Bassist/Composer James Ilgenfritz approaches the double bass as an archeologist, examining rarified aspects of the instrument's sonic palette to confound the status quo. His work has been praised in Time Out New York, Signal To Noise, All About Jazz – New York, and Downbeat Magazine. Recent performances include work with George Lewis, Pauline Oliveros, Robert Dick, John Zorn, Gary Lucas, Marilyn Crispell, Lukas Ligeti, and Dave Ballou. In 2007 James received a Subito grant from the American Composers Forum for a cross-country tour, performing newly commissioned semi-improvisational notated works for contrabass by composers Jeffrey Treviño, Stephen Rush, and Gordon Beeferman, culminating in a performance at Roulette in New York. Other notable performance venues where James has performed include The World Financial Center Winter Garden, The Stone, Symphony Space, the New Museum in SoHo, and the Knitting Factory Main Stage. Improvisation is central to James’s work, and he has written and lectured on the art of improvisation and its metaphorical relationship to the practical complexity of daily life.
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Track info:::
1. Trio Caveat - Jonathan Moritz, saxophone // John McLellan, drums // James, Bass // Recorded live on WCBN in Ann Arbor, MI 2006 ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
2. Mexican Apple Soda Paraphrase, a solo contrabass and electronics paraphrase of a much larger piece for solo contrabass and chamber ensemble composed for me by UCSD Composition PhD student and Rhodes Scholar finalist Jeffrey Treviño. This piece was premiered at Symphony Space on October 30, 2006. ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
3. Composition 69(O) by Anthony Braxton, solo performance on my Master's Recital, February 2007. Part of a collage of Braxton's compositions, which also included Compositions 40F, 69M, 23C, and the Pulse Track from Composition 116. ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
4. Eucalyptus Grove (for three contrabasses) performed by Han Han Cho, Jeff Denson, and James IIlgenfritz, conducted by Brian Griffeath-Loeb. Recorded March 19, 2007
The fluttering of distant memories comes to life through the sounds of Francesco Giannico, whose blend of electronics and acoustic instruments paint beautiful pictures of lost times. His musical approach is described as a cinematic journey which pushes the boundaries of digital media even further by incorporating smooth melodies and gentle textures. More traditional instruments such as guitar and piano are constantly present into Francesco’s music, within interrupted structures or long and dreaming sonorous carpets.
Hey, James! How's it goin? I am back in the city now. Brasil was awesome. Hope I will see you sometime this summer... Still holdin down the fort for Liz?!
