Saxophonist/composer Michael Eaton seeks to examine cross cultural connections and future possibilities in a two part program bringing together jazz, rock, native music of Ghana, and the modern Western classical tradition.
BEWAA is a traditional genre of xylophone music from Ghana including funeral, social, and dance songs. Brittany Anjou presents songs learned from master Ghanaian xylophonist Bernard Woma and his proteges Jerome Balsab & Alfred Kpebsaane, arranged for an ensemble featuring finest musicians of Brooklyn. Extracting Western and African instrumentation to explore connections between modern improvised jazz and West African musical ethos, BEWAA explores rare chromaticisms in an invigorating rhythmic setting by juxtaposing precisely pitched western instruments (piano, vibraphone, xylophone) in tandem with the non-western microtonal tuning of the Ghanaian gyil.
The Michael Eaton Quartet explores his original compositions from his recent release, Indivdiuation (Destiny Records, 2014), ambitiously bridging the worlds of lyrical themes, intricately rhythmic minimalistic vamps, freebop, Cageian prepared piano, and multi-layered open terrains. The quartet’s music presents at once lyrical and rhythmic themes by combining mixed meter modern jazz and elements of classical minimalism.
Brittany Anjou’s BEWAA
Brittany Anjou: Piano, Vibraphone, Gyil; Mara Rosenbloom: Piano, Nordelectro; Sean Dixon: Drums; Leon Boykins: Bass
Michael Eaton Quartet
Michael Eaton, Tenor and Soprano Saxes
Brad Whiteley, Piano
Daniel Ori, Bass
Shareef Taher, Drums
