Ken Thomson Sextet and Mike McGinnis Road*Trip Band Play Shapeshifter Lab Tonight

A pre-winter Jazzfest Brooklyn jazz composer summit with the Ken Thomson Sextet and Mike McGinnis Road*Trip Band is set for tonight, Jan 12 at 8 p.m. at Shapeshifter Lab 18 Whitwell Pl, Brooklyn, NY 11215. For tickets and more information, visit www.shapeshifterlab.com/2015/12/13/jan-12-ken-thompson.

Ken Thomson presents a recently written set of music for sextet featuring 6 virtuoso instrumentalists, improvisers, and bandleaders in their own right. Then, Mike McGinnis presents his new Road*Trip Band featuring an expanded palette of three brass, three winds and rhythm section in addition to his clarinet.

This is the first double-bill of Thomson and McGinnis who, after circling each other for years in Brooklyn clarinet/saxophone circles, worked together with Bang on a Can's Asphalt Orchestra as performers, after which they discovered common ground as composers. Their affinity for larger group sounds is present here with each of their large groups exploring a new definition of "third stream" -- modern composed jazz in 2016. They present their latest work in Brooklyn one night before New York's Winter Jazzfest begins across the river.

Ken Thomson Sextet

Influenced by Andrew Hill as much as Steve Reich, but with a dramatic personal stamp, the Ken Thomson Sextet moves forward with Thomson's jazz-meets-new music concept that he's been developing in his group Slow/Fast (whose critically-acclaimed second disc was released in the Fall). In his sextet, Thomson drops the chordal instrument to further free up soloists, but also requires the instrumentalists to help with the heavy harmonic lifting when needed. Lush chords and varied textures meet a sophisticated yet propulsive rhythmic palette.

This is the first time this group of instrumentalists has been assembled; each has an absolutely individual voice on their instrument and yet has the chops to parse Thomson's challenging music with aplomb.

Ken Thomson, alto saxophone and compositions
Anna Webber, tenor saxophone
Russ Johnson, trumpet
Alan Ferber, trombone
Adam Armstrong, bass
Daniel Dor, drums

A composer who has written for string quartets and orchestras as well as improvisation-based ensembles, saxophonist/clarinetist Ken Thomson has been touring internationally with contemporary music stalwarts the Bang on a Can All-Stars, while touring, recording and composing for a multitude of other projects. In 2015, he was just featured in a Downbeat profile article, and a video feature on his composition in NewMusicBox. His group Slow/Fast performed at the important Saalfelden Jazz Festival this August.

www.ktonline.net

Mike McGinnis Road*Trip Band

Composer/clarinetist Mike McGinnis and 9 of his favorite musicians take you on a sonic journey through a wide variety of musical vistas. This band can swing in the old school manner as in Bill Smith's "Concerto for Clarinet & Combo (1956) or sail through McGinnis's compositions which are packed with improvisations from all members of the band. From concrete to abstract and everything in between, this band will take you on an unforgettable musical trip.

Mike McGinnis, clarinet
Jeff Hermanson, trumpet
Nathan Koci, French horn
Brian Drye, trombone
Barry Saunders, baritone sax
Peter Hess, tenor sax Matt Blostein, alto sax
Jacob Sacks, piano
Dan Fabricatore, bass
Vinnie Sperrazza, drums

Mike McGinnis places himself firmly within a strong tradition of anti-traditionalists. As a clarinetist and saxophonist, he can swing in the straight-ahead tradition, improvise on the furthest edge of the avant-garde, or navigate the rigorous turns of a contemporary classical composition. As a composer, he creates vivid works that blur the boundaries between jazz and classical and the varied subgenres within, bringing the same deep commitment and personal vision to every musical situation.

Road*Trip was born when David Garland, host of WNYC radio show "Spinning on Air," introduced McGinnis to the music of Bill Smith, a Third Stream pioneer who studied with Darius Milhaud and worked regularly with Dave Brubeck. McGinnis sought out a recording of Smith's 1957 Concerto for Clarinet and Jazz Combo and immediately recognized a mentor and kindred spirit.

McGinnis determined to record the concerto himself and worked closely with the 86-year-old composer to master the piece, discovering an intricate structure even at its most improvisatory. With that inspiration in mind, and encouraged by Smith to attempt his own concerto, McGinnis composed "Road*Trip" as a complement to his newfound mentor's magnum opus. The piece was envisioned as a journey for McGinnis and some of his most inventive musician friends, an excursion through different aural environments in which each of the soloists would take their turn at the wheel.

Their debut CD titled "Road*Trip" received 4 1/2 Stars in Downbeat Magazine and was chosen by the Village Voice as one of the Top 10 Jazz recordings of 2013.

www.mikemcginnis.com