duo B. Experimental Band
The duo B. Experimental Band, co-led by bassist Lisa Mezzacappa and drummer Jason Levis, explores the rich terrain where composition and improvisation meet. The 13-to-15-piece ensemble, which has a core personnel that varies slightly from performance to performance, was founded in December 2018, and performs every-other-month at Temescal Arts Center in Oakland as part of the Do-Over Music Series. Repertoire has included long-form compositions by Levis and Mezzacappa, conducted improvisations, graphic scores, and this fall, an evening-length version of the Art Ensemble of Chicago’s People in Sorrow, performed at the SF Music Day 2019 festival. This December the ensemble celebrated its first birthday with a continuous 4-hour concert installation.
The dBxB continues its explorations of the music of our heroes, with an extended workshop period and concert of the music of visionary composer Anthony Braxton, part of a series of international events in the Braxton75 initiative of the Tri-centric Foundation.
The concert is Saturday February 2, 2020 at Temescal Arts Center, and we will be led by guest director, Santa Fe saxophonist Chris Jonas.
So far the band has included this illustrious cast of Bay Area improvisers:
Kyle Bruckmann, oboes
Polly Moller Springhorn, flutes
Matt Ingalls, clarinets
Bruce Ackley, saxophones
Phillip Greenlief, alto saxophone
Josh Marshall, tenor saxophone
David Boyce, tenor saxophone
Cory Wright, saxophones and clarinets
Randy McKean, saxophones and clarinets
Theo Padouvas, trumpet
Henry Hung, trumpet
Brendan Lai-Tong, trombone
Rob Ewing, trombone
Ron Ewing, trombone
Allan Williams, trombone
Gabby Fluke-Mogul, violin
Murray Campbell, violin and oboe
Julie Michael, viola
Crystal Pascucci, cello
Shanna Sordahl, cello
Nava Dunkelman, percussion
Kjell Nordeson, percussion
John Finkbeiner, guitar
Karl Evangelista, guitar
Erika Oba, piano
Lee Hodel, bass
Lisa Mezzacappa, bass
Jason Levis, drums
The duo B. Experimental Band plays the Art Ensemble of Chicago's People in Sorrow at SF Music Day 2019:
21' Live at Temescal Arts Center, Oakland CA:
dBxB#1 Live at Temescal Arts Center, Oakland CA:
The duo B. Experimental Band alternates months with the JORDAN GLENN PARTY as part of the monthly DO-OVER Music Series. Every first Saturday (pretty much), starting in 2019, East Bay musicians Jordan Glenn and Lisa Mezzacappa host a performance series featuring exploratory music for large(r) ensembles, alternating each month between two featured groups. Each night also features solo and/or duo sets by local and visiting artists, focusing on works-in-progress, new collaborations, and first forays into intermedia, installation and durational works. DO-OVER is a place for experimentation, impracticality, and glorious failure—not necessarily a series for pre-existing bands or established projects—that encourages members of the Bay Area music community to embrace discomfort and explore new practices in a supportive environment, holding on to the artistic values that have always made this scene so special.
