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Art Lande Quartet
UnStandards
The Art Lande Quartet is comprised of highly experienced musicians who have developed distinctive voices on their instruments and know how to listen and connect to each other. The focus of this project is Art's UnStandards — reworking music familiar to the ear and bringing it to a fresh, present moment while honoring the history. Mixing meters, re-harmonizations, adding new sections and changing the whole mood of these old songs are some of the ways that Art fabulized the music during his months in Arizona last winter. This band promises to bring both surprises and consistency to these performances of new music in familiar packages. Come and taste the flavors.
General Admission
$25 in advance / $30 at the door
We are offering a limited number of seats for this performance. Advanced purchase is recommended. Masking is no longer required.
ART LANDE
Art Lande was born in New York City in 1947. He had exposure to both jazz and classical music growing up, jazz via his father and classical through Joseph Kahn of the NBC Symphony. He graduated from Williams College, Massachusetts, focusing on music, philosophy and literature then moved to San Francisco in 1969 where he formed two bands, a quintet with Steve Swallow, Mel Martin, Glenn Cronkhite and Eliot Zigmund, and Rubisa Patrol with Mark Isham, Glenn Cronkhite, and Bill Douglass. He also worked with Joe Henderson, Bobby Hutchison, Woody Shaw, Charlie Haden, and the Escovedo Brothers salsa group.
In 1973 Art went to Europe and played his first European tour with trumpeter Ted Curson, and he made his first ECM recording with Jan Gabarek, which began 20 years and six recordings with that prestigious label.
As a teacher, he ran his own music school in the mid 70s in Berkeley, California, and subsequently taught at Cornish Institute, Seattle (1979–1983), Migros Klubschule, Saint Gallen, Switzerland (1983-1986), Naropa Institute (1980–2000) and CU Boulder (2005 to present). He created new ways of teaching rhythm, ear training and improvisation, wrote a book about teaching and playing titled "Being Music" with Mark Miller, and has done residencies at colleges worldwide.
Art has made numerous recordings that include many of his over 500 compositions. His music reflects the history of jazz and classical music as well as world music from all continents. His bands mix complex explorations of form, meter and harmony with improvisatory freedom and ear-based interaction as well as intersecting poetry, theater and spatial concepts. Long lasting associations with Paul McCandless, Bruce Williamson, Dean Johnson and Nguyen Le, along with bands like Boy Girl Band (20 years), Russian Dragon Band and Kimandala speak to a deep commitment to community, friendship and artistic vision and collaboration. artlande.com
BRUCE WILLIAMSON
Bruce Williamson is a multi-instrumentalist with strong ties to several genres of music – jazz, classical, funk, blues & Brazilian. He was active in the SF Bay Area from the early 70s to early 80s, including being a member of Art Lande’s Rubisa Patrol along with trumpeter Mark Isham. A lifelong friendship and music relationship with Lande resulted in many recordings & tours, some with jazz legends such as Gary Peacock & Paul McCandless. While in California, Bruce also performed with Benny Green, Bobby McFerrin, Mark Levine and many others.
Bruce moved to NYC in the early 1980s and started touring with jazz organist Jack McDuff. This connection also allowed him to meet and play with Jimmy Smith, Stanley Turrentine and George Benson. Years later he started a long-time working relationship with director Julie Taymor and composer Elliot Goldenthal, performing in three award-winning theater pieces, Juan Darien, The Green Bird & Lion King and on nine award-winning filmscores, including Frida, Titus & Across the Universe. In the mid-90s Bruce started teaching at Bennington College (until 2021) while maintaining an active performing career in NYC, performing with artists such as Fred Hersch, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Tom Harrell, Mark Soskin and others. Bruce has also performed in Broadway orchestras (currently w/ the show “Chicago”) and at Lincoln Center (with both American Ballet Theater and NYC Opera). He can be heard on over 50 recordings, playing saxes, clarinets, flutes & keyboard. He also enjoys playing saxophone on stilts (along with his wife Sima) with the Shinbone Alley Stilt Band. brucewilliamsonmusic.com
PETER BARSHAY
A veteran bassist who has established a strong reputation over the years from his sideman work on both the New York City and San Francisco Bay Area jazz scenes, Peter Barshay has performed with such jazz luminaries as Kenny Barron, Freddie Hubbard, Sonny Stitt, Kenny Werner, Shirley Horn, Woody Shaw, Pharoah Sanders, Blue Mitchell, Tony Williams, Joe Henderson, Joe Lovano, Johnny Griffin, and Bobby McFerrin. Barshay’s numerous appearances at clubs and jazz festivals have taken him around the world, helping to establish his reputation as a solid, reliable bassist. Having soaked up a lifetime of sounds on both coasts -- everything from salsa and straight ahead to funk-fusion, avant-garde and music derived from the Afro-Cuban and Brazilian traditions -- he brings a wealth of experience to any band. facebook.com/peterbarshay
DILLON VADO
Dillon Vado is a drummer and vibraphonist who plays music that is an honest representation of a broad range of influences. Dillon is known for making music that is dynamic and complex but memorable and relatable. He is as comfortable laying down Brazilian grooves on drum set as he is improvising with poets on vibraphone. Dillon can be found playing with many of his own projects including The Table Trio, Third Light and Never Weather, who released their debut album Blissonance in 2020.
As an active musician in the San Francisco Bay Area, Dillon can be found performing with skilled vocalists like Danielle Wertz and Amy Dabalos, Brazilian music with Marcos Silva, the Oakland Samba Revue and Sandy Cressman, and many other projects including The Electric Squeezebox Orchestra, Silvestre Martinez and his Bad Hombres, The Michael Echaniz trio and the Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra. facebook.com/dillon.vado