DENVER - Two acclaimed figures in contemporary improvised music will take the stage at the Old School Baptist Church in Denver Saturday, June 20, for a performance that pays tribute to jazz innovators Abdul Wadud and Julius Hemphill.
Cellist Tomeka Reid, a 2022 MacArthur Fellow, will perform with multi-instrumentalist Marty Ehrlich in a concert centered on improvisation and the enduring influence of two artists who expanded the possibilities of creative music in the 1970s and 1980s.
Reid has emerged as one of the leading voices in modern improvised music, known for blending lyrical melodies with rhythmic complexity. She leads the Tomeka Reid Quartet and the Tomeka Reid Stringtet and has collaborated with artists including Anthony Braxton, Roscoe Mitchell, Nicole Mitchell, Craig Taborn and Dave Douglas.
Ehrlich, a saxophonist, clarinetist and flutist, has been a prominent figure in New York City’s avant-garde jazz community for more than three decades. As a composer and bandleader, he has released 25 recordings and worked with artists including Anthony Braxton, Andrew Hill, Myra Melford, Wadada Leo Smith and John Zorn. He has also performed with major orchestras and dance companies and currently teaches jazz and contemporary music at Hampshire College.
The program honors the legacy of Wadud, who helped establish the cello as a significant voice in avant-garde jazz, and Hemphill, a celebrated composer and founding member of the World Saxophone Quartet. Their collaborations challenged traditional boundaries between composition and improvisation and continue to influence generations of musicians.
The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Old School Baptist Church, located at the intersection of County Road 36 and Cartwright Road in Denver.
Tickets are $12, $21 or $28. Admission is free for children age 16 and younger.
For information or tickets visit roxburyartsgroup.org or call 607-326-7908.
