7:30 PM
Aakash Mittal’s Awaz Trio
Aakash Mittal – Saxophone, Travis Reuter – Guitar, and Alex Ritz – Drums
9:00 PM
Alex Levine – Guitar
Marta Sanchez – Piano
Caleb Curtis – Alto Saxophone
Peyton Pleninger – Tenor Saxophone
Sounding Forward explores the threshold between universal and cultural music through improvisation and composition. Aakash Mittal’s Awaz Trio will perform Nocturne, a series of pieces that deconstruct five Hindustani night ragas to create a unique expression of the night. Guitarist Alex Levine will lead a quartet whose music “refers not only to physical movement, but also the merging of individual minds into a group consciousness.” Both artists employ experiences that include performing within American jazz communities, traversing the dense streets of Kolkata, and studying with mentors Henry Grimes and Milford Graves to sculpt a sonic landscape of colorful dissonances and angular rhythms. Within the intimate setting of The Firehouse Space, both ensembles will navigate the sonic architecture of contemporary composition in order to discover the moment when the line between musical distinctiveness and universal creativity evaporates.
Aakash Mittal: www.aakashmittal.com
Awaz Trio live @ The Shastra Festival https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGjXZq3mVpo&index=1&list=FLvqggYcv9wWUnAvH9VNNu2Q
Alex Levine: http://alexlevinemusic.com/
Alex Levine Quartet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkulIFIOhpU
