$15 Cover @ the Door / Start 8pm / Doors 7pm / Seated Show
Notable, leading-edge musicians!
Each is a leader.
Each has played in Boston, now together for the first time here, just completing a recording
William Hooker, Drums, Composer, Educator
Kirk Knuffke, Cornet, Composer, Educator
Two very significant musicians from New York’s downtown scene – and beyond—internationally—global
William Hooker
"William knows no genre bounds and ceaselessly searches for new forms of music, always with the intent to inspire. " - New York City Jazz Record
Hooker was born in New Britain, Connecticut, on June 18, 1946. He began to play the drums at the age of 12. In high school, he played in a rock band, then switched to jazz. After graduating from Central Connecticut College, Hooker moved to California and became interested in free jazz Hooker moved to New York in the mid-1970s and was part of the loft scene, playing with musicians such as saxophonists David Murray and David S. Ware. His first recording as a leader was in 1976. His music was too radical to be commercially successful, and Hooker took other jobs to earn a living. This changed after he received praise for a 1988 recording, and he made frequent appearances at the Knitting Factory from early the following decade. Hooker was a founding member of the Text of Light, a musician's collective that released seven albums between 2004 and 2010.
William has led several bands, including a drums–trumpet–saxophone trio and an organ trio. They usually do not feature a bass, "because of the intensity and volume of his drumming". He has also been the drummer in duos with guitarists, including Elliott Sharp and Thurston Moore. Hooker's playing and recordings have embraced a wide range and combination of musics, including free jazz, noise rock, electronics, contemporary classical, and experimental electronic.
William Hooker's body of uninterrupted work beginning in the mid-seventies defines him as one of the most important composers and players in jazz. As bandleader, Hooker has fielded ensembles in an incredibly diverse array of configurations. Each collaboration has brought a serious investigation of his compositional agenda and the science of the modern drum kit.
His work is frequently grounded in a narrative context. Whether set against a silent film or anchored by a poetic theme, Hooker brings dramatic tension and human warmth to avant-garde jazz.
His ability to find fertile ground for moving music in a variety of settings that obliterate genre distinctions offers a much-needed statement of social optimism in the arts." Thomas Stanley.
William has created works that range from jazz and "new" music to experimental genres. He has released over 70 CDs as a leader. Mr. Hooker has performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Edgefest Jazz Festival, The Vision Festival, The David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center, The Wadsworth Atheneum, Queen Elizabeth Hall, The Walker Art Center,the first on MTV, The Kitchen, Roulette, Real Art Ways. He has also presented his work at the JVC Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, Vancouver Jazz Festival, CMJ Music Festival,Vilnius Jazz Festival, Experimenta Argentina,The Knitting Factory and the Victoriaville Music Festival.
Hooker has received commissions and support from the New York State Council on the Arts,Meet the Composer,Tokio Marine Insurance Company, Colleges and Universities such as Oberlin, Fordham, Columbia,New York University, Boston University, Princeton, Dartmouth, Yale and many more. Accompanying musicians have included Billy Bang, David Ware, William Parker, Thurston Moore, David Soldier, Roy Campbell, DJ Spooky, Steven Bernstein, Zeena Parkins, Lee Ranaldo, Jason Hwang, Sabir Mateen, Elliot Sharpe, David Murray, Ted Daniel, JD Parren and many more.
Kirk Knuffke
“One of modern jazz’s most skilled navigators of the divide between inside and outside, freedom and swing," Cornetist and Composer Kirk Knuffke has “full command of his most demanding instrument” - All About Jazz
“Cornetist Kirk Knuffke harbors a dual commitment to formal
experimentation and bedrock tradition: There’s no either-or” - New York Times
“Over the last couple years, New York trumpeter Kirk Knuffke has
quietly emerged as one of the most exciting and flexible hornmen on
the scene.” - Peter Margasak, DownBeat
Originally from Colorado, self-taught Knuffke—also having private lessons from Ron Miles—began playing with Butch Morris after landing in NYC in 2005. This friendship resulted in 4 recordings and several European tours. Knuffke then joined the celebrated Matt Wilson Quartet in 2009, recording Gathering Call (Palmetto) featuring John Medeski. He also currently performs with Allison Miller’s Boom Tic Boom, Sifter with Mary Halvorson and Wilson,
and groups led by Charlie Hunter, Ben Allison, Ray Anderson, Mark Helias, Bill Goodwin, Karl Berger, Michael Bisio and Ted Brown.
Accolades for Knuffke include NPR’s Best Jazz Album of the Year for 2017’s Cherryco (SteepleChase),winner of DownBeat Magazine’s “Rising Star” critics poll in 2015, and recipient of the Jerome Foundation Composers grant. In 2016, he placed 2nd in the European El Intruso Critics poll for trumpet.
Knuffke has released 18 recordings as leader or co-leader and is featured as a sideman on over 50 recordings with leaders Matt Wilson, Allison Miller, Butch Morris, Uri Caine, Pierre Dorge and Michael Formanek to name a few. It’s no wonder the New York Times tagged Knuffke as “one of New York City’s Busiest Musicians.”
His 2015 release Arms and Hands (Royal Potato Family) garnered praise from every major jazz publication, 4 Stars in DownBeat Magazine and a write-up in TheSunday New York Times. Feature articles in DownBeat and JazzTimes have spotlighted Knuffke’s unique talent.
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