Ellen Christi's Flux in Chaos

About this event

Ellen Christi's Flux in Chaos Quintet delves into compassionate improvisation prompting the ideals of resistance, respect, and remaining true to your spirit. Flux in Chaos is a quintet rooted a deeply intuitive synergy that seamlessly merges improvisational music with a fluidity encompassing compositions and narrative. Parker provides a deep, resonant, and grounding presence in any ensemble. He treats the upright bass as an elastic, singing voice rather than just a rhythmic anchor. Christi’s voice is flexible enough to tackle free-form improvisations, art songs, and even occasional standards. Patricia Nicholson's radical poetry and vocalizations accompanies shape-shifting dance improvisations embodying daring and captivating movements. Eri Yamamoto’s piano work is a highly personal lyricism that expresses itself most poignantly in improvisation. She establishes musical structure for the ensemble to deconstruct and reconstruct. Michael TA Thompson’s playing provides a dynamic flow of motion that colors and shifts the musical improvisations, a driving force pushing all boundaries. This ensemble allows each player to push boundaries, resulting in a beautifully chaotic mix of both melody and free-jazz abandon.

Since moving to the United States in 1995, Eri Yamamoto has established herself as one of jazz's most original and compelling pianists and composers. Upon hearing Eri's music early in her career, jazz legend Herbie Hancock said, "My hat's off to her... already she's found her own voice." For more than twenty years, Eri has been sharing her uniquely lyrical and evocative music with listeners far and wide. She has played regularly in New York City, and has performed with her trio throughout the US, Canada, Europe, Japan, Jamaica, and Australia. Eri has also been collaborating with such creative and celebrated musicians as William Parker, Daniel Carter, Hamid Drake, Federico Ughi, Yves Leveille and Paul McCandless. Eri has appeared on several William Parker recordings, and has performed in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Tunisia, and South Africa with his trio and sextet.

Patricia Nicholson is a dancer, poet, and organizer whose work spans movement, music, and social causes, with a focus on the spiritual and social responsibility of the free jazz and improvised arts. As a multi-disciplinary artist, she has dedicated much of her life to building and sustaining diverse, improvising communities. Nicholson is known for her collaborations, including Shamanic Principle with percussionist Val Jeanty, Knife & Rose with vocalists Ellen Christi and Jean Carla Rodea, and several projects with William Parker such as What It Is and Hope Cries for Justice . She is also the founder of Arts for Art and the Vision Festival, which advocates for free jazz and artists working in the genre. Nicholson’s work as a curator and organizer has influenced both the artistic community.

Since the mid-seventies, Ellen Christi has steadily gained ground as an important contributor to American improvised music and contemporary jazz. As a composer/vocalist, Ms. Christi has worked in varying performance venues ranging from multi-media theatrical productions to solo vocal concerts. She has also been an active advocate in supporting innovative performing artists through organizations that she has co-founded or directed. Ms. Christi came to New York in the nascent period of the downtown loft scene. Jimmy Hopp was a positive catalyst introducing her to a musicians' collective at 501 Canal Street. And it was there that she lived and performed for many years with Tom Bruno, Ray Anderson, David Ware, Dave Burrell, and Cooper-Moore. Ms. Christi has been performing and recording with musicians in the United States and Europe for the past twenty five years. She has worked with: Tom Bruno, Ray Anderson, Mark Dresser, Andrew Cyrille, Reggie Workman, Rashid Ali, Tony Scott, Ed Blackwell, William Parker, Lisa Sokolov, Jeanne Lee, Kenny Wheeler, Steve McCall, Rahn Burton, Roy Campbell, Lawrence "Butch" Morris, and Hans Koch.

William Parker is an acclaimed American free jazz double bassist, composer, and author Hailed by The Village Voice as "the most consistently brilliant free jazz bassist of all time," he is a towering figure in the avant-garde music scene, known for his prolific leadership of large ensembles like the Little Huey Pocketwatch Ensemble. His work features a range of concepts and ensembles, from solo bass to quartets, sextets, and large ensembles such as the Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra and Huey's PocketWatch Big Band, as well as special projects such as The Essence of Ellington and The Inside Songs of Curtis Mayfield. He has composed music for the Wroclaw Symphony Orchestra as well as a host of commissions for large and small ensembles. He has composed music and librettos for numerous multi-media operas including Trail of Tears, Vision Peace and Battle Cries, and Mass for the Healing World, in addition to hundreds of pieces of vocal music. All of Parker's music incorporates his concept of Universal Tonality. They all include improvisational languages and possibilities.

Michael TA Thompson was born in Miami, FL, but moved to the US Virgin Islands at the age of nine, where he began to learn to play the drums. After high school, he attended the Berklee School of Music in Boston, then headed to NYC. He met trumpeter Roy Campbell Jr. who introduced him to like-minded musicians such as William Parker, Kidd Jordan, Joe McPhee, Charles Gayle, Dennis Gonzales, Oliver Lake, Matthew Shipp, Uri Caine, Henry Grimes, Jason Kao Hwang, Ken Filiano, and many others. He played with LA-based multi-instrumentalist Vinny Golia and became his drummer of choice for East Coast performances. In addition, he has played with Clypsonians, The Mighty Sparrow, The Shadow, Beckett, reggae artist Owen Gray, and other artists from classical to rap and beyond. He has recorded for television shows such as Blue’s Clues , (Nickelodeon), for commercials, and for film.