Thursday, July 6, 2023 - 8:00pm

Devin Gray:

"An amazing percussionist, Gray’s stunningly detailed playing sounds like a cross between Fritz Hauser and Roy Haynes." – All About Jazz

Brooklyn-Berlin based drummer-composer Devin Gray made his widely lauded leader debut in 2012 with the release Dirigo Rataplan , which included a crew of heavyweight veterans Ellery Eskelin, Michael Formanek and Dave Ballou. JazzTimes said that Gray’s debut represented “the work of a young artist who knows who he is.” Free Jazz blog encapsulated the album this way: “…one of the best debut albums in years.” In 2015 Gray released Relative Resonance , a band of close New York associates: Chris Speed , Kris Davis and Chris Tordini. All About Jazz noted “ ...the questing, inquisitive, risky nature of the compositions is no less bracing than Anthony Braxton's finest work. ” In 2018 Gray reconvened his all-star gro up for Dirigo Rataplan II , with the establishment of the record label Rataplan Records. The album shines with rich harmony, and earworm melodies . Fans from Alice Coltrane and Henry Threadgill to Dave Holland and Craig Taborn will dig this organic, engrossing mix of composition and improvisation.

Now in 2023 he gives us Most Definitely , a first showcase of his solo performances. Years of bandleading and sideman experiences have led to his growth as a continually forward thinking creative artist. This music is far from a standard solo project, offering a full length adventure of vision from an artist committed to his craft’s propulsion. He has performed and recorded with saxophonists David Liebman and Gary Thomas, and recently (2021) released a trio with the politically charged title Melt all the Guns , featuring Ralph Alessi and Angelica Sanchez . Other collaborations include the 2020 release of 27 Licks , a long standing duet with close friend and master drummer Gerald Cleaver. Recent global appearances have been with Sylvie Courvoisier's trio with Drew Gress at the Berlin Jazz Festival, a new project with Tim Berne and Michael Formanek , and a trio with Zoh Amba and Micah Thomas. As a sideman Gray has worked with Nate Wooley , Tony Malaby, Andrea Parkins, Satoko Fujii, Marc Ducret, and Eve Risser among many more.

TR7/Julius Masri/Pete Dennis:

Taji Ra'oof Nahl aka TR7 is an American interdisciplinary artist whose vocabulary delves into social commentary via historical & futurist aesthetic. Installation, video, performance , soundscapes, sculpture, painting, are utilities that embodies poetic & abstract narrative for his oeuvre.

Julius Masri is a Philadelphia based multi instrumentalist, and performer/composer for the city's dance community at large. His music focuses on improvisatory methods and syncretic / linguistic exchanges within various musical languages including Jazz, Metal, AfroCuban, Experimental Noise, and Arabic music. Born in Tripoli, Lebanon, he moved to the States in 1990 and picked up drumming a year later. He studied with Philadelphia instructors Carl Mottola, Elaine Hoffman-Watts, and as an undergraduate at Bard College, with AACM's Thurman Barker, Richard Teitelbaum, and Joan Tower. Julius plays drums, circuit modified Casio keyboards, Oud, Kamancheh (aka Rabab, Spike Fiddle), and various other instruments. He currently performs in groups such as grind/crust metal band Night Raids, free jazz groups Sirius Juju and Dromedaries, trombone and synth duo Superlith, and more. He has performed with Henry Grimes, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Thurman Barker and members of the Sun Ra Arkestra. Festivals performed include Sonic Circuits DC (2013, 2016), High Zero Baltimore (2016), Maryland DeathFest (2015, 2017), Shadow Woods Metal Festival(2017), The Outsiders Improvised & Creative Music Festival (2016, 2018). Julius is a recipient of a 2022 Yaddo Fellowship for composition, the 2022 university of the arts creative research and innovation grant, and project funding via pew center for arts & heritage, as well as Swarthmore college and the Andrew W. Mellon foundation.

Pete Dennis (he/they) is a bassist, composer, improviser, visual artist and teacher. After growing up in Richmond, Virginia, he moved to Philadelphia where he has been inspired by the creative music and art of his vibrant community. Other inspirations include his teacher William Parker, his partner Abigail Swoboda, and the fine vibrations of the sacred sound. In 2019, Dennis released his first two recordings, Killing a Dixie Hummingbird and Look at My Roses, under his main project name Search for the Infinite Light. Since then has continued to release music under this moniker, and with the ensemble 99 Futures. Dennis considers himself fortunate to create with many close friends and collaborators in bands such as Mitamu and Deliriant. He believes that sound is the foundation of healing and wants to acknowledge all master improvisors of the past and present, we stand on the shoulders of giants.

tr7