New York’s contemporary music scene is incomparably vast in scope, representing a singular global creative diaspora. Curated bysaxophonistand composer Dan Blake, this series dives right into the fray, taking as a starting point Charlie Parker’s prescient statement that “man, there’s no boundary line to art”. By focusing on new and under-heard musical and multi-disciplinary collaborations,  the series aims to shine the light on the uncompromising attitute of exploration and discovery that unites artists across style and aesthetic. Now in its third season, this third concert will feature a continuos set of overlapping new works.

while the glossy Tatarmoon climbed up to us, Marcelo Toledo, premiered by Dan Blake (world premier)

Michas/Toledo duo

Jack Daniel, Julieta Tenenbaum – dance and spoken word, with special guests.

8 pm Dust Storm - Dan Blake: Saxophone, Ricardo Gallo:  Piano/Synthesizer, Alejandro Florez: Guitar, Brandon Lopez: Bass

9 pm Red Light New Music  - Christa van Alstine: Bass clarinet, Yegor Shevtsov: Piano, Erin Wight: Viola, Kevin Sims: PercussionJack Daniel: Spoken word, Dan Blake: Composer/Saxophone

Dust Storm will appear in a new lineup featuring Ricardo Gallo, Alejandro Florez, and Brandon Lopez. The group explores dense harmonic textures that burst with variety and rhythmic intensity.

Red Light New Music joins together with spoken word artist Jack Daniel to premier Without Walls, a new work by Dan Blake. The chamber score has been constructed collaboratively over the past year, being built around a series of  character studies undertaken by Jack Daniel. The result is a new experiment in combining working methods to create a hybrid improvised-composed score. The piece is part performance art, part theater, without relinquishing the intensity of twenty first century musical exploration.

New York’s contemporary music scene is incomparably vast in scope, perhaps impossible to cover with a single series. With this residency at The Firehouse Space, Dan Blake brings together a range of collaborations that at least begins to represent the diversity of experiences and musical styles in music. Now in its second season, this second concert will feature a two distinct sides of Dan Blake’s collaborative chamber projects.

8pm – Timucin Sahin Quartet
Timucin Sahin: 7 string fretless & 6 string fretted guitars& compositions & live electronics
Jeff Davis: Drums, Cory Smythe: Piano, Greg Chudzik: Bass

9pm – Outhead
Alex Weiss: Saxophones, Josh Sinton: Saxophones, Dmitry Ishenko: Bass, Derc Dickens: Drums

New York’s contemporary music scene is incomparably vast in scope, perhaps impossible to cover with a single series. With this residency at The Firehouse Space, Dan Blake brings together a range of collaborations that at least begins to represent the diversity of experiences and musical styles in music. Now in its second season, this seventh concert will feature a compelling double bill!

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8pm – Jon Irabagon, Dan Blake: Saxophones
9pm – Artemisz Polonyi, Lorena Del Mar Hernandez: Vocals, David Halpern: Bass, Dre Hoceyar: Drums, Phil White: Electronics, Gabriel Zucker: Piano, Songs

New York’s contemporary music scene is incomparably vast in scope, perhaps impossible to cover with a single series. With this residency at The Firehouse Space, Dan Blake brings together a range of collaborations that at least begins to represent the diversity of experiences and musical styles in music. Now in its second season, this second concert will feature a compelling triple bill!

At 8pm, Dan Blake teams up with the inimitable Jon Irabagon in a debut duo performance. Not to be missed.

At 9pm, Pianist and composer Gabriel Zucker presents a new sextet featuring singers Artemisz Polonyi and Lorena Del Mar Hernandez, with intrepid improvisers Lester St. Louis (cello) and Dre Hocevar (drums), and electronics by composer Alex Vourtsanis. The group combines exploratory electroacoustic improvisation with vocal themes lifted from Zucker’s indie-rock-inflected songwriting.

8pm – Dmitry Ishenko: Solo Bass
9pm – Pianist and keyboardist Leo Genovese will present “Legal Aliens

Dan Blake, Uri Gurvich: Soprano Saxophones;  Mariano Gil: Piccolo;  Entcho Todorov:  Violin;  Max Siegal: Tuba;  Francesco Marcocci: Bass;  Aleks Petrov: Drums

Dmitry Ishenkohas been a stalwart of the New York scene for over eight years, having toured and recorded with such artists as John Tchicai, Paul Banks (of Interpol), and has a wide resume working with bands from across the spectrum of New York’s music scene. Tonight he will present a set of new compositions and improvisations for solo bass, exploring his wide ranging interests in pop-rock, electronica, contemporary classical music, and experimental improvisation.

Pianist and keyboardist Leo Genovese will present “Legal Aliens”, a new set of compositions for large ensemble (picollo, 2 soprano saxophones, violin, cello, tuba, keyboard, bass, and drums) modeled after the rich melodic and rhythmic traditions Genovese has studied in his world travels, including the Balkans, Brazil, Morocco, and his native Argentina. He is a leading figure in Brooklyn’s improvised music scene and his music has contacted master musicians from cultures all over the world including Foday Suso, Milton Nascimento, Jack DeJohnette and many others.

8pm - Marcelo Toledo
9pm - The Natives

Through the years, Marcelo Toledo has developed a personal musical style particularly oriented toward the exploration of instrumental timbre, an aspect of his work that has become a characteristic facet of his compositions. Toledo has eliminated the traditional importance given to pitch in order to focus on a new aural matter. This is the product of research created through his essential engagement to explore -with his personal techniques- the instruments of the orchestra. Toledo’s music evolves almost biologically in an intricate sound texture made out of complex fluid sounds. Tonight he will present inventions, extensions, and distortions on solo works.

The Natives are a collective that explores intuitive music combined with spoken word. Drawing from the traditions of indeterminacy and text composition the ensemble will use sound to inspire words and vice versa. Formed by guitarist Stelios Mihas in 2013, the Natives employ a core of poet/writer Jack Daniel, drummer Mike Sutton, bassist Francesco Marcocci, and saxophonist Dan Blake.

8pm - Homework Trio
Dan Blake: Soprano Sax
Richie Barshay: Drums
Jorge Roeder: Bass

9pm - Coriolis Cacophonous
James Ilgenfritz: Bass
Sam Kulik: Trombone
Federico Ughi: Drums/Percussion
Jonah Rosenberg: Keys

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Robert Dick: Flutes
Andrew Drury: Percussion
Josh Ott: Live Video Projections

Mary Halvorson: Guitar
Sam Pluta: Electronics
Dan Blake: Sax