Park Avenue Armory's Artists Studio Series Continues To Spotlight Legendary Collective AACM This Fall

The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, Inc. is continuing its year-long residency as part of Park Avenue Armory's Artists Studio series with four programs this fall. For nearly 60 years, this revolutionary collective of artists, musicians, and creators from a range of backgrounds have been blending art forms and pushing boundaries. Their body of work has achieved lasting significance across borders of musical genre and geography and plays a critical role in the ever-evolving process of music creation.

November 18th brings two of these programs to the historic rooms: at 3pm, scholar-composer George E. Lewis gives a lecture on the history of the AACM and its pivotal role in the development of American experimental music; and at 7pm and 9pm, Reggie Nicholson leads his percussion ensemble in performances of some of his recent works and world premieres for percussion ensemble, showcasing the group's formidable technique and considerable skill. On December 17th, pianist, vocalist, and composer Amina Claudine Myers invites singers to delve into the music with her as she leads a choral workshop from the piano. Finally, the AACM finishes out its residency on December 18th with a double bill featuring the International Contemporary Ensemble performing the works of George Lewis and Amina Claudine Myers Trio with special guest Richarda Abrams.

Presented in dialogue with the eclectic design of the Veterans Room and curated by MacArthur "Genius" Jason Moran, the Artists Studio features a range of contemporary performances across genres by artists who blur the lines of artistic categorization. Programs in the series include a diverse mix of artists and musicians whose practices emblematic of and expressly mirror the innovative spirit of the exceptional young artists present at the room's inception. Previous 2023 Artists Studio programs have included an AACM listening session with jazz composer Henry Threadgill and series curator Jason Moran in February as well as performances by versatile drummer and percussionist Thurman Barker and his quintet on a double bill with "musical power couple" (The New York Times) Adegoke Steve Colson and Iqua Colson, their Unity Troupe, and special guests Chico Freeman and Douglas R. Ewart.

FALL 2023 CALENDAR
ARTISTS STUDIO

The AACM: Power Stronger Than Itself
A talk by George E. Lewis

Founded on the virtually all-Black South Side of Chicago in 1965 and still active today, the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians has played an unusually prominent role in the development of American experimental music, exploring an unprecedented range of methodologies, processes, and media. Scholar-composer George E. Lewis, professor of music at Columbia University and an AACM member since 1971, presents an historical overview of the works of the famed collective.

Saturday, November 18, 2023 at 3:00pm
Board of Officers Room
Tickets: $15 (plus fees)

The Reggie Nicholson Percussion Concept

Reggie Nicholson's signature style and sound have made him one of the most inventive and inspirational drummers/percussionists of his generation, composing and improvising original music that showcases his formidable technique and considerable skill. He performs some of his recent works and world premieres for percussion ensemble, displaying his "exquisite splashes of color and unmetered cascades on the drums" (Chicago Tribune) with members of his ensemble, the Reggie Nicholson Percussion Ensemble, including Warren Smith, Bryan Carrott, Levy Lorenzo, Baba Don Eaton, and Ernest Dawkins.

Saturday, November 18 at 7:00pm
Veterans Room
Tickets: $45 (plus fees)

Amina Claudine Myers Choral Workshop

Prodigious pianist, organist, vocalist, composer, and improvisationist Amina Claudine Myers is a visionary in the areas of composition for vocal choirs and instrumental ensembles, composing a wide range of works that distinctly blend traditional influences from spiritual, gospel, and jazz, to extended forms and improvisations. The multi-talented trailblazer leads a vocal workshop for aspiring singers and the general public to perform some of her original compositions.

Vocal scores will be provided on site. Workshop participants will be assigned seating upon arrival based on voice part. Participants are encouraged to bring water and a pencil.

