The Kitchen Presents Roland P. Young and L'Rain on November 21

On November 21, The Kitchen presents a double bill that brings together classically trained jazz clarinetist Roland P. Young and Brooklyn songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist L'Rain. In the concert, Young performs a set of spiritual electronic world jazz music with acoustic instrumentation guiding synthesized rhythms; while L'Rain, joined by her band, plays a set of spiritual music equally rooted in R&B, jazz, noise, and pop. The concert is organized by Matthew Lyons, and co-presented with Public Records.

The event will take place at Public Records (233 Butler Street, Brooklyn) on November 21 at 8pm. Tickets are $20 general / $25 door / $15 members and available for purchase at www.publicrecords.nyc.

Roland P. Young has been at the vanguard of American experimental music for decades, from his early days as a radio host on the famed San Francisco radio station KSAN in the 1960s/70s, to his more recent experiments with electronic, jazz, and world genres, the classically trained jazz clarinetist has carved out an entirely unique space unto himself. His minimalist jazz recordings for the 1750 Arch label in the mid-seventies with his trio Infinite Sound, and his cosmic spiritual jazz classic, 'Isophonic Boogie Woogie,' took his expression within the genre to its fullest realizations. Inspired by the intersection of jazz and rock, he then formed the Bay Area post punk-funk group The Offs, whose sole album featured the artwork of Basquiat, and helped direct his move to NYC, where he would become part of the 80s downtown dance scene. In recent years, Roland has enjoyed a stream of new releases and reissues on the Japanese label EM and New York imprint Palto Flats, and continues to spin wondrous electronic-jazz soundscapes at his home base in Philadelphia.

Under the mononym L'Rain, Brooklyn native Taja Cheek has quickly become an acclaimed and sought-after figure in New York experimental music. Since the release of her self-titled debut, L'Rain and her band have developed a magnetic live performance, having earned praise from publications including the New York Times, New Yorker, Village Voice, and Pitchfork. She has performed across the country, and recently performed as a duo with artist Kevin Beasley as a part of his solo exhibition Kevin Beasley: A view of a landscape at the Whitney Museum of American Art. A consummate collaborator, she regularly performs with Helado Negro and Anna Wise; she has also recorded with Kyp Malone (TV on the Radio), and contributed music to Bring Down The Walls, a benefit compilation album featuring Honey Dijon, Empress Of, and Larry Heard, created with Creative Time, artist Phil Collins, and The Fortune Society. In 2018, artist Jace Clayton (aka DJ /rupture) invited L'Rain to participate in a new work of collaborative sound art as a part of Mel Chin: All Over the Place, an exhibition at the Queens Museum. Cheek is currently developing a sophomore record, with an anticipated 2020 release date.

To post a comment, you must register and login.