Joe Mcphee And The Omnipotent Egyptians at The Rotunda

Ars Nova Workshop is pleased to present the explosive Amsterdam-based free jazz trio Universal Indians along with their special guest, veteran improviser Joe McPhee.

American-born saxophonist John Dikeman formed Universal Indians with the Norwegian rhythm section of bassist Jon Rune Strøm and drummer Tollef Østvang. The three draw inspiration from American and European free jazz pioneers from Cecil Taylor and Albert Ayler to Peter Brötzmann and Evan Parker, while adding new twists of their own. The trio invited multi-instrumentalist Joe McPhee to join them on the road in 2014, resulting in the unpredictable, inventive CD Skullduggery (Clean Feed). The live album features four extended excursions spotlighting the group’s taut interplay and constantly surprising sonic palette....

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Ars Nova Workshop is pleased to present the explosive Amsterdam-based free jazz trio Universal Indians along with their special guest, veteran improviser Joe McPhee.

American-born saxophonist John Dikeman formed Universal Indians with the Norwegian rhythm section of bassist Jon Rune Strøm and drummer Tollef Østvang. The three draw inspiration from American and European free jazz pioneers from Cecil Taylor and Albert Ayler to Peter Brötzmann and Evan Parker, while adding new twists of their own. The trio invited multi-instrumentalist Joe McPhee to join them on the road in 2014, resulting in the unpredictable, inventive CD Skullduggery (Clean Feed). The live album features four extended excursions spotlighting the group’s taut interplay and constantly surprising sonic palette.

Derek Taylor of Dusted Magazine praised the album’s “raw and raucous joys,” hailing the fact that “Though formed on the fly, the melodic integrity of these exchanges holds up to heavy scrutiny.”

Born in Nebraska and raised in Wyoming, saxophonist John Dikeman left the relative isolation of his home behind in pursuit of creative music, which he explored through stints in Philly, New York, Cairo and Budapest before settling in Amsterdam nearly a decade ago, since performing with all of the major figures of the Dutch jazz scene. That includes the Norwegian rhythm duo of bassist Jon Rune Strøm and drummer Tollef Østvang, who also run the label Stone Floor Records and work together in the groups All Included and Friends and Neighbors. Joe McPhee has been a singular voice in creative jazz and new music since his emergence in the 1960s, working with a who’s who of artists including Brötzmann, Parker, Pauline Oliveros, Ken Vandermark and Mats Gustafsson.

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