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Photo by Sarah Barrick
$20 general, $15 seniors, $10 students and alumni (with ID)
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Jessika Kenney & Friends
April 07, 2013, 7:00 pm
PONCHO Hall
710 East Roy Street, Seattle, WA
[map]
Un/traditional vocalist and composer Jessika Kenney brings together musicians from Gamelan Pacifica, Venerable Showers of Beauty Gamelan, and Gamelan Kusuma Laras, as well as Eyvind Kang and Hamin Honari to give a concert of new Classical Persian music and music for Javanese gamelan. Through the prisms of literature, language, mantra, and mode, the concert atmospherically follows a 19th c Javanese poetic re-telling of Shams' shattering of the orthodox from within as he wins the heart of Mowlana Rumi.
Vocalist Jessika Kenney’s work demonstrates deep appreciation and understanding of both traditional musics and experimental methods. She has performed and recorded Classical Persian vocal repertoire with ney master Ostad Hossein ‘Omoumi, as well as new and traditional Javanese music with Gamelan Pacifica and Gamelan Madusari. She has also performed or recorded the music of numerous contemporary composers including John Cage, Jarrad Powell, Eyvind Kang, and Tadao Sawai. From 1994-97 she studied with the jazz vocalist Jay Clayton; for several extended periods between 1997-2001 Kenney lived in Indonesia, studying and performing traditional Javanese vocal music with Nyi Supadmi and collaborating on music and theater in experimental settings. She currently studies classical Persian vocal music with Ostad Hossein ‘Omoumi. Performance highlights include appearing as a soloist with the Orchestra del Teatro Communale, Bologna, Italy, under the direction of Aldo Sisillo in 2003, in Athlantis with vocalist Mike Patton and the Coro da Camera di Modena, Italy in 2006, and in Eyvind Kang's Shadow of Ideas in Milan and Barcelona in 2007. Her recordings include The Stonehouse Songs with Jarrad Powell, the voice/viola duet Aestuarium with Eyvind Kang, and Voices of Spring with the Hossein Omoumi Ensemble. She has created numerous experimental wayang (shadow plays) including Maya in the Bardo (1996), and Atria (2006), as well as many other works for voice and mixed ensembles.
Founded in 1980, Gamelan Pacifica is among the finest ensembles in the United States devoted to the performance of gamelan music. It is an active and adventurous ensemble, with a reputation for creating diverse productions merging traditional and contemporary musical forms with dance, theater, puppetry, and visual media. The ensemble has performed at the Smithsonian Institute’s Festival of Indonesia, New Music Across America Festival, Vancouver New Music Society, On the Boards, Walker Art Center, Performing Arts Chicago, and elsewhere. Visiting artists who have worked with Gamelan Pacifica include some of the most notable artists of Indonesia including Sutrisno Hartana, Wayan Sinti, Didik Nini Thowok, Sri Djoko Rahardja, I Made Sidia, Endo Suanda, Dedek Wahyudi, Goenawan Mohamad, and Tony Prabowo. Gamelan Pacifica’s CD, Trance Gong (O.O. Discs) has received international acclaim.
Violist and violinist Eyvind Kang has worked extensively with Bill Frisell, Laurie Anderson, and Jessika Kenney, as well as written string arrangements for Sunn O))) Blonde Redhead, and many other bands. He also co-directs along with Jim Knapp the improvisational string orchestra Scrape. Kang can be heard on over 60 records; in addition he has released many acclaimed albums of his own compositions, including most recently Grass (2012, Tzadik) and The Narrow Garden (2012, Ipecac). Kang earned his BMus degree (’94) at Cornish College of the Arts where he studied with noted jazz violinist Michael White. He has also studied with the South Indian violinist Dr. N. Rajam.
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