Wild Up, in partnership with Sierra Madre Playhouse, continues its L.A. Composer Series with a program that brings together four local musicians who will co-devise a new concert-length work on stage in real time.
Andrew Tholl, violin; Vicki Ray, piano; Marlon Martinez, bass; and Brian Walsh, clarinet and saxophone are all composers and improvisors who combine traditional music notation with improvisation “to create a new work grounded in the moment,” according to organizers of the concert set for 8 p.m. Oct. 10 at Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd.
This upcoming sonic adventure is part of Wild Up’s series that spotlights living composers working in the Los Angeles area.
Tholl is a violinist, composer and improvisor known for “genre-blurring work” combining the visceral with the experimental, spanning contemporary classical music, experimental rock and pop, improvisation, film, dance and theater, organizers said. “His work explores the passage of time, the physicality of performance, noise, nostalgia, and memory. Tholl’s style is heavily informed by a synthesis of musical influences, the integration of improvisation, and a practice-led methodology.”
Ray is a Grammy-nominated pianist, improviser and composer who has long-championed new music, commissioning and premiering many new works by leading composers. A founding member of Piano Spheres and head of keyboard studies at the California Institute of the Arts, Ray has appeared on numerous international festivals and was a regular faculty member at the Bang On a Can Summer Festival at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art.
Organizers described Martinez as “a young virtuoso bassist and composer emerging at the center of the resurgent Los Angeles jazz scene, who has toured with a wide range of artists, from rock icon Stewart Copeland to the classical trailblazer Quatuor Ebène.” Martinez is a protégé of renowned jazz-fusion bass player Stanley Clarke, and he also studied with legendary jazz bassist Ron Carter. Martinez leads the Marlonius Jazz Orchestra.
Walsh is fluent in numerous musical styles, specializes in performance on the clarinet and bass clarinet, according to concert organizers. He performs with a range of groups that include Inauthentica, The New Century Players, The Industrial Jazz Group, PLOTZ!, The Doug McDonald Brass and Woodwind Coalition and the Vinny Golia Large Ensemble. He also leads the Walsh Set Trio, a jazz group that performs his original compositions.
Tickets cost $12-$35. For more information, call 626-355-4318 or visit sierramadreplayhouse.org.
