An evening of powerhouse big-band energy, outsider jazz, experimental Arab world folk and sonic loops.
Influential American singer, songwriter and visual artist Lonnie Holley headlines the evening, performing with his ten-piece band, comprised of contemporary soul masters Mourning [A] BLKstar and guitarist Lee Bains III. Together they initiate an intergenerational and cross-genre cultural conversation in song.
Afrofuturist collective Mourning [A] BLKstar meld live instrumentation, soulful vocals and hip-hop beats in songs of eulogy and revolution. FFor their independent set, expect chopped-up drums, historic sample pulls and melodic storytelling that speaks to a 21st-century Black consciousness in the United States.
Local musician Hilary Geddes brings big-band swagger to the proceedings with her distinguished quartet, comprised of Sydney’s next generation of jazz stars: Maximillian Alduca (double bass), Matt Harris (piano) and Alexander Inman-Hislop (drums).
In the Tank, Australia’s own 21st-century Arabic songsmiths Maissa Alameddine and Hamed Sadeghi perform ‘The long goodbye’ – a riff on folk music from their respective homelands, Lebanon and Iran, filtered through narratives spun from their daily lives in Sydney.
For his Australian solo debut, American post-rock icon Jeff Parker (Tortoise) fills the Tank with sublime soul jazz and extended guitar techniques. A virtuosic instrumentalist, Parker coaxes guitar loops, sampled beats and live improvisations into transcendent sonic landscapes.
Projections by legendary Ukrainian-born experimental filmmaker Maya Deren offer images of dreams, dance and ritual that echo the evening’s sonic loops. Also on the big screen, films by Lebanese–Australian artist Marian Abboud and Wiradjuri dancer Vicki Van Hout explore displacement, history and heritage, while Tahlia Palmer’s large-scale projections reanimate cultural knowledge.
Visitors can also experience the world premiere of a new noise jazz score by acclaimed American composer Lea Bertucci, as well as a looping new score by Berlin-based Kenyan ambient musician KMRU. Expect pounding long-form sonics that soundtrack memories of his Nairobi childhood home.
Date and time:
Thursday 28 September 2023, 7–11pm
Location
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Art Gallery Road, The Domain, Sydney
NSW, Australia
Tickets:
$155 general
$145 concession
$140 member