June 24 @ 8:30 PM

The Black Whole

Walter Kemp III - Keys
Scott Tixier - Violin
Brent Birckhead - Saxes
Rishon Odel - Bass
Allan Mednard - Drums

Through an eclectic assemblage of touring collaborators and kinfolk, “The Black Whole” seamlessly reconnects jazz to its freer ancestral roots, while consciously and simultaneously working to uproot it through diverse sonic exchanges, instrumental interplay, and contemporary juxtapositions. Viscount-endorsed pianist and composer Walter Kemp 3 set out to explore this concept, pushing the boundaries of sound, and bringing with it a sense of cosmic freewheeling. Kemp, on piano, Rhodes, and Viscount organ, GRAMMY award-winning improvisational violinist Scott Tixier, maverick woodwind master Brent Birckhead on alto sax, clarinet and flute, bass prodigy Rishon Odel and Allan Mednard, a NYC fixture on the percussion scene, add tonal richness to the group’s cultural deconstructivist musical approach.

When do we hear silence, and what should a “sound” sound like? Who mandates freedoms within the form, and when doesrecapitulation create something new? These, and other questions are the impetus for the Black Whole. Immediately following its debut, sold-out festival appearance, this intensely dynamic ensemble was awarded a grant from the NYC Foundation for Contemporary Arts.