reed orchestra, plus bass and drums (Location TBA)

10:30 Hamster Theatre • Dave Willey, Jon Stubbs, Mark Harris, Mike Johnson, John Grigsby, Raoul Rossiter

Free Fringe-At-The-Edge Events

Thursday, October 15

Noon Voice Lesson • Thomas Buckner

5:30 Traum • Christopher Riggs, Ben Hall (Argiero’s Italian Restaurant)

7:00 Constellation Nero • Abby Alwin, James Cornish, Curtis Glatter, Piotr Michalowski, Marco Novachcoff (Sh’aut Gallery & Cabaret 315 at Braun Court)

Friday, October 16

7:00 KMT • Matt Endahl, Kate Olson, Tim Cohen (Sweetwaters at Kerrytown)

7:00 University of Michigan Creative Music Students (Washington Street Gallery at Main Street)

Saturday, October 17

Noon Edgefest Parade • everyone invited: bring your instruments