Wednesday, May 1, 2013 - 8:00pm
Craig Taborn Trio
ECM Records release celebration
Craig Taborn, piano
Thomas Morgan, bass
Gerald Cleaver, drums
Ars Nova Workshop presents the Philadelphia debut of this trio led by the pianist Craig Taborn featuring the bassist Thomas Morgan and the drummer Gerald Cleaver.
“If there’s any danger that his music is going to harden into one specific thing — a style, even of his own — he seems to go the other way,” writes The New York Times about Craig Taborn. “He destabilizes any traditional framing idea — of a set, of a song, of a chorus — but with the assurance of a really good frame builder.”
The New York City pianist Craig Taborn has worked with Roscoe Mitchell, Tim Berne, Dave Douglas, Steve Coleman, and many others. Among his recent recordings are three excellent ECM albums: Roscoe Mitchell and the Note Factory's Far Side (2010), Taborn's solo piano album Avenging Angel (2011) and the Michael Formanek Quartet's Small Places (2012).
Gerald Cleaver, the drummer for the trio, has worked with Taborn in numerous configurations, including in trios with William Parker and Lotte Anker, and in the Michael Formanek Quartet. Cleaver has also worked with Mario Pavone, Matthew Shipp and Jemeel Moondoc, and leads the Gerald Cleaver Group with Jean Carla Rodea, Andrew Bishop, Dave Ballou and Michael Formanek. The bassist Thomas Morgan has worked with Paul Motian, Masabumi Kikuchi, Jim Black, Bill Frisell and Lee Konitz.
Ars Nova Workshop is a Philadelphia nonprofit jazz and experimental music presenting organization. As a facilitator between artists and their audiences, Ars Nova Workshop works to inform, inspire and challenge listeners in order to elevate the role of jazz, improvisation and experimental music in contemporary culture.