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Jodi Gilbert’s Rara Avis & The Voice is the Matter

Singer and vocal artist Jodi Gilbert is the connection between these improvising ensembles.

Jodi Gilbert is a mainstay in Amsterdam’s improvised music scene, as a vocalist in formations such as All Ellington and Spoon 3. Born in California, she was trained as a dancer, singer, and actress. In New York she collaborated with, among others, Meredith Monk, and in The Netherlands with the likes of Orkater and ICP Orchestra. In this double concert she will take part in two groups: Rara Avis and The Voice Is the Matter.

Rara Avis is, like the name implies, a rare and wonderfully strange world of transparent sounds and universally poetic texts that fly like a bird through the soundscape. Rara Avis (Rare Bird) consists of a pianist who loves the simplicity of the struck chord and the sustaining note, but does not shy away from a driving rhythmic pulse; a classically trained violinist venturing in a world of the open sounds and feelings; and a vocalist who is known for imaginative expressive acrobatics as well as pure melodic association with the ability to express through sound and text.

The Voice Is the Matter presents a diverse mixture of styles. Whimsical vocal improvisations, associative sound poetry, Slavic and Celtic folk melodies, unadulterated jazz and moving melodies composed by Michael Moore. What connects this diversity is a personal and emotional relation to the music, which creates an intimate sphere for the listener. The result can be both eclectic and accessible.

Rara Avis:
Jodi Gilbert vocals, Tineke de Jong violin, Albert van Veenendaal prepared piano

The Voice is the Matter
Jodi Gilbert vocals/dulcimer, Michael Moore clarinet, bass clarinet, alt sax, Kristján Tryggvi Martinsson piano, accordion, Omer Govreen bass