The Doek Festival celebrates the 70th birthday of reeds player/composer Anthony Braxton, who will perform with a 20-piece ensemble featuring members of the Doek collective and Braxton’s Tri-Centric Foundation.

On the exact day of his 70th birthday the Doek Festival presents several of Anthony Braxton’s great compositions, for tentet and the full 20-piece ensemble including Braxton himself, musicians of his Tri-Centric Foundation and 10 musicians associated with the Doek collective. Prior to the concert, cornet player and Braxton adept Taylor Ho Bynum will give a lecture on Braxton’s unique musical systems, with poetic names such as Ghost Trance Music, Diamond Curtain Wall Music, Falling River Music and Echo Echo Mirror House.

DOEK FESTIVAL 2015

DOEK MEETS TRI-CENTRIC: IMPROVISATION & COMPOSITION

This year the musicians of the Amsterdam musician’s collective Doek join forces with like-minded musicians of the Tri-Centric Foundation from New York, for a festival dedicated to two of the most influential composers/improvisers, American reeds player Anthony Braxton and Dutch pianist Misha Mengelberg. Braxton will perform with a 20-piece ensemble, among others.

The 13th Doek Festival investigates the area between composition and improvisation from the perspective of Anthony Braxton’s musical systems on the one hand and Misha Mengelberg’s ‘instant composing’ on the other. Both composers celebrate their birthday during the festival: Braxton will turn 70 and Mengelberg 80.

Anthony Braxton will attend with a group of 10 musicians who are known to perform his challenging scores very well. Doek will also bring in a group of 10 musicians including the 6 core members of the collective. Each of these musicians cannot be categorized, like Braxton himself who has said: ‘I know I’m an African-American, and I know I play the saxophone, but I’m not a jazz musician. I’m not a classical musician, either. My music is like my life: It’s in between these areas.’

Saxophonist, clarinet player and composer Anthony Braxton is highly esteemed in the creative music community for the revolutionary quality of his work. Drawing upon a disparate mix of influences from John Coltrane to Karlheinz Stockhausen to Native American music, Braxton has created a unique musical system. His Tri-Centric Foundation provides mentorship and inspiration to younger musicians. The name Tri-Centric indicates that, according to Braxton, creative thinking cannot be reduced to dichotomies, but must embrace multiple perspectives.

Before the concert: Taylor Ho Bynum, Mary Halorson & James Fei discuss Anthony Braxton’s influence on their music.

Click here for a background article about Doek Festival by jazz journalist Vera Vingerhoeds.

The Bimhuis restaurant is open prior to the concert from 6 til 8.30PM (reservations via 020-7882158). After the concert, the Bimhuis Café is open (free entrance).

DOEK MEETS TRI-CENTRIC
Anthony Braxton 70: Transatlantic Encounters
Anthony Braxton, Michael Moore sax/klarinet, Ingrid Laubrock sopraan-/tenorsax, John Dikeman tenor-/baritonsax, James Fei sax/elektronica, Taylor Ho Bynum, Eric Boeren cornet, Vincent Chancey hoorn, Nate Wooley trompet, Wolter Wierbos trombone, Mary Halvorson gitaar, Brandon Seabrook gitaar/banjo, Mary Oliver (alt)viool, Kaja Draksler piano, Oscar Jan Hoogland piano/clavichord, Tomeka Reid cello, Carl Testa bas/ elektronica, Wilbert de Joode bas, Onno Govaert, Michael Vatcher drums