John Zorn News

National Sawdust Tracks announced today the release of celebrated contemporary classical guitarist ?Gyan Riley?'s latest solo album, "?Sprig?."

Composer Lisa Bielawa celebrates the receipt of a 2017 Music Award from the American Academy of Arts & Letters, an honor society of the country's 250 leading architects, artists, composers, and writers. In 1941, the Academy established awards to encourage creative work in the arts and each year the Academy honors over 70 composers, artists, architects, and writers with awards and prizes ranging from $5000 to $100,000. Candidates for awards must be nominated by an Academy member and the recipients are chosen by committees whose members are drawn from the Academy's roster. Now $10,000 each, Arts and Letters Awards are given annually to five artists, eight writers, four composers, and four architects. Composers receive an additional $10,000 toward the recording of a work.

Talking Band are currently presenting the world premiere of Fusiform Gyrus - A Septet for Two Scientists and Five Horns, written and composed by OBIE Award winner Ellen Maddow, and directed by Ellie Heyman, running through February 25 at HERE, located at 145 6th Avenue (Enter on Dominick, 1 block south of Spring) in New York City.

Talking Band will present the world premiere of Fusiform Gyrus - A Septet for Two Scientists and Five Horns, written and composed by OBIE Award winner Ellen Maddow, and directed by Ellie Heyman, running from February 7 - 25, 2018 in a limited engagement at HERE, located at 145 6th Avenue (Enter on Dominick, 1 block south of Spring) in New York City. Previews began February 7 for a February 13 opening.

Performance Space New York kicks off its East Village Series, contemplating the past, present, and future of the organization and its neighborhood, with Welcome to Lenapehoking (February 17, 4pm, Free), a partnership with the The Lenape Center, and Avant-Garde-Arama, the extravaganza of experimentation that's also the organization's longest-running program (February 18, 6pm, Free). Performance Space New York's Executive Artistic Director Jenny Schlenzka steps into her new curatorial role with these events honoring the neighborhood's original caretakers and the organization's own trailblazing roots, as springboards into an exhilarating new chapter.

Talking Band will present the world premiere of Fusiform Gyrus - A Septet for Two Scientists and Five Horns, written and composed by OBIE Award winner Ellen Maddow, and directed by Ellie Heyman, running from February 7 - 25, 2018 in a limited engagement at HERE, located at 145 6th Avenue (Enter on Dominick, 1 block south of Spring) in New York City. Previews begin tonight, February 7, for a February 13 opening.

Grammy-nominated guitar virtuoso and composer Julian Lage's new album, Modern Lore (Mack Avenue Records), is out today. Modern Lore is Lage's second trio album, and it follows 2017's Mount Royal, a collaborative record with guitarist and singer Chris Eldridge, which was nominated for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album at this year's Grammy Awards. Modern Lore is available to stream on Spotify and for purchase on iTunes and Amazon Music.

Grammy-award nominated Julian Lage's second trio album, Modern Lore (Mack Avenue Records), will be released next Friday, February, 2. The album is available to be heard in its entirety now via follows Lage's 2017 collaborative jazz album Mount Royal with guitarist/singer Chris Eldridge, which has been nominated for a Best Contemporary Instrumental Album Grammy.

On January 26 & 27 the Paul Dresher Electro-Acoustic Band premieres Ned Rothenberg's improvised concerto Beyond C, an Ensemble commission inspired by Terry Riley's In C. Beyond C features Rothenberg as improvising woodwind soloist and Joel Davel as conductor. For this evening concert entitled BEYOND The Living Earth Show will premier selections from Dennis Aman's 24 Preludes & Fugues for invented instruments (created during Aman's 2016 Dresher Ensemble Artists Residency).

Tony Babino, performer Carol Ostrow and the Actors' Temple Board of Directors are celebrating their 101st year honoring the historic entertainers who have passed through their doors, with their annual gala YOU AIN'T HEARD NOTHIN' YET. Entertainers past and present will commemorate this mecca of modern Jewish culture, including Tony Babino, George Bettinger, Sir Frank London and Friends and special guest Star of the Yiddish Theatre, Joanne Borts. The gala takes place on Monday, March 19, 2018 at 6:30 pm in the Barbra Streisand and Milton Berle rooms of another hub of entertainment greats, the Friar's Club (57 East 55 Street, NYC). Tickets vary in prices and are available at www.theactorstemple.org/events.

One of the most prolific artists on the RareNoise roster, pianist Jamie Saft has appeared on recordings by such groups as Metallic Taste of Blood, Slobber Pup, Plymouth, Red Hill, The Spanish Donkey and Berserk! as well as on collaborations with Steve Swallow and Bobby Previte (New Standard / Loneliness Road), which also featured Iggy Pop, Bill Brovold (Serenity Knolls), Roswell Rudd (Strength & Power) and his own New Zion album (Sunshine Seas). His sprawling discography, which includes prodigious sideman work with John Zorn, numbers over 160 albums. And yet, over all those sessions he has never recorded a solo piano album. 'I've incorporated some solo piano pieces into other records of mine before, but this is something unique for me,' says the ubiquitous keyboardist. 'This is my first proper full length solo piano album in 25 years of making records.'

Talking Band will present the world premiere of Fusiform Gyrus - A Septet for Two Scientists and Five Horns, written and composed by OBIE Award winner Ellen Maddow, and directed by Ellie Heyman, running from February 7 - 25, 2018 in a limited engagement at HERE, located at 145 6th Avenue (Enter on Dominick, 1 block south of Spring) in New York City. Previews begin February 7 for a February 13 opening.

On January 26 & 27 the Paul Dresher Electro-Acoustic Band premieres Ned Rothenberg's improvised concerto Beyond C, an Ensemble commission inspired by Terry Riley's In C. Beyond C features Rothenberg as improvising woodwind soloist and Joel Davel as conductor. For this evening concert entitled BEYOND The Living Earth Show will premier selections from Dennis Aman's 24 Preludes & Fugues for invented instruments (created during Aman's 2016 Dresher Ensemble Artists Residency).

String Quartet ETHEL, known for their enlivened playing and consistently groundbreaking redefinition of concert music, announces their upcoming Winter/Spring 2018 season. Described as an adventurous quartet with a rock band's zest by the New York Times and deemed a genre unto itself by the Village Voice, ETHEL's new season offers the world premiere of Circus: Wandering Cityin Sarasota, Florida.

Talking Band will present the world premiere of Fusiform Gyrus - A Septet for Two Scientists and Five Horns, written and composed by OBIE Award winner Ellen Maddow, and directed by Ellie Heyman, running from February 7 - 25, 2018 in a limited engagement at HERE, located at 145 6th Avenue (Enter on Dominick, 1 block south of Spring) in New York City. Previews begin February 7 for a February 13 opening.

Musical Polymath Jonny Polonsky to Release FRESH FLESH on 1/19 via Sound Science Industries

24/6: A Jewish Theater Company, New York's first ensemble dedicated to Sabbath-observant artists, will present Ken Kaissar's brand new play Looking Through Glass, an original commission by 24/6, developed in collaboration with the playwright. This production celebrates 24/6's 7th Anniversary.

Richard Kessler and John Zorn announced today the inauguration of a new music festival to be held at The New School's Tishman Auditorium. StoneFest will present and celebrate experimental, improvisatory, and avant-garde artists from across the stylistic spectrum. Continuing the great tradition of The Stone, the festival will focus on creating a platform for groundbreaking artists who are challenging traditional notions of genre, style, and the role of the artist in advancing culture today. The festival will be coming to The New School's Tishman Auditorium (63 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY) on December 17, 18, and 19.