This evening exists as an exploration of forms past and future. It is a friendly challenge between the explosive yet subaltern New York City scene and the poly-idiomatic/highly collective Philadelphia Scene. Headlining the evening is a Horn Trio formed out of love and inspiration from the work of Brahms and Ligeti, then taken into new bizzare settings. Our middle act will be a duet between the meditative and harmonically driving style of Ann Adachi with the rich self-counterpoint of Electric Guitarist Keenan Ruffin. Opening will be a quartet drawn from contrasting styles.
Aaron Pond is a musician, concert promoter, and community organizer active in Philadelphia. His improvisational practice is drawn from early atonal music, the playful spirituality of the AACM, and a South Florida childhood spent in synagogues and swamps. His scholarly pursuits center the universal aesthetic structures of spirit possession and the marking power of ritual. Aaron wishes to find himself in the turbulent seas of sensation.
As a performer/thinker he has closely collaborated with Thomas Patteson, Karen Smith, Toshi Makihara, and Dan Blacksberg. He is the President of the People's Music Supply, and damn proud of it.
Naomi Nakanishiis a dynamic pianist, improviser, and composer, currently based in Brooklyn, NY. Their work aims to reconstruct, experiment and interact with sounds influenced by their comprehensive background in Black American Music, indie-folk, and classical piano, inviting listeners with patient lyricism, enticing harmonies, and unconventional phrasing. Recent work includes original film score to Oath of the Sword (2023) as well as their debut EP Hear Me Speak (2022). As a composer and bandleader the essence of their work draws from their experiences as a queer, Asian American musician. Naomi was selected to participate in the 2023 Mutual Mentorship for Musicians Fellowship led by Jen Shyu and Sara Serpa and was commissioned for a duo piece with Angolan singer-songwriter Aline Frazão entitled Mirrored Hands (2023). Naomi is a graduate of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute and Eastman School of Music. They currently lead a piano trio called Whimsy and a bass-less quartet exploring compositions and free improvising. Naomi seeks to continue learning from multigenerational, queer coalitions while curating more culturally rich and interactive experiences in their musical journey.
Melinda Rice is a violinist and songwriter interested in creating space for genuine reaction. Born in Pennsylvania and a graduate of the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts, Melinda returned to Pennsylvania in 2020 after a decade and a half exploring music in southern California.
Among the ensembles Melinda has deeply played, arranged, and/or collaborated with are the Craft in America House Band, A Tribute Ensemble, Isaura String Quartet, Wild Up, The Industry, San Bernardino Symphony, and the Marian Anderson Historical Society. Melinda has released two albums of original works, and wrote the libretto for an opera called Bonnie and Clyde. As an instructor, Melinda has taught at CalArts, developed curriculum in collaboration with the LA Phil, worked with students in the El Sistema-inspired YOLA and Harmony Project programs in Los Angeles from 2008-2022, and led the All City Orchestra of the Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestra from 2017-2021.
Keenan Ruffin is a Teacher, Guitarist, Composer, Drawer, Dancer, and Writer based in the city of Brooklyn. As leader of the Keenan Ruffin Dance Band they created elastic, highly textural technical jazz that drew on the dance band tradition with modern jazz performance practice. As a teacher, they were last an RTI specialist at BSNBCS where they taught grades from 3 to 5 teaching specific math skills in preparation for state testing. You can find Keenan strolling around Bed-Stuy, or drawing and shedding in his room with his beloved orange-girl cat Edsel. You can find their music at keenanruffin.bandcamp.com along with following their life and work @kenkaniche on instagram.
Ann Adachi enjoys meditating on sound in a group setting, with special interest in the construction of harmonies among varied timbres which is most apparently explored in sustained tones. Ann studied classical piano and composition at Brevard College and Berklee College of Music, where she explored inclusion of video medium and performance in her music compositions. Phenomenological curiosity inspired the composition of a quartet piece, in which each musician was stationed in different parts of Boston each with a videographer capturing wandering musicians and sound of the environment--subway, Chinatown, park, and busy street. At a precise given time, all four start playing the composed music. Culmination is a four-channel video installation that maps time, space, and sound. After a hiatus, Ann is excited to play in ensembles, sometimes in the accompaniment of the sounds of the Wissahickon.
With a compelling narrative style and a fusion of diverse musical genres, artist-songwriter CHAITHU is carving out a truly unique space in the indie-jazz world. A lifelong learner, CHAITHU has pursued jazz, classical, Carnatic and contemporary studies as a saxophonist, vocalist, violinist, and composer. During their musical career, CHAITHU has shared the stage with renowned musicians such as Branford Marsalis and the Eastman Saxophone Project. With a lush multi-instrumentalist approach, CHAITHU crafts vibrant melodies with rich undertones and tells stories of their childhood, urging listeners to breathe, heal, feel, and ultimately grow.
Daniel Panus is a bassist & improviser currently active in Philadelphia, PA. His musical approach draws from an eclectic range of influences: His formative years were spent playing double bass in honors student orchestras on the weekdays, and playing bass guitar in metal and hardcore bands on the weekend. Now after a hiatus that began with the pandemic, Dan is back and has ideas fresher than ever. Through free improvisation, he has found the happy medium between the “street” music and the “high art” classical music he grew up playing in equal amounts. Join him on his new ventures in experimental improvised music. You can find his new record New Existence on his bandcamp here danielpanus.bandcamp.com/album/new-existence, and can keep up with his life and music @danpanus.bass on Instagram.
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