Sunday, December 17 at 3:00pm
Veterans Room
Tickets: $10 (plus fees)

George Lewis: Assemblage

Stay in the Light: The Amina Claudine Myers Trio and special guest Richarda Abrams
MacArthur fellow George Lewis is a composer, musicologist, and trombonist who serves as the Artistic Director of the International Contemporary Ensemble. On this concert, the US premiere of his Blombos Workshop (2020) for piano, which engages Sylvia Wynter's celebration of the human, and Assemblage (2013) for nonet, which explores in musical form the practice of assemblage-artmaking that recombines and recontextualizes collections of natural and human-made objects-are performed by members of the Ensemble on a special double bill with Amina Claudine Myers. This multidimensional artist and creator is joined by her trio and actress, vocalist, and playwright Richarda Abrams to perform Stay in the Light, a partly notated, partly improvised composition that highlights her spiritual connection to the universe and reinforces positivity, faith, and love for all living things.

Monday, December 18 at 7:00pm
Veterans Room
Tickets: $65 (plus fees)

TICKETING

Tickets may be purchased in person at the Armory Box Office, Monday through Friday from 10am to 6pm; by phone at (212) 933-5812, Monday through Friday from 10am to 6pm; and online at armoryonpark.org.

ABOUT THE ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF CREATIVE MUSICIANS (AACM), NEW YORK CHAPTER

The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), one of the oldest musicians' associations in the United States, was co-founded in 1965 in Chicago by Dr. Muhal Richard Abrams, Jodie Christian, Kelan Phil Cohran, and Steve McCall. The AACM New York City Chapter, Inc. was established in 1983 by Dr. Abrams and other AACM members who relocated from Chicago to New York to further their musical endeavors. The Chapter functions as an ensemble of composers and performers whose mission is to present concerts that feature world premieres composed by AACM members. Membership demographics are predominately African American and includes members from a range of backgrounds.

AACM artists have developed a body of work that has achieved lasting significance across borders of musical genre and geography, playing a critical role in the ever-evolving process of music creation and its vital influence throughout the world. The organization's mission is designed to produce concerts and to bring new music to diverse audiences; to create an atmosphere conducive to artistic endeavors for the artistically inclined by maintaining a workshop for the sole purpose of bringing musicians together; and to stimulate spiritual growth in creative artists through participation in programs, concerts, and recitals. AACM concert programs encompass all forms of original music, including gospel, blues, jazz, classical, folk, electronic music, and the uncategorizable, performed by a diverse ensemble of talented musicians whose musical experiences span the globe.

The AACM has nurtured and brought to fruition many accomplished composers/performers, including Amina Claudine Myers, Anthony Braxton, Roscoe Mitchell, Wadada Leo Smith, Henry Threadgill, Thurman Barker, Frank Gordon, Adegoke Steve Colson, Iqua Colson, Chico Freeman, George Lewis, Leonard E. Jones, Reggie Nicholson, Peggy Abrams, Richarda Abrams, and posthumously Dr. Muhal Richard Abrams, Joseph Jarman, Leroy Jenkins, Kalaparusha Ahra Difda, Lester Bowie, Steve McCall, Fred Anderson, John Stubblefield, and Fred Hopkins. AACM members have gained international recognition as accomplished musicians and composers, many of whom have been invited by renowned orchestras throughout the world to perform their music. They have received numerous awards for their contributions to the music community, and continue to interact with and teach young aspiring musicians, as well as establishing creative music programs in universities. In 2019, Chamber Music America honored the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians with the Richard J. Bogomolny National Service Award. Chamber Music America's highest honor, this award has been presented annually since 1980 to those who have made lasting, significant contributions in the field of music.

ABOUT George Lewis

George Lewis is a composer, musicologist, computer-installation artist, and trombonist. A member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians since 1971, Lewis is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy, and a member of the Akademie der Künste Berlin. Other honors include the Doris Duke Artist Award (2019), the Guggenheim Fellowship (2015), the MacArthur "genius" Fellowship (2002), and the Alpert Award in the Arts (1999). A Yamaha Artist, Lewis is widely regarded as a pioneer in the creation of improvising computer programs, and his music is performed worldwide, published by Edition Peters. He is the author of A Power Stronger Than Itself: The AACM and American Experimental Music (University of Chicago Press, 2008) and co-editor with Benjamin Piekut of the two-volume Oxford Handbook of Critical Improvisation Studies (2016). Lewis holds honorary doctorates from the University of Edinburgh, New College of Florida, Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, and others. Lewis serves as Edwin H. Case Professor of American Music at Columbia University in the fields of Composition and Historical Musicology, and as Artistic Director of the International Contemporary Ensemble.

