Sound / Simulacra: Davu Seru

Posted on July 3, 2018 by John C.S. Keston

On Wednesday, July 25th, 2018 Sound / Simulacra at Jazz Central Studios will feature Davu Seru. This monthly series in collaboration with Cody McKinney explores musical improvisation as a “faithful and intentionally distorted” representational process. Sound / Simulacra brings together some of the Twin Cities most unique voices to “recreate, distort, and create the hyperreal.”

Set I – Davu Seru (percussion)

Set II – Davu Seru (percussion) + John Keston (piano, Rhodes, synthesizers, electronics) + Cody McKinney (bass, voice, synthesizer, electronics)

Improvising musician, percussionist, and award-winning composer, Davu Seru, performs regularly in the Twin Cities and abroad as a jazz musician. Like many jazz-rooted musicians influenced by “new music” experiments with extended technique, his approach to the drum set is as much nostalgic as it is technophilic. Consequently, his style is striking for its attending to sound, silence and melodic line as much it does rhythmic pattern—and as a skilled ensemble player he is known for his “big ears.” In the past fifteen years those ears have afforded Davu the opportunity to perform and record with musicians such as Milo Fine, Anthony Cox, George Cartwright, Dean Magraw, Paul Metzger, Jack Wright, Douglas R. Ewart, Evan Parker, Donald Washington, Nicole Mitchell and Rafael Toral.

Beside any number of spontaneous ad-hoc groupings, Davu currently leads No Territory Band and works in a trio with French clarinetist Catherine Delaunay and French bassist Guillaume Seguron. He has also curated concerts series for improvised music (in Chicago and Minneapolis) and collaborates in multi-media performances with dancers and visual artists.

Sound / Simulacra: Lucas Melchior

Posted on May 18, 2018 by John C.S. Keston

This Wednesday, May 23rd, 2018 is Sound / Simulacra at Jazz Central Studios featuring Lucas Melchior. Lucas and I have worked together in many capacities over the last 6 or more years. Last summer at Northern Spark Lucas was an integral part of Un:heard Resonance along with Mike Hodnick, Chris LeBlanc, and myself. It will be a pleasure to host Lucas at Sound / Simulacra. This is a monthly series in collaboration with Cody McKinney which explores musical improvisation as a “faithful and intentionally distorted” representational process. Sound / Simulacra brings together some of the Twin Cities most unique voices to “recreate, distort, and create the hyperreal.”

Since 2006 MKR has been writing and performing electronic music in the Twin Cities. Winner of the Minnesota Emerging Composer Award in 2012, his music exists at the intersection of dance music and more ambient and experimental styles. Oscillating between extremes, lush downtempo break beats evolve and yield to breakneck rhythms, melodies, and bass. At times warm, simple, and human and at others cold, digital, and impenetrable the music of MKR revels in its influences and exposes a broad spectrum of timbres and moods.

Set 1: Lucas Melchior (electronics)
Set 2: Lucas Melchior (electronics) + Cody McKinney (bass, voice, electronics), John C.S. Keston (Rhodes, piano, synthesizers, electronics)

http://bit.ly/soundsimulacra

Sound / Simulacra: Holly Hansen

Posted on April 18, 2018 by John C.S. Keston

During last month’s Sound / Simulacra on March 28, 2018, we featured artist Holly Hansen. Among many other things Holly hosts t.e.e. (Tuesday Early Evenings), an excellent weekly concert series at the 331 Club in Northeast Minneapolis. It was a pleasure performing with Holly Hansen and Cody McKinney during Sound / Simulacra. Here’s a bit more about Holly’s world, and afterward a couple of recordings from the show that you are likely to enjoy! Holly Hansen (Electronics), John C.S. Keston (Piano, Rhodes, Synthesizers), Cody McKinney (Bass, Voice, Electronics). Recorded by Dave Kunath.

After letting go of her rock band Zoo Animal in 2015, Holly Hansen has been floating around in the world between song and sound. This has lead her to create pieces using guitar pedals, samplers, sequencers and occasionally an instrument or 2. This 2017 recipient of the MECA (MN Emerging Composer Award) has self categorized her music as “weirdo electronic music for the beginning or discerning pallet.”

Sound / Simulacra: Mankwe Ndosi

Posted on April 12, 2018 by John C.S. Keston

On Wednesday April 25th, 2018, 8:30pm at Jazz Central Studios Sound / Simulacra will commence featuring Mankwe Ndosi. I have had the pleasure of playing music with Mankwe on several occasions, but I am particularly excited to hear what happens in the context of improvised experimental music. During the second set Cody McKinney and myself will join Mankwe as a trio.

Mankwe Ndosi is a Twin Cities-based performer and composer who uses an expanded vocabulary of singing to express emotion, story and spirit. She works with artists in all media, and living beings of all kinds. She performs nationally and internationally, and has appeared with Nicole Mitchell, The Give Get Sistet, Mike Ladd, Sharon Bridgforth, Laurie Carlos, George Lewis, Medium Zach, I-Self Devine, Ananya Dance Theatre, Atmosphere, and Douglas Ewart – stalwart of Chicago’s Association for the Advancement of Creative Music. Ndosi is a Wild Plant Woman and a Culture Worker who uses creative practice to nurture human connections to others, our ancestors, and the earth. –Ananya Dance Theatre

Sound / Simulacra: Leah Ottman (LOTT) with Keston and McKinney

Posted on December 18, 2017 by John C.S. Keston

On March 22nd, 2017 Sound / Simulacra featured Leah Ottman aka LOTT. These recordings were captured by Dave Kunath during the second set and add John C.S. Keston on Rhodes / electronics and Cody McKinney on bass / electronics.

The core inspiration for LOTT’s compositions is the Romantic Period of classical music. The chordal structures, intervals, and melodies heard throughout her songs are reminiscent of those used by Antonin Dvorak, Alexander Borodin, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, French Impressionist composer, Maurice Ravel, and then condensed into pop songs. She explores the range on her violin by utilizing a looping pedal and similar techniques employed by looping violinist pioneers, Andrew Bird, Kishi Bashi, and Owen Pallet.

LOTT has been likened to a modern day torch singer of indie music – both in her lyrical themes and vocal styling. She has been greatly influenced by Patsy Cline’s catalogue of songs about unrequited love and heartbreak.

LOTT was awarded “Best Vocalist” in 2016 and “Best Acoustic Performer” in City Pages Best Of the Twin Cities 2015.
“…With a looping pedal hooked up to her instrument, Ottman layers intricate melodies that combine classical beauty with an adventurous ear for contemporary experimentation not unlike Andrew Bird. Her voice, loaded with attitude and a penchant for flowing leaps, sweetens the deal…”