Edgefest 2016 Marks Twenty Years

This year marks twenty years since Egdefest, the remarkable annual celebration of avant improvised music, started at Kerrytown Concert House in Ann Arbor. The festival’s first artistic director, Dave Lynch, has been involved in the planning of this celebratory year.

A number of superior artists from past years will come back to celebrate the vitality of this sub-genre of jazz: trumpeter Taylor Ho Bynum, violinist Jason Kao Hwang, saxophonists Joe McPhee, Chris Speed and Oliver Lake, bassists John Lindberg, Reggie Workman and William Parker, trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, drummers Hamid Drake, Andrew Cyrille, and Tom Rainey, and pianist Craig Taborn.

Edgefest officially starts on Wednesday, October 26, but before that you can enjoy the Warming Up the Edge Series at KCH , Encore Records, and University of Michigan Museum of Art.

There is also a free Fringe at the Edge series.

If you plan to come to more than a few concerts, you might want to consider buying an Edgepass or becoming an Edgehead. Please go to the Concert House website  for more information.

TOP: Jason Kao Hwang and Taylor Ho Bynum
LEFT: Oliver Lake

 


Edgefest 2016 Schedule

Before the Edgefest proper starts on October 26 there will be a Warming Up the Edge series starting on October 2.

Venues

  • AIR Argiero’s Italian Restaurant | 300 Detroit St.
  • CA Club Above | Heidelberg Restaurant | 215 North Main St.
  • ER Encore Records | 417 East Liberty St.
  • KCH Kerrytown Concert House | 407 North Fifth Ave.
  • SAEC St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church | 306 North Division St.
  • SCT Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea | Kerrytown Market & Shops | 407 North Fifth Ave.
  • UMMA University of Michigan Museum of Art | 525 South State St.

Warming Up the Edge Series

October 2

5:00 UMMA Mark Kirschenmann’s Big Fun
8:00 KCH George Graewe (piano)

October 7

8:00 ERSamuel Blaser (trombone) and Gerry Hemingway (drums)

October 14

8:00 ERDave Rempis’s Gunwale — with Rempis (saxophones), Albert Wildeman (bass), Ryan Packard (percussion/electronics)

Edgefest 2016

October 25

8:00ER Daher-Malis Duo: Matthew Daher (drums) and Michael Malis (piano), with John Lindberg (bass) and Jason Kao Hwang (solo violin/viola). Fringe at the Edge

October 26

6:00 KCH Will McEvoy’s Third Coast Quartet — with McEvoy (bass), Marcus Elliot and Tim Haldeman (saxophones), Jon Taylor (drums)
7:00 KCH Sylvaine Helary’s Spring Roll — with Helary (flutes/voice), Antonin Rayon (piano/synthesizer), Hugues Mayot (saxophones/clarinet), Sylvain Lemetre (vibes/percussion)
9:00 KCHWadada Leo Smith (trumpet) & John Lindberg (bass)

October 27

5:00 AIR Ken Kozora Group — with Abby Alwin (cello), Piotr Michalowski (reeds). Fringe at the Edge
7:00 KCH Connie Crothers Tribute — with Ken Filiano (bass), Andrea Wolper (voice), others TBA
8:00 KCH John Hollenbeck’s Claudia Quintet — with Chris Speed (reeds), Red Wierenga (accordion/piano), Matt Moran (vibes), Chris Tordini (bass), John Hollenbeck (drums)
9:00 KCH Ingrid Laubrock’s Serpentines — with Laubrock (saxophones), Peter Evans (trumpet), Dan Peck (tuba), Miya Masaoka (koto), Craig Taborn (piano), Tom Rainey (drums), Sam Pluta (live processing)
10:00 CA David Torn’s Nohband and Craig Taborn — with Tim Berne (saxophone), Taborn (piano), Torn (guitar), David King (drums)

October 28

6:00 KCH Craig Taborn — solo piano
6:30 KCH Conference Call Quartet — with Gebhard Ullman (reeds), Joe Fonda (bass), Michael Jefry Stevens (piano), George Schuller (drums)
7:30 KCH Kris Davis Trio — with Davis (piano), John Hebert (bass), Tom Rainey (drums)
8:30 KCH Jason Kao Hwang’s Burning Bridge Ensemble — with Hwang (violin), Taylor Ho Bynum (cornet), Reut Regev (trombone), Joseph Daly (tuba), Sun Li (pipa), Wang Guowei (erhu), Ken Filiano (bass), Andrew Drury (drums)
9:00 SCT Ornamatik — with Bethanni Grecynski (trombone), Eric Schweizer (reeds), Derek Worthington (trumpet), Ben Rolston (bass), Drew Schmeiding (drums). Fringe at the Edge, free
9:30 KCH William Parker Quartet — with Rob Brown (saxophone), Cooper-Moore (piano), Parker (bass), Hamid Drake (drums)

October 29

Noon   Edgefest Parade: Bring your instruments
2:00 KCH MoTreetown Collective and Northwoods Improvisers Trio — with Tony Holland, Piotr Michalowski, Skeeter Shelton (reeds), Kenn Thomas (piano), Joel Peterson (bass), Djallo Djakate (drums). Trio: Mike Gilmore (vibes etc.), Mike Johnston (bass etc.), Nick Ashton (drums)
4:00 KCH Trio 3 — with Oliver Lake (reeds), Reggie Workman (bass), Andrew Cyrille (drums)
8:30 SAEC John Hollenbeck (percussion), Stephen Rush (piano), University of Michigan Jazz Ensemble, directed by Ellen Rowe
10:00 KCH Tad Weed’s Freedom Ensemble — featuring Vinny Golia — with Weed (piano), Andrew Bishop, Golia (woodwinds), Ken Filiano (bass), Pete Siers (drums)