ABOUT AMINA CLAUDINE MYERS

Amina Claudine Myers is a pianist, organist, vocalist, composer, improvisationist, actress, and educator. A member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) since 1966, Myers has performed nationally and internationally throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and North America. She is well known for her work involving voice choirs, voice, and instrumental ensembles. Myers has released 11 recordings of her music. Myers has recorded and/or performed with Archie Shepp, Charlie Haden's Liberation Orchestra, James Blood Ulmer, Lester Bowie, Bob Stewart, Joey Barron, Gene Ammons, Sonny Stitt, Dr. Muhal Richard Abrams, Bill Laswell, Anthony Braxton, and Henry Threadgill, among others. Her larger works include: Interiors for chamber orchestra, premiered by the Orchestra of the S.E.M. under the baton of Petr Kotik; Improvisational Suite for Chorus, Pipe Organ, and Percussion, for 16 operatic voices, pipe organ, and two percussionists; and When The Berries Fell for eight voices, piano, Hammond B3 organ, and percussion. Myers has received grants and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, Meet The Composer, and the New York Foundation for the Arts, among many others. She was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame in 2010 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from ArtsforArt.Org, presented at the 25th edition of the famed Vision Festival.

ABOUT REGGIE NICHOLSON

The instantly recognizable style and sound of Reggie Nicholson has made him one of the most distinctive, inventive, and inspirational drummer/percussionists of his generation, a formidable technician who uses his considerable skills constructively and with infinite taste. Born in Chicago, and a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) since 1979, Nicholson has absorbed the musical influences of the organization, learning the skills to compose and improvise original music. As a composer, he has been twice nominated for the Alpert Award in the Arts, and his compositions have performed at many venues in New York City, including Roulette, the Interpretations Series, The Vision Festival, and the AACM Concert Series. Nicholson's recordings include "Unnecessary Noise Allowed" (1997), featuring his quintet, The Reggie Nicholson Concept; and "Percussion Peace" (2005), a solo recording experimenting with electronics and percussion instruments. In 2007, the premiere of "Timbre Suite' was recorded for percussion ensemble. "Surreal Feel" (2008) highlighted his writing for brass instruments and percussion. "Mettle" (2018) was his second solo recording for percussion, and his latest recording, "No Preservatives Added" (2020), features new compositions for percussion ensemble.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS STUDIO

Launched in March 2016 alongside the inauguration of the revitalized Veterans Room, the Artists Studio serves as a space for artists to experiment, collaborate, create, and push the boundaries of their craft. Previous Artists Studio programs have featured performances by: jazz pianist and composer Jason Moran; Dutch contemporary composer Louis Andriessen and pianist Jason Moran; American composer and accordionist Pauline Oliveros and noted author, director, and dream specialist IONE; pianist and composer Conrad Tao and multifaceted percussionist, instrumentalist, and composer Tyshawn Sorey; seminal drummer and acupuncturist Milford Graves and drummer and musician Deantoni Parks; artist Lucy Raven; groundbreaking sound designer Ryan Trecartin with his primary collaborator Lizzie Fitch, music producer and DJ Ashland Mines (aka Total Freedom), and composer/producer Aaron David Ross; acoustic ensemble Dawn of Midi; composer Ryuichi Sakamoto; tenor Lawrence Brownlee with pianists Myra Huang and Jason Moran; multidisciplinary artist Rashaad Newsome; vocalist Dominique Eade and pianist Ran Blake with composer Kavita Shah; experimental composer Alvin Curran; internationally renowned composer, saxophonist, sound experimentalist, and mixed-media practitioner Matana Roberts; pioneer of experimental music Charlemagne Palestine; art icon and DJ Juliana Huxtable; composer and saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell; experimental composer, improviser, and performer Miya Masaoka; My Barbarian collective founders Malik Gaines and Alexandro Segade; cutting edge visual artist Rosa Barba; Dominican accordionist Krency Garcia (El Prodigio); trumpeter jaimie branch and visual artist Carol Szymanski; pioneer of performance and video art Joan Jonas; and conceptual artist, writer, and performer, Rodney McMillian.

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