November 26, 2017

Special Sunday night event: Stephen Dorocke and Bison Bison. Sound by Jon Monteverde.

Bassist and Chicago native Nick Macri has careened in an out of various musical situations over the years from creative group settings and notable sideman gigs to theater work and solo excursions. He is/was a contributing member to many varied groups, including Ken Vandermark’s Audio One, instrumental explorers Euphone (Jade Tree) and Heroic Doses (Sub Pop), art-pop quartet The Zincs (Thrill Jockey), the pastoral psych-folk of The Horse's Ha (with Janet Bean and James Elkington), and instrumental trio Stirrup with Fred Lonberg-Holm & Charles Rumback, (Clean Feed). He has also performed and toured as a sideman and recorded sessions with an eclectic list of artists, including Laetitia Sadier (Stereolab), Ken Vandermark, Mark Eitzel (American Music Club), Jeremy Enigk (Sunny Day Real Estate), Nina Nastasia, Azita, Bobby Conn, Lanterna, Tim Kinsella (Friend/Enemy), The Lonesome Organist, James Elkington & Nathan Salsburg, Wanees Zarour's Middle East Music Ensemble, Bruce Licher (Savage Republic, Scenic), Tara Jane O'Neil, and Hector Zazou. He has performed across Europe, Asia, South America, and North America, including concerts at Saalfelden Jazz Festival (Austria), Festival de Musique Actuelle (Montreal), Reading Festival and Leeds Festival (U.K.), World Music Festival Chicago, All Tomorrow's Parties (U.K.), the London Institute of Contemporary Arts, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Logan Center and the Pritzker Pavilion (Chicago).

Stephen Dorocke/Risofon is the ongoing sonic research and exploration utilizing the "Resophone," a modified and sometimes prepared metal body resonator guitar, set up for playing with a steel. Sonically adventurous at a young age, thanks to the presence of a short wave radio in the family home, Dorocke continues the exploratory traditions of artists such as Sun Ra, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Harry Bertoia, Egisto Macchi,and Harry Partch, as well as Derek Bailey, Freddie Roulette, and Ry Cooder from a guitaristic standpoint. The worldly and cosmic sounds that surround us also influence the sonic componentry of the Resophonian Dialect. Stephen has toured, performed, and recorded with various artists, such as Can.Ky.Ree, The Lofty Pillars, The Handsome Family and Freakwater, playing steel guitar (pedal and lap), guitar, violin, mandola/mandolin, and d'oud, a self-designed/built oud variant.

This duo performance was an improvised set focusing on some of the more subtle timbres/textures available within the metallic and wood environments of the Resophone and the "Bull Fiddle," also known as an upright acoustic bass.  

Also available: previous Stephen Dorocke Transistor performances from:
January 8, 2016 (as Trenchalant)
February 13, 2015 (with Joe Adamik)

A recently formed group, Bison Bison explores collective improvisation and nontraditional forms, in addition to melodic compositions inspired by the work of Paul Motian. 

Personnel:
Wills McKenna - tenor sax, compositions
Ishmael Ali - guitar, compositions
Mike Harmon - double bass
Matt Carroll - drum set

Bison Bison performed a set of music with compositions by WIlls McKenna and Ishmael Ali.

Genre: free jazz
Link: Soundcloud          

Also available: previous Ishmael Ali Transistor performances from:
November 13, 2015 (as Dawá)
August 15, 2015 (as Ali/Humphreys Duo)
April 10, 2015 (as Zebec)
November 21, 2014 (as Zebec)