Jazz Duos Onstage at Zellerbach Hall Auditorium, February 9, 2020

Cal Performances presents An Evening of Jazz Duos Onstage featuring Tim Berne & Matt Mitchell; and Kris Davis & Ingrid Laubrock
Zellerbach Hall Auditorium Stage
U.C. Berkeley, Bancroft Way at Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, CA 94305 USA
7:00 PM, Sunday, February 9, 2020

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[7:04 PM; lights down; canned announcement; pause; duo out]
[7:05 PM; IL: Welcome and program comments; IL: tenor saxophone]

1. [7:06 PM] Snakes and Lattices »
2. [7:15 PM] Bloodwine »
   [7:23 PM; IL swaps to soprano saxophone]
3. [7:23 PM] Whistlings
   [7:30 PM; IL back announcement]
4. [7:32 PM] Golgi Complex (The Sequel)
   [7:42 PM; IL swaps back to tenor saxophone]
5. [7:43 PM] (unidentified tune #1)
   [7:48 PM; pause for KD to place three e-bows onto the piano strings]
6. [7:49 PM] Flying Embers »
7. [7:55 PM] Jagged Jaunt (transition time not noted … must have been in a trance or something!)
   [8:00 PM; IL: That's it! We're done! Thanks!]

• Kris Davis: piano;
• Ingrid Laubrock: soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone.

[8:19 PM; lights down; duo out; Sales pitch from TB, then yack about the program: “new music”]

1. [8:21 PM] (unidentified tune #1)
2. [8:33 PM] “Bruce”
3. [8:44 PM] (unidentified tune #2)
4. [8:55 PM] (unidentified tune #3)
   [9:01 PM; TB: thanks for listening, this will be our last tune]
5. [9:01 PM] (unidentified tune #4)
   [show ends 9:05 PM; no encore]

• Tim Berne: alto saxophone;
• Matt Mitchell: piano.

Today's event started with a pre-concert talk at 6 PM between Sarah Cahill & Myra Melford, but I've been wrapped up in work these days (yeah, even on weekends), so I missed it. Dang!

I tried preparing for this show by listening to recent recordings by these performers, but Diatom Ribbons (Kris Davis fabulous new release) was so different (many performer configurations, none as duo with Laubrock) that it didn't really help, except to raise my curiosity to hear her.

And on that, I was amply rewarded: her short set was really interesting, with lots of cool interplay between the two performers.

The second pairing was a bit more rambunctious and a lot less talkative: after a brief introductory chat from Tim, the guys launched their sonic expedition, blasting through a variety of aural spaces, and cruising in for a landing some fifty minutes later. It was an interesting trip, but not one that I'd sign up for every day!

Normally I'd expect that at least one of the tunes from their 2018 duo album, Angel Dusk appeared during tonight's second set … except that Tim made a point of mentioning that they'd be playing new music … so then again, maybe not!

Program Notes or program notes

Andrew Gilbert posted a promo article for the event with Berkeleyside.

Jeff Kaliss posted an interview with Myra that talks about this show, among other things, with SFCV.

Big thanks to Ting for the photo gallery!

Whoa! This section is incomplete for now, sorry!

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2020 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2020 event list! ☸ On to the next event!