Photo by David C. Sampson

Tonight, starting at 10:00 p.m., clarinetist/composer James Falzone will play two sets of improvised music at Elastic in Chicago.

The first set will feature his new duo with saxophonist Dave Rempis, and the second set will feature what he informally calls his Early Music Ensemble (they improvise on medieval Ambrosian chants) with bass clarinetist Jason Stein and cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm.

“The duo pairs him with reedist Dave Rempis,” writes Neil Tesser in his preview of the gig for Examiner.com, ”who concentrates on baritone sax for this collaboration. I caught their debut about a month ago at Myopic Books in Wicker Park, and I recommend it highly: post-freedom improv, but redolent with echoes of the Duke Ellington reedmen Jimmy Hamilton and Harry Carney. They hit at 10 PM; the second set (around 11) features Falzone with bass clarinetist Jason Stein and cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm. Expect their unique sensibilities to offset and extend the bosky monochrome of the instrumentation.”

Learn more about James Falzone, a Clarinetist of the Year nominee at the 2011 Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Awards, at http://allosmusica.org

Photo by Michael Jackson

Tonight at 7:30 p.m., clarinetist James Falzone and saxophonist Dave Rempis, two mainstays of Chicago’s improvised music community, will perform together as a duo for the first time at Myopic Books’ Experimental Music Mondays series.

“I have long admired Dave’s playing and have worked with him on a number of occasions, chiefly with Keefe Jackson’s Project Project,” Falzone explains. “But, he and I have not explored one another’s playing in a more intimate setting and this longstanding series provides the perfect opportunity to do so. We plan to indulge the extreme timbres of the baritone saxophone/Bb clarinet relationship in an all-improvised setting.”

Falzone will also perform this Saturday at Experimental Sound Studio‘s Outer Ear series where he’ll be presenting his innovative solo work, “Sighs Too Deep For Words”. The concert will be recorded for future release on his Allos Documents label.

Photo by Michael Jackson

Chicago-based clarinetist/composer James Falzone has two very different hometown concerts scheduled for March.

On Monday, March 14th at 7:30 p.m., Falzone and saxophonist Dave Rempis will perform together as a duo for the first time as part of the Experimental Music Mondays series at Myopic Books.

“I have long admired Dave’s playing and have worked with him on a number of occasions, chiefly with Keefe Jackson’s Project Project,” Falzone explains. “But, he and I have not explored one another’s playing in a more intimate setting and this longstanding series provides the perfect opportunity to do so. We plan to indulge the extreme timbres of the baritone saxophone/Bb clarinet relationship in an all-improvised setting.”

Later that same week, on Saturday, March 19th, the Outer Ear series at Experimental Sound Studio will present Falzone’s innovative solo work, “Sighs Too Deep For Words”, featuring clarinet, prepared clarinet, ritual bells and ambient sounds.

“I have developed this piece via performance over the past two years,” he recalls. “The title comes from words of St. Paul who used the phrase to describe the duality between the peace he believed his life could contain and the sorrow and brokenness he was often left with. It explores three fascinations I have in improvised music: attention to the moment, dialogue between the conscious and the subconscious self, and improvisation as a contemplative practice. While it is an improvised work, pre-thought is given to form and modality.”

He adds, “I’ll be recording this concert for future release on my Allos Documents label. Those in attendance will receive a free copy of the disc, which is tentatively scheduled for release in late 2011.”

Learn more about James Falzone and his many musical projects, including his forthcoming April release, Other Doors (Allos Documents), at http://allosmusica.org