The brave and the bold.
Musical fascinations on two Brooklyn stages, plus recommended new-music events for Dec. 10–17.
I’ll try to be brief, because the number of upcoming events worth covering this week is staggering—not a bad problem to have. But I do want to share a few thoughts about live events of the past few days.
Last Friday, I had the privilege and pleasure of bringing my 10-year-old daughter to my place of work. Specifically, we were at the beautifully funky BAM Harvey Theater to see the American Composers Orchestra present Journey LIVE, a fascinating project that involved composer Austin Wintory conducting his celebrated score for the well-loved video game Journey, as participants played the game live on stage, their actions projected on a screen overhead.
At a time when nearly every orchestra in America is playing live in coordination with films, from cinematic classics to big-budget popcorn flicks, this presentation felt like one step beyond. Where film obviously is a fixed format, games are fluid where time is concerned; players proceed at their own pace, meandering, and getting stuck as they go.
There’s a real complexity to this enterprise, and New York Times arts and culture reporting fellow Annie Aguilar deserves massive kudos for describing it all with detail and style in a virtuoso feature published late last week (gift link).
In my own past coverage for The New York Times, I’d sung the ACO’s praises for its willingness to take risks and break molds (gift link), but also expressed concern about works and composers misrepresented at times by insufficient preparation and poor execution (gift link). Here, happily, the latter charge didn’t apply; playing under circumstances constituting an especially idiosyncratic challenge, the ensemble sounded secure and gorgeous in Wintory’s dreamy score.
Along with solo bows for featured cellist Tommy Mesa and soprano Ariadne Greif, Wintory acknowledged flutist Wendy Stern, whose bass flute was a delight throughout. I would also have singled out violist Orlando Wells and percussionist Jonathan Haas.
My kid, a budding gamer, is convinced now that I work at the coolest place in the city. As for me, I enjoyed geeking out to watch Anthony Rapp – yes, from Rent, but also Lt. Commander Paul Stamets on Star Trek: Discovery – among the journeyers questing on stage.
On Sunday night, the BEAT Tour came to Brooklyn for its second local visit. The palatial Kings Theatre was filled with songs and sounds almost exclusively from the three studio albums King Crimson released during the early ’80s – Discipline, Beat, and Three of a Perfect Pair – performed by two members of that band, guitarist/vocalist Adrian Belew and bassist/Stick player Tony Levin, plus journeyman guitar virtuoso Steve Vai and Tool drummer Danny Carey.
The setlist was identical to what was presented in October at the Beacon Theatre, which I wrote about at length here… in fact, every show on this extensive tour has featured the same set. But now, Vai and Carey were taking more liberties to inject more of their own personalities – Vai anywhere he could, Carey especially in “Indiscipline” – while still respecting these fairly tight forms.
The sound in the room was surprisingly abrasive, with highs that penetrated just a bit too much, lows that sometimes grated rather than growling, and vocals a bit indistinct in the mix. This came as a surprise, given I remembered no such issues when I heard Bob Dylan in the same space a year ago. (It didn’t help to have an audience member whistling with inhuman penetration nearby.)
But Belew’s joy, abundant at the Beacon, was still greater here, down to the dance party he urged in the closing “Thela Hun Ginjeet.” His fiery passion for this repertoire, clearly shared by his band mates, remains wholly infectious. Were BEAT to swing through again, ideally with one or two changes in the setlist, undoubtedly I’d keep on coming back for more.
The Night After Night Watch.
Concerts listed in Eastern Standard Time.
NOTAFLOF = no one turned away for lack of funds.
10
Dear Lord, Make Me Beautiful
Park Avenue Armory
643 Park Ave.; Upper East Side
Through Dec. 14, times vary; $45–$170
armoryonpark.org
Choreographer Kyle Abraham joins forces with the unpredictable new-music ensemble yMusic, whose members provide an original score. Abraham will dance alongside an oversize cadre of his company, A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, in an explicitly personal meditation on being and aging in an anxious, insecure world, with visual design by new-media artist Cao Yuxi (also known as James).
