NATHAN CLEVENGER (compositions, guitar), MITCH MARCUS (saxophones, clarinet), KASEY KNUDSEN (saxophones), SAM BEVAN (bass), and ERIC GARLAND (drums). Additional regular participants: Tim Bulkley, Eric Perney, Lisa Mezzacappa, Sylvain Carton and Jon Arkin.
Influences
Thelonious Monk, Andrew Hill, Debussy, Charles Mingus, Lee Konitz/Warne Marsh/Lennie Tristano, Herbie Nichols, Sun Ra, Wayne Shorter, Bill Evans, Ben Goldberg, Ornette Coleman, Paul Bley, Graham Connah, Ellington/Strayhorn, Messiaen, Jimmy Giuffre, Sonny Rollins, early Bill Frisell, Eric Dolphy...
The Group performs guitarist Nathan Clevenger's original compositions and consists of some of the most talented players in the Bay Area jazz scene: Aaron Novik, Kasey Knudsen, Mitch Marcus, Sam Bevan, and Eric Garland. Our debut album is in the can and we hope to release it in 2009. We have an ever-expanding book of over 50 compositions and have been an active group with minimal personnel change (a rarity these days!) since 2003. We still believe in jazz, and we're happy that the jazz world seems to be wearying of tiresome battles of definition and gratuitous factionalization. Seeing as there's no going back (thankfully) and neither is there such a thing as a permanent avant garde (sorry), we'll just have to get to work and define ourselves...onward!
that was a great night at the plough and you all sounded great playing those bitchin' tunes of yours...really wacky, sideways shit, man...most excellent.
december, 29 2007 first church of the buzzard 2601 Adeline Street 150 (enter on 26th Street - look for sign with buzzard), Oakland, California 94607
come out to celebrate the close of another year in babylon! we’ll have some snacks and beverages and live music from some friends from providence and local oakland improvisers the mis-spelled trio.
the first church of the buzzard is a west-oakland loft occupied by my pal vincent avalos - a multi-discplinary mexican-american artist originally from los angeles...it’s a great space with massive sculptures and artwork. come check it out!
