Jazz comes to Rice
The KTRU Jazz Concert Series continues this weekend with the appearances of Human Feel and ROVA at the CoffeeHouse.
Human Feel opens the festivities Saturday night with a rare concert appearance. This Seattle group's energetic avant-garde jazz takes a little while to get used to but is well worth a listen. The band consists of Andrew D'Angelo on alto saxophone and bass clarinet, Chris Speed on tenor saxophone and clarinet and Jim Black on guitar. Members of the band have performed with big names such as Tim Berne, Jack DeJohnette, Dave Douglas and Paul Motian. D'Angelo has written for such groups as Either Orchestra and Orange Then Blue. Human Feel has only infrequently been able to tour as a unit; this makes their appearance at Rice all the more valuable. They have three great CDs available: Human Feel (on the Human Use label), Scatter (GM) and Welcome to Malpesta (New World), which was named 1994's album of the year by Seattle's Rocket magazine.
All-saxophone quartet ROVA, whose music is an aggressive mix of classical and jazz styles, will play at the CoffeeHouse on April 24. ROVA, which takes its name from the last initials of its original members (Jon Raskin, Larry Ochs, Andrew Voigt and Bruce Ackley), describes its performances as "spontaneous composition and arrangement," an aggressive mix of classical and jazz styles.
In its nearly 20 years of existence, from its roots in San Francisco to the present, the group has established an incredible rapport which is captured on studio releases such as The Crowd (HatHut) and Long on Logic (Sound Aspects). In addition, ROVA has collaborated with a variety of modern jazz luminaries, the most notable encounter being the excellent Aggregate (Sound Aspects), recorded with fellow avant-garde saxophonist Anthony Braxton.
As exceptional as these recordings are, the band is best experienced in person, where the group's trademark extended improvisations have been known to take on a life of their own. Indeed, many of ROVA's most critically acclaimed albums are live recordings. Two of these, recorded in the former Soviet Union, are particularly famous: Saxophone Diplomacy (HatArt, 1993) and This Time We Are Both (New Albion, 1989). These albums cement the band's reputation as one of the finest improvisational ensembles around.
Both concerts begin at 10 p.m. Students, faculty and staff will be admitted free with a valid Rice ID. The price of admission for non-Rice students is $5; admission for all others is $10. Tickets will be available at the door or in advance at Half-Price Books and Sound Exchange. The KTRU concert series continues next month.
This item appeared in the Arts & Entertainment section of the March 22, 1996 issue.
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