11
Air Legacy Trio
The Jazz Gallery
1158 Broadway, 5th floor; Midtown East
Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 7:30 & 9:30pm; $25–$35, livestream $20
jazzgallery.org
In the first of two events celebrating the capacious oeuvre of saxophonist, composer, and bandleader Henry Threadgill at the Jazz Gallery this week, saxophonist Marty Ehrlich, bassist Hilliard Greene, and New Air veterean drummer Pheeroan akLaff reconvene the trio assembled to celebrate Air, Threadgill’s nimble, cohesive combo with late bandmates Fred Hopkins and Steve McCall, at Big Ears earlier this year. See Thursday, Dec. 12, Very Very Circus Legacy Project, for a related event, and mark your calendar now for Threadgill’s own return to the Jazz Gallery, May 28–31.
Alarm Will Sound
Irish Arts Center
726 11th Ave.; Hells Kitchen
Wednesday, Dec. 11 & Thursday, Dec. 12 at 7:30pm; $52–$71
irishartscenter.org
The tirelessly innovative new-music troupe Alarm Will Sound, led by conductor Alan Pierson, presents two performances of Land of Winter, a contemplative, evocative evening-length work by Donnacha Dennehy heard on the ensemble’s latest Nonesuch recording (covered briefly last month, here).
Ikue Mori
Glass Box Theatre, The New School
55 W. 13th St., Greenwich Village
Wednesday, Dec. 11–Saturday, Dec. 14 at 8:30pm; $20 cash only
thestonenyc.com
The final Stone series residency at The New School for this calendar year features painterly electronic-music genius Ikue Mori, who opens on Wednesday with harpist Zeena Parkins, vocalist Charmaine Lee, and saxophonist Lotte Anker. Mori’s quartet on Thursday includes Hans Koch, Florian Stoffner, and Nate Wooley; on Friday, Anker returns to join Mori, Ingrid Laubrock, Sylvie Courvoisier, and Billy Martin. The closing night on Saturday features Highsmith+, reuniting Mori with Highsmith partner Craig Taborn and adding cellist Tomeka Reid.
12
Bang on a Can All-Stars
National Sawdust
80 N. 6th St.; Williamsburg
Thursday, Dec. 12 at 7:30pm; $35
nationalsawdust.org
Composer and Bang on a Can co-founder Julia Wolfe is the subject of a portrait concert by the Bang on a Can All-Stars, covering four works that span close to three decades: Lick (2004), Big Beautiful Dark and Scary (2002), Reeling (2012), and Flower Power (2020). The last – composed for ensemble and orchestra, and premiered by the Los Angeles Philharmonic in January 2020 – is billed here as a “sneak preview,” presumably meaning a new revision.
Pauchi Sasaki
David Rubenstein Atrium, Lincoln Center
Broadway; Upper West Side
Thursday, Dec. 12 at 7:30pm; free admission
lincolncenter.org
Pauchi Sasaki, an ingenious violinist, composer, and instrument designer, comes to Lincoln Center’s generous free outpost to present an installment of ARTEMIS, a multi-year operatic project inspired by NASA’s Moon-exploration program of the same name.
Very Very Circus Legacy Project
The Jazz Gallery
1158 Broadway, 5th floor; Midtown East
Thursday, Dec. 12 at 7:30 & 9:30pm; $25–$35, livestream $20
jazzgallery.org
The second event honoring Henry Threadgill this week at the Jazz Gallery brings together a reconfigured version of one of the crafty bandleader’s most striking assemblages. Three members of the original Very Very Circus lineup – guitarist Brandon Ross, tuba player Marcus Rojas, and drummer Gene Lake – welcome guitarist Miles Okazaki, tuba player José Davila, trombonist Chris Bates, and saxophonist Noah Becker into the fold
13
Tristan Kasten-Krause
Sunview Luncheonette
221 Nassau Ave., Greenpoint
Friday, Dec. 13 at 8pm; by donation
thesunview.org
Sunview Luncheonette, a converted Greenpoint diner self-described as “a sometimes microvenue for art, poetics, regionalism, mutual aid, and commoning,” is said to be shuttering sometime soon. If you’ve yet to experience its charms, tuck in for this three-course meal served up by bassist and composer Tristan Kasten-Krause: a solo set, a trio with Matt Evans and Jess Tsang on electronics and bass-drum feedback, and a duo with Zosha Warpeha on hardanger fiddle.
Suppose Beautiful Madeline Harvey
Ellen Stewart Theatre, La MaMa
66 E. 4th St., 2nd floor; East Village
Friday, Dec. 13–Sunday, Dec. 22, times vary; $35, seniors and students $30
lamama.org
Object Collection, the rambunctious performance-art troupe led by theater writer, designer, and director Kara Feely and composer Travis Just, mount the premiere of the first new piece in a decade from experimental-theater icon Richard Foreman, concerning a woman uncertain whether she exists.
