Tom's Place
3111 Deakin Street Berkeley
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Alexander Hawkins (piano) with Lisa Mezzacappa (bass), Donald Robinson (drums) and Karl Evangelista (guitar)
and
Bruce Ackley (solo sax)

Celebrated UK pianist Alexander Hawkins visits the SF Bay Area, joined by a crack quartet for a fully improvised program. ROVA's Bruce Ackley joins for a special solo set.

Alexander Hawkins is a composer, pianist, organist, and bandleader who is ``unlike anything else in modern creative music''. Regarded as one of his generation's most innovative, his unique soundworld is shaped by a profound fascination with composition and structure, alongside a love of chance and open forms.
https://alexanderhawkinsmusic.com/
Filipino-American guitarist/composer Karl Evangelista is one of a new wave of musicians pushing the traditions of jazz and experimental music into the 21st century. Synthesizing the heavy legacy of contemporary improvised music with popular song and 20th century composition, Evangelista explores multicultural concepts with sonic intensity and political fervor. https://www.karlevangelista.com

Lisa Mezzacappa is a San Francisco Bay Area-based composer, bassist, bandleader, and producer. The Mercury news has called her "one of the most imaginative figures on the Bay Area creative jazz scene" KQED hails her as "a Bay Area treasure", and we couldn't agree more. She has been an active part of California's vibrant music community for more than 23 years, and a frequent presence at Tom's Place.

Rounding out the ensemble will be percussionist Donald Robinson (plays with everyone!: Braxton, George Lewis, Paul Plimley, etc. etc.), whose intricate, high energy music is marked by a virtuosity that does not obscure its solid free-jazz underpinnings.

Bruce Ackley is the first quarter of ROVA, alphabetically if not acronymically, and one of our favorite reed players. He plays almost exclusively in ROVA, but very occasionally in other contexts. I don't believe I've ever heard him play solo before. This performance promises to be a real treat.
https://www.rova.org/about-us/bruce-ackley.html

Cost: free, donations accepted

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