Tickets and details here.
Thurs. Oct. 24: Iseul Kim's Liberosis, Jenny Scheinman's All Species Parade at 2220 Arts & Archives.
Korean pianist Iseul Kim has moved around a lot, and her compositions do the same -- you hear a classical foundation applied to many different influences, compressed and decoded so that they don't often stay distinct for long. Such restlessness is finely attuned to the modern sensibility, and Kim is only beginning to realize her potential. Her love of strings will be served well by Sirius Quartet violinist Fung Chern Hwei and local cello marvel Artyom Manukyan, as well as Herbie Hancock Institute bassist Emiliano Lasansky, and she's scored one of the most dynamic drummers on the L.A. scene, Anthony Fung.
The distinctively grainy, fragile tone of Jenny Scheinman's violin is unforgettable. Applying it to recordings by everyone from Lou Reed to the ROVA Saxophone Quartet, as well as her own Tzadik and Cryptogramophone releases, she brings a rare feeling of joyful abandon, as on her current "All Species Parade," which features the likes of Bill Frisell and Julian Lage. Tonight her rollicking band includes Carmen Staaf (piano), Adam Ratner (guitar), Tony Scherr (bass) and Mark Ferber (drums).
Fri. Oct. 25: Flat Earth Society Orchestra at ArtShare L.A.
What luck that Belgium's 15-member Flat Earth Society Orchestra happens to be on its 25th-anniversary tour during A.C. Fest. Led by clarinetist Peter Vermeersch and keyboardist Peter Vandenberghe, the Orchestra swings at its groovinest ("Hit meh!") on the current "The One," whilst leaving room for improvisation and moody coloration. Expect plenty of solo turns from musicians with serious chops and lighthearted attitudes.
Sat. Oct. 26, 6pm: Improvising (in) the West at ArtShare L.A.
Picture what will transpire when 20 of SoCal's most imaginative improvisers start thinking about "the creative topography of the West." We're already tripping. No word yet about how they'll be grouped (last year's similar event was duos and a trio), but the inspiring lineup includes keyboardist Joshua White, drummer Alex Cline, windman Vinny Golia, vocalist Kaoru Mansour, flutist Ellen Burr, trombonist Michael Dessen, electronified drummer Joe Berardi, keyboardist Wayne Peet, trumpeter Daniel Rosenboom and other familiar faces, as well as fresh names to keep the pot spicy. LATE WORD FROM WAYNE PEET: "Groups are mostly trios of top improvisers not knowing the combination until the event." Yeeha! Four hours of headlong action. Read MetalJazz's review of the 2023 "Intergenerational Improvisational Night" here.
Sun. Oct. 27: Wayne Horvitz's Zony Mash, Electric Circus at REDCAT.
Many have longed for a reunion of Zony Mash, the atmo-funky fun machine launched by keyboardist Wayne Horvitz (John Zorn, Bill Frisell) back in the late '90s, and here it comes with the classic lineup of freakheavy guitarist Tim Young, downtown bassist Keith Love and slapback drummer Andy Roth.
Those guys plus keyboardist Motoko Honda, bassoonist Sara Schoenbeck, saxist Nicole McCabe and more will be packing the stage for a maelstrom Horvitz is calling Electric Circus (no apologies to WASP), which he'll conduct using the innovative/influential methods of Butch Morris, with whom he's logged quite a bit of stage time.
Talk about ending the festival with a bang.