14
Chet Doxas
Bar Bayeux
1066 Nostrand Ave.; Brooklyn
Saturday, Dec. 14 at 8 & 9:30pm; one-drink minimum
barbayeux.com
Saxophonist and composer Chet Doxas musters Ceremonial – his star-studded large ensemble with fellow wind players Tim Berne and Ingrid Laubrock, pianist Angelica Sanchez, bassist Matt Pavolka, and drummer Tom Rainey – to perform original compositions inspired by (appropriately enough) “the human habit of ritual, gathering, and ceremony.”
Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
St. Ann’s Warehouse
45 Water St.; Dumbo
Saturday, Dec. 14 at 8pm; $49–$64
stannswarehouse.org
Pianist, composer, and conductor Arturo O’Farrill leads the celebrated Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, with special guest saxophonist Joe Lovano, in a salute to singular forebear Carla Bley. The program includes the multi-part compositions Blue Palestine, which Bley wrote for O’Farrill, and Mundoagua, an O’Farrill original commissioned by Columbia University—both of which are also featured on Mundoagua: Celebrating Carla Bley, a terrific new album due Feb. 7 on Zoho. (And remember that O’Farrill will conduct the U.S. premiere of Bley’s epochal Escalator Over the Hill at The New School in May; details and free registration here.)
The Living Earth Show + Post:ballet
92NY
1395 Lexington Ave.; Upper East Side
Saturday, Dec. 14 at 7:30pm; $40–$55
92ny.org
The Living Earth Show, the groundbreaking duo of guitarist Travis Andrews and percussionist Andy Meyerson, presents Lyra, a ballet based on the Orpheus and Eurydice tale. Playing a lively score by Samuel Adams, the musicians accompany a filmed performance by Bay Area dance troupe Post:ballet choreographed by Vanessa Thiessen. A live solo by dancer Babatunji Johnson ends the event.
Wet Ink Ensemble
Dixon Place
161A Chrystie St.; Lower East Side
Saturday, Dec. 14 at 6 & 8pm; suggested donation $20 per show, both shows $30
wetink.org
The composer-performer collective Wet Ink mounts a festive multi-purpose double bill, showcasing compositions by current artists-in-residence Gelsey Bell, Carolyn Chen, and Ben LaMar Gay. The first set pairs works by Chen with selections from the Kate Soper opera The Romance of the Rose, newly issued on CD (and discussed previously here); the second mixes solo performances by Bell and LaMar Gay with pieces by Raven Chacon and Sam Pluta. (See Sun 15, Charles Curtis, for another event featuring Chen.)
15
Charles Curtis
Blank Forms
468 Grand Ave. #1D; Brooklyn
Sunday, Dec. 15 at 3 & 6pm; $25 per show, both shows $40
blankforms.org
A cellist of intensity and profundity, Charles Curtis returns to Blank Forms for two shows in a single day, each devoted to a different California composer. The 3pm session features Landslide, in which composer Tashi Wada pairs Curtis with a manipulated-tape doppelgänger; at 6pm, Curtis performs Rara Avis, an ambiguous invention by Carolyn Chen based on an anonymous 17th-century song. (See Sat 14, Wet Ink Ensemble, for another event featuring Chen.)
16
S.E.M. Ensemble
Willow Place Auditorium
26 Willow Place; Brooklyn
Monday, Dec. 16 at 8pm; free admission
eventbrite.com
Ahead of their year-end concert at Paula Cooper Gallery on Dec. 18, Petr Kotik and S.E.M. Ensemble present an informal one-hour preview performance. You might expect to hear music by Kotik, John Cage, Morton Feldman, Rudolf Komorous, Anna Heflin, and Luboš Mrkvička; admission is free, but an RSVP is requested here.
17
Tactus
Neidorff-Karpati Hall, Manhattan School of Music
130 Claremont Ave.; Upper West Side
Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 7:30pm; free admission
msmnyc.edu
Directed by Erin Rogers and Matt Ward, and featuring program alumni as guests, the Manhattan School of Music’s resident contemporary ensemble performs works by György Ligeti, Julius Eastman, David Lang, Nina C. Young, and more.
More vital directories of new-music destinations:
Find even more events in Night After Night Watch: The Master List, here.
Photographs by Steve Smith, except where indicated.