Bill Frisell's FIVE and Ambrose Akinmusire's OWL SONG Come to UCLA in October

Legendary Jazz guitarist Bill Frisell’s new band, FIVE and Grammy-nominated trumpeter, vocalist and composer, Ambrose Akinmusire’s ensemble, Owl Song, perform at UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance (CAP UCLA) on Saturday, October 14 at 8 pm at The Theatre in Ace Hotel. Tickets start at $40 and are available now at cap.ucla.edu or 310-825-2101.

Two leading pioneers in modern jazz unite for a night filled with innovative music. Bill Frisell, the iconic guitarist, introduces his latest ensemble, FIVE, comprised of four enduring musical partners: Thomas Morgan and Tony Scherr on bass and Rudy Royston and Kenny Wollesen on drums, all of whom have collaborated with Frisell in various duos and groups. Owl Song will kick off the evening, a trio led by the Grammy-nominated trumpeter and composer Ambrose Akinmusire, showcasing Frisell and drummer Herlin Riley as integral members.

“Long hailed as one of the most distinctive and original improvising guitarists of our time...” by The New York Times, guitarist and composer Bill Frisell is known for his masterfully organic blending of classical jazz and American roots traditions and his diverse and expansive array of collaborators throughout his 40-year career. Recognized as one of America’s 21 most vital and productive performing artists, Frisell was named an inaugural Doris Duke Artist in 2012. He is also a recipient of grants from United States Artists, Meet the Composer among others. In 2016, he was a beneficiary of the first FreshGrass Composition Commission to preserve and support innovative grassroots music. Upon San Francisco Jazz opening its doors in 2013, Frisell served as one of their Resident Artistic Directors. Frisell is also the subject of a documentary film by director Emma Franz, entitled Bill Frisell: A Portrait, which examines his creative process in depth. He has received an honorary doctorate from the Berklee College of Music.

The astonishingly inventive trumpeter, vocalist, avant-garde composer and bandleader Ambrose Akinmusire is joined by his ensemble Owl Song which features Frisell and the grooving New Orleans drummer Herlin Riley. Over the course of his 15-year career, Ambrose Akinmusire has intriguingly positioned himself at the nexus of jazz, simultaneously inhabiting both its core and its outskirts. More recently, he has ventured into the realms of classical and hip-hop music, embarking on an unceasing quest for fresh artistic paradigms. Akinmusire exhibits a remarkable talent for interweaving inspiration drawn from diverse genres, artistic forms, and the tapestry of life itself into compositions that exude both poetry and elegance, coupled with audacious fearlessness. 

Akinmusire’s unconventional approach to sound and composition has established him as a fixture in the world of music critics, while also securing him grants and commissions from prestigious institutions such as the Doris Duke Foundation, the MAP Fund, the Kennedy Center, The Berlin Jazz Festival, and the Monterey Jazz Festival. In 2007, Akinmusire won the esteemed Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, a competition adjudicated by a distinguished panel of judges featuring luminaries like Blanchard, Quincy Jones, Herb Alpert, Hugh Masekela, Clark Terry, and Roy Hargrove. The same year, Akinmusire also won the Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Solo Competition and released his debut album, Prelude…To Cora, under the Fresh Sound label.

The CAP UCLA 2023 spring programs continue on October 19 and 20 with Nano Stern at The Nimoy.

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