Ben Goldberg's Orphic Machine at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

Ben Goldberg’s Orphic Machine (Saturday 2/7/15, 11pm), performing his seminal piece to date, inspired by a book of "speculative poetics" from writer Allen Grossman. The ten-movement song cycle, commissioned by Chamber Music America’s New Jazz Works and performed by an all-star nine-piece band featuring guitarist-extraordinaire Nels Cline, who has performed with a wide range of musicians from jazz to punk to alternative rock, most recently with Wilco and Carla Kihlstedt on vocals and violin, premiered in 2012. In addition to Cline and Kihlstedt, the ensemble is a who’s who in improvised music including guitar bassist and double bassist Trevor Dunn, best known for his work with musicians such as John Zorn, Marc Ribot, Sean Lennon, and Nels Cline...

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Ben Goldberg’s Orphic Machine (Saturday 2/7/15, 11pm), performing his seminal piece to date, inspired by a book of "speculative poetics" from writer Allen Grossman. The ten-movement song cycle, commissioned by Chamber Music America’s New Jazz Works and performed by an all-star nine-piece band featuring guitarist-extraordinaire Nels Cline, who has performed with a wide range of musicians from jazz to punk to alternative rock, most recently with Wilco and Carla Kihlstedt on vocals and violin, premiered in 2012. In addition to Cline and Kihlstedt, the ensemble is a who’s who in improvised music including guitar bassist and double bassist Trevor Dunn, best known for his work with musicians such as John Zorn, Marc Ribot, Sean Lennon, and Nels Cline. In the 90s he was an essential part of the Bay Area scene and a founding member of Mr. Bungle; tenor saxophonist Rob Sudduth and rock and jazz drummer Ches Smith; adventurous trumpeter Ron Miles, a staple of the Denver jazz scene; vibraphonist Kenny Wollesen, a member of Goldberg’s ground-breaking New Klezmer Trio, and pianist Myra Melford winner of the 2012 Alpert Award in the Arts for Music and YBCA’s Artist in Residence.

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