ACFNY RECOMMENDED | JIM BLACK TRIO PLAYS JOHN ZORN’S BOOK OF BAGATELLES
Drummer Jim Black, Austrian pianist Elias Stemeseder, and bassist Chris Tordini perform selections from John Zorn’s newest cycle of compositions, the Book of Bagatelles. For a week-long residency at the historical New York City club, acclaimed composer and MacArthur fellow John Zorn chose some of the most accomplished NYC based musicians to interpret selected compositions from his book of 300 Bagatelles.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Jim Black is at the forefront of a new generation of musicians bringing jazz into the 21st century. In addition to being one of the most influential drummers of our time, he is also the leader of one of the world’s most forward-thinking bands, AlasNoAxis, featuring his longtime collaborators Chris Speed, Hilmar Jensson and Skúli Sverrisson. Based on the foundation of his virtuosic but highly personal approach to jazz drumming, Black’s aesthetic has expanded to include Balkan rhythms, rock songcraft and laptop soundscapes. Though he is revered worldwide for his limitless technique and futuristic concepts, what many listeners treasure in most Jim Black’s work is the relentless feeling of joy and invention he brings to his performances. Jim Black’s smiling, kinetic, unpredictable presence has enthralled and inspired audiences worldwide for over twenty-five years.
After 12 years of leading his singer-less-songwriting-post-rock-improv band AlasNoAxis, Jim black goes in the absolute opposite musical direction by forming a new piano trio featuring one of the most in-demand NY musicians, Chris Tordini on bass, and the young Austrian pianist to watch out for, Elias Stemeseder. Four years later, with two releases on the Winter & Winter label and a host of international tours and performances, the trio releases their latest work The Constant, commissioned by Chamber Music America, on the Swiss label Intakt Recordings.
Born in Salzburg, Austria in 1990, Elias Stemeseder lived in Berlin from 2010 and moved to New York in 2015. Besides his main instrument, the acoustic piano, he also plays synthesizers and works as a composer. He performs in a variety of musical idioms ranging from jazz, song-oriented music to contemporary classical music to electric and rock music. Among the musicians he has collaborated with are Nels Cline, Joey Baron, Greg Cohen, Thomas Morgan and Peter Evans.
Christopher Tordini is a bassist on the New York music scene, where he performs with established jazz icons as well as a diverse range of emerging musicians. He has toured and recorded with Andy Milne’s Dapp Theory and has also played and recorded in bands led by artists such as Greg Osby, Jeremy Pelt, Ari Hoening, Steve Lehman, Jim Black, Andrew D’Angelo, and the Becca Stevens Band. Tordini is also a collaborator in projects led by drummer/composer Tyshawn Sorey and trombonist/composer Michael Dessen.
VENUE
The Village Vanguard
178 7th Ave S, New York, NY 10014