Monday, February 20, 2017

The Bleeding Edge: 2/20/2017

Most of this week’s action seems to be taking place at the Center for New Music (C4NM). Since C4NM does not seem to have put out a dispatch for the month, it looks like I am handling activities there on a weekly basis, courtesy of the calendar service provided by BayImproviser. Curiously, it looks as if things will be quiet at the Luggage Store Gallery this week; but Outsound Presents will still be offering one of its Sunday SIMM (static illusion methodical madness) Series concerts. Here is the rundown for the week as it currently stands:

Wednesday, February 22, 8 p.m., Peacock Lounge: Second Act is offering a satellite show at a different venue in the Lower Haight. Programming will still involve intense performances that are not for the faint of heart. Dror Feiler, born in Tel Aviv and currently working in Stockholm (was he the one Trump had in mind?), will be the chief provider of decibels with both solo saxophone work and in a second set shared with Black Spirituals. The other two sets of the evening will be taken by Derek Gedalecia performing as Headboggle and the >XTINGUISHER> DUO of Zoe Stiller and BG Anaraki.

The Peacock Lounge is located at 552 Haight Street. Like most Second Act events, doors will open at 7:45. Admission will be $5 but only for those aged 21 or older.

Thursday, February 23, 8 p.m., C4NM: The PRISM series, curated by Julia Ogrydziak, will present a performance of “Bhajan,” a four-movement composition for electric violin (Robin Lorentz) and live electronics (provided by composer Nicholas Chase). This will be the music’s first presentation following its world premiere in Los Angeles, and the performance will be followed by a Q&A with both performers. C4NM is located at 55 Taylor Street, about half a block north of where Golden Gave Avenue meets Market Street. General admission will be $15 with a $10 rate for C4NM members. Both levels of tickets may be purchased in advance online through a Vendini event page.

Friday, February 24, 8 p.m., C4NM: Kyle Bruckmann will curate the next installment in the sfSoundSalonSeries. This will be a visit by Baltimore-based composer David Smooke marking the release of his solo album Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death. He will perform compositions from that album for toy piano and electronics. He will then improvise with Ken Ueno (voice) and Matt Ingals (clarinets and contrabass garden hose). Admission prices will again be $15 and $10 with advance purchase through a Vendini event page.

Saturday, February 25, 8 p.m., C4NM: Mark Alburger is continuing his Opus Project series of concerts, each of which consists of compositions with the same opus number. The opus number for the program he prepared for the end of last month was 49, and this month he moves on to 50. This time the earliest work on the program will be by Anton Arensky (1900); and the most recent will be Alburger’s own “L.A. Stories,” composed in 1994. General admission will again be $15, and the $10 rate will apply to seniors and students, as well as C4NM members. Tickets will be available for advance purchase online through a Vendini event page.

Sunday, February 26, 4 p.m., Old First Presbyterian Church: Old First Concerts will present the Bernal Hill Players celebrating the release of their new CD Neighborhoods of Mexico City with a program entitled Music of Two Cities. The composers representing San Francisco will be Erik Pearson (“Inner Postcards from San Francisco,” composed in 2010) and Katrina Wreede (“Episodes at China Basin,” composed in 2011). The Mexico City composers will be Gabriela Ortiz (“Tepito” from 2015) and Eduardo Gamboa (“Mixcoac” from 2012). The program will also include “Incident at Neshabur,” composed jointly by Carlos Santana and Alberto Gianquinto in 1970. The performers will be Jennifer Peringer (piano), Martha Rodriguez-Salazar (flute), Sarah Bonomo (clarinet), and Samsun van Loon (cello).

The Old First Presbyterian Church is located at 1751 Sacramento Street on the southeast corner of Van Ness Boulevard. General admission will be $20 with discounted rates of $17 for seniors and $5 or full-time students showing valid identification. Children aged twelve and under will still be admitted for free. In addition there is a $2 discount for tickets purchased online in advance from the event page for this concert on the Old First Concerts Web site. There is also a discount available for those parking at the Old First Parking Garage at 1725 Sacramento Street, just up the street for the church.

Sunday, February 26, 7:30 p.m., The Musicians Union Hall: The next SIMM Series concert will follow the usual format of two sets, each somewhat less than an hour in duration. The first set will be taken by the James Washington Quartet, led by Washington at the piano. Steven Faivus will play alto saxophone, and rhythm will be provided by Rob Bassinette on bass and Carl Hofmn on drums. This group will be followed by the Matt Renzi Trio with Renzi playing saxophone, oboe, and English horn. He will be joined by Lisa Mezzacappa on bass and Jason Levis on drums. The Musicians Union Hall is located at 116 9th Street, near the corner of Mission Street. Admission is on a sliding scale between $10 and $15.

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