September Europe / U.K. Tour, Composition Premieres
- Jessica Ackerley
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Performing news:
As summer begins to wind down I am preparing to head to Europe this week for a reunion tour with my close collaborator, Eli Wallace. We have several dates lined up in Belgium and the United Kingdom with these amazing players In various configurations in each city: drummer, Mark Sanders and saxophonists, Rachel Musson, Mark Hanslip, and Nick Branton.
Upcoming Dates:
September 6th Ghent, BE - Secret Venue (msg me)
September 7th Ghent, BE - De Graaf
September 9th Bristol, U.K. - Liquid Library, The Cube w/ Mark Sanders and Rachel Musson
September 10th Brighton, U.K. - Safehouse w/ Mark Sanders and Rachel Musson
September 11th London, U.K. - Vortex w/ Mark Sanders and Rachel Musson
September 12th Manchester, U.K. - St Margaret's Church w/ Rachel Musson
September 13th Leeds, U.K. - Heart Centre, Headingley Enterprise & Arts Centre w/ Rachel Musson
September 15th Liverpool, U.K. - Aretfact w/ Nick Branton and Mark Hanslip
September 16-22 Bludenz, Austria - Bludenzer Tage zeitgemäßer Musik Festival, premiere of "80 20.61’ N" by Blaurenz Duo
Secondly - it has been a minute since I've curated a show in NYC - but tomorrow night I am looking forward to a double bill featuring some Bang on a Can festival friends performing Dan Trueman, Phillip Glass and Andrew Norman and debut quartet improvising set with myself, Concetta Abatte, Luisa Murh and Justine Leichling. A big thank you to Brooklyn Artery (1004 Cortelyou Rd, Brooklyn, NY 11218) for hosting the night. Doors at 7:30 // music at 8 pm. $15-20 sliding scale cover.
Composing news:
It has also been a busy summer for me with multiple premieres which are now live on my website and Soundcloud. More info and listening links are below:
The sectional elements of "Snow Improvisations" was built from the rhythm gestures of several recorded improvisations with my hands and pack ice at 80 degrees north in the Arctic in 2024. It features Tony Arnold on soprana voice, Justine Leichtling on violin, Anjali Shinde on flute and Angel Florido on percussion. Listen here
"V S M O T S Y" was composed in the midst of my travel this past June and July. Admittedly, it was a challenging piece to finish being on the move every day and dealing with the fatigue from tour but I am beyond happy with how Brightwork ensemble brought it to life. Listen here
Closing notes, summer reflections:
I had an incredible time in Seoul and Japan this summer. It never ceases to amaze me how music truly is a universal language for connection and building community spaces. Seoul has some fantastic improvisers organizing and presenting experimental and adventurous music. I wanted to give a shout out to MoIM, founded by Jiyun Song and Taekjoon Kim and Munj Music, a record label run by saxophonist, Sunjae Lee - who also organized this fantastic trio set with myself and drummer, Kukanju Baku posted on youtube
My closing performance of the tour was in Tokyo with legendary Japanese guitarist, Tetuzi Akiyama, with an eery and meditative set documented by a fellow Canadian, Ayal Senoir, who just happened in Tokyo on his own tour.
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