The following text is taken from Front Magazine, vol. VII, no. 5, pp. 12-13, Summer 1996:

– EDAM - Experimental Dance and Music 06/21/96 – 06/22/96

Improvised jazz meets improvised dance. Join guitarist Ron Samworth, saxophonist Coat Cooke and dance artists Peter Bingham, Marc Boivin and Andrew Harwood for their third annual reunion. It’s sure to be fascinating.

– Gush 06/21/96

Swedish free-improv at its finest. Gush’s music is a stirring combination of free jazz, electroacoustic and complex rhythms. Group members have worked collectively and singly with Derek Bailey, Maarten Altena, Barry Guy and Marilyn Crispell among others. “Tight and wonderful interplay,” says Lennart Blomberg in GP. With Mats Gustafsson saxophones, Sten Sandell piano/live electronics and Raymond Strid drums. Thanks to the Swedish Government.

– Paul Plimley & Trichy Sankaran 06/22/96

Trichy Sankaran and Paul Plimley will partake in a musical exchange exploring the boundaries and traditions of South Indian classical music and improvised jazz. Sankaran, one of the most respected musicians in contemporary Indian music, is a virtuoso percussionist from a musical tradition which spans thousands of years. Paul Plimley has nurtured a career long fascination with the extension of rhythmic possibilities in 20th century music, and sees this collaboration as a wonderful opportunity to expand the territories he has explored within new music and jazz.

Vancouver-based pianist Paul Plimley is one of the finest improvising pianists on the planet. Influenced by Cecil Taylor, Glenn Gould, and Thelonious Monk, Plimley adds his own irrepressible humour and love of music to the mix. Trichy Sankaran is a virtuoso mrdangam vidwan, whose performance career began at the age of thirteen. He quickly established himself as one of the top mrdangam artists of India, winning the Gold Medal in 1955, and the Presidents Award in 1958. Sankaran has been instrumental in the development of Indian Music world-wide, through his performances and in his role as an educator. In 1992 he was awarded the prestigious OCUFA in recognition of his outstanding contribution to University teaching. Currently, Sankaran is Professor of Indian Music Studies at York University.

– Carlos Zingaro with Peggy Lee 06/23/96

Vancouver cellist Lee teams up with violinist Zingaro of the Canvas Trio. Peggy Lee is acclaimed for her fearless approach and her reluctance to fall into a cliché “cellist’s” vocabulary. Her recent performances include an evening a the Western Front, Women in View Festival with pianist Lay Tuan Tan, a tour with L.A.’s Vinny Golia, and three nights with Company, a who’s who of European improvisers. Carlos Zingaro is an active artists in the European improvising scene. He has recent CD releases with Richard Teitlebaum on Victor, Joëlle Léandre and the Canvas Trio.

– François Houle, Joëlle Léandre, Vinny Golia 06/24/96

Léandre bass, and Houle reeds, return to the Western Front in the company of L.A. saxophonist Golia. Joëlle Léandre’s witty combination of bass explorations and outbursts of vocals charmed audiences at last year’s festival. She is an active player in the European improvising scene, performing as a solooist as well as with the Canvas Trio and Les Diaboliques (Irene Schweizer and Maggie Nichols) among others. Multi-reeds player Vinny Golia is one of the U.S.’s foremost improvisational musicians. He has worked in many formats, from large ensemble to solo and with everyone from John Carter to Patti Smith. Vancouver’s François Houle’s clarinet playing reflects his ongoing interest in jazz experimentalism, contemporary composed music and extended instrumental technique. He has worked with Evan Parker, Georg Graewe, Dave Douglas, Myra Melford and Marilyn Crispell, with whom he recorded Any Terrain Tumultuous (Red Toucan).

– Canvas Trio 06/25/96

Joëlle Léandre bass, Carlos Zingaro violin and Rüdiger Carl clarinet and accordion make beautiful and unusual music. Paris-based, with members from France, Germany and Portugal, they combine the technique and complexity of the double bass and violin with the juxtaposition of high/low art provided by clarinet and accordion. All three have strong backgrounds in improvised music and composition which keeps the music in a constant state of flux. Part of the music’s charm is the risk and surprise for audience and performers alike. Their CD is on Hat Art. Thanks to AFAA for travel support.

– Melvyn Poore & Martin Blume 06/26/96

Unique instrumentation from two of Europe’s finest improvisers. Tubist Melvyn Poore has redefined perceptions of the tuba for anyone who has had the good fortune to see or hear him. He’s worked with the London Jazz Composers Orchestra, the Cambrian Brass Quintet, and the Grubenklang Orchester to name but a few. Percussionist Martin Blume has collaborated with Peter Brötzmann, Georg Graewe, John Butcher and Mats Gustafsson. Thanks to the Goethe Institut and the British Council.

– Ab Baars 06/27/96

The best Dutch improvised music has to offer from clarinetist/saxophonist Ab Baars, last seen in Vancouver with the ICP Orchestra. Wire magazine compares him to Peter Brötzmann, Albert Ayler and Jimmy Guiffre. This stellar trio ranges from hard-blown free jazz to composed long-lines to short, soft tenor tunes. Bassist Wilbert de Joode and drummer Martin van Duynhoven help create collective music of the finest sort. Check out their new CD Sprok on Geestgronden. Down Beat magazine said “It left [me] wanting much more…” and we’re sure you will too. Thanks to the Dutch Cultural Fund.

 

– John Law & Louis Moholo 06/28/96

British pianist John Law’s work has been described as “flowing, commanding, deeply felt, satisfyingly structured…[and] constantly engaging to the emotions and the intellect.” (Wire) He’s played with Evan Parker, Barry Guy and Jon Lloyd. South African percussionist Louis Moholo has played with, among others, Cecil Taylor, Steve Lacy, Kenny Wheeler and Evan Parker, as well as his own group Viva La Black. Moholo is the last surviving member of the Blue Notes, a very important group of expatriates that worked with the late Chris McGregor. In 1994, Law and Moholo recorded The Boat is Sinking, Apartheid is Sinking on Imp. Thanks to the British Council.