Continuing its intimate 88 Tuned Bongos series of avant garde piano works, Western Front presents renowned jazz pianist Anthony Davis in solo concert March 24, in association with Coastal Jazz and Blues Society.
An award-winning composer of orchestral works and film scores, Davis was deemed a “national treasure” by Opera News for his pioneering work in that field. Alongside creations such as Amistad and Wakonda’s Dream, Davis is best known for the African-American opera X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X, which premiered with the New York City Opera in 1986 and outlaid the life and career of the controversial human rights activist, working in examples of swing, scat, modal jazz and rap to help emulate the sound of that era.
Davis’ appearance in Vancouver 30 years later also marks Western Front’s second archival LP release, featuring performances by Davis, Paul Plimley, Al Neil and Canadian pianist John Kameel Farah, spanning 1985 to present.
Vancouver artist and Western Front co-founder Eric Metcalfe’s artwork graces the album cover, and the LP will be available at the concert for a special price of $15, and $20 thereafter.
Previous performances for 88 Tuned Bongos (a nod to Cecil Taylor and the number of keys on a standard piano) include musician and piano technician Andrew Wedman tuning an upright piano down a full octave, and Farah performing his fusion of electronic beats and future jazz.
In addition to genre-blurring music, Western Front also presents underground literary performances and new and experimental art forms from inside its longstanding location at 303 East 8th.
The current exhibition centres around Ciara Phillips’ Cold Friends, Warm Cash, which turned the downstairs gallery into a screenprinting studio.
Tickets to the Anthony Davis performance are $15/$10 advance. For more info, go to Front.bc.ca.
