I'm thinking of my friend Lou Harrison on his birthday today, pictured here giving me some dampening instructions during the recording of his "Solo for Anthony Cirone" for just toned tenor bells, in his living room AKA "The Ives Room"
I'm thinking of MTT and being a part of this incredible and memorable show that Michael had programmed during his first year with the SF Symphony and the after-party at his pad where we talked about how he would practice conducting to the music of James Brown to help his sense of time and groove. Totally great musician❤️
Performance by Zeena Parkins & William Winant
Saturday, May 9, 2026
7:30 p.m. (Doors open a 7:00 p.m.)
By Donation (Suggested $15 - $35)
Tickets via link in bio.
Western Front is pleased to present a concert by composer, harpist, and improviser Zeena Parkins, with her close collaborator, percussionist William Winant. Together they will perform work from Parkins’s album 𝘔𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 (Tzadik Records, 2025).
Composed by Parkins for harp, percussion, and electronics, 𝘔𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 pays tribute to American visual artist Jay DeFeo and her series 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘗𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘞𝘪𝘴𝘥𝘰𝘮 (1989). These drawings iterate a seven-sided shape derived from a pink cup gifted to DeFeo by sculptor Ron Nagle, rendered in charcoal and metallic powder to create a meditative field of mysterious power. This central form becomes the conceptual core of Parkins’s composition, providing a framework for its line, rhythm, texture, and form.
@zpribbon@steakatto
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Image: Album cover of Zeena Parkins, 𝘔𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 (Tzadik Records, 2025).
Final sold out show of my little tour, playing John Zorn's COBRA with all these amazing musicians pictured here at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee. Including folks like Wendy Eisenberg,Dave Lombardo, Ikue Mori, Chess Smith, John Medeski, Sae Hashimoto, Jay Campbell, and Simon Haines. Other sold-out shows on tour were with Zeena Parkins and Bill Orcutt.
For the bonus Bill Orcutt night at Roulette on March 22, 2026, I'm going out of order, starting with a very special magical performance of Zeena Parkins and William Winant duo.
Just before posting, I realized the music was from their recently released album called Modesty of the Magic Thing. Didn't I mention it was magical?
The closing act of Bill Orcutt at Roulette, March 21, 2026, was a superproject, The Four Louies, where Richard Berry's Louie Louie meets Steve Reich's Four Organs, hence the name. Except for this live performance, the group included six organs, but also two guitars, two drumsets, an electric bass, a noise table, and maracas. There were several performers from both nights, plus members of Gumby’s Junk, Pateka, and a few other West Coast and New York musicians. The result was a massive drone-like sound avalanche sustained for a good twenty minutes of groove.
