NanoHz No. 16

NanoHz no.16 Jason Kahn + Jon Mueller,
Pinko Communoids, Jonathan Zorn
UVA Chapel, Charlottesville, VA
(the chapel is located at the corner of University Ave. and McCormick Rd)
September 30th
8 PM
Free

Join us for an evening of improvised music in the UVA chapel featuring special guests Jon Mueller and Jason Kahn. Muller and Kahn will present their improvised duo project for electro-acoustic percussion. In addition there will be performances by the Pinko Communoids (Wendy Hsu - guitar, Kevin Parks - guitar, Carey Sargent - percussion) and Jonathan Zorn - doublebass.


about Jon Mueller and Jason Kahn The physical differences of the spaces where Jason Kahn and Jon Mueller perform often determine what’s heard by listeners; as tones, controlled feedback, and subtle rhythms function more as interaction with the environment, than as percussionists simply striking material. Kahn uses percussion and analogue synthesizer, and Mueller uses percussion and cassettes. Both take the frequencies and textures of these instruments, and integrate them into one seemless mix.

Jon Mueller: Jon Mueller has been an active drummer and percussionist since the mid-80s. Whether utilizing bombastic minimalism, dense interplay, or electroacoustic practices, his approach focuses on a physical dialog between situation and material. He has been featured on numerous recordings and has performed throughout the U.S., Japan, and Europe. He has performed/recorded with: Aranos, Keith Berry, Jarboe, Jason Kahn, Asmus Tietchens, Jack Wright, Carol Genetti, Collections of Colonies of Bees, Pele, Hal Rammel, Tetuzi Akiyama, Jim Schoenecker, Bhob Rainey, Martijn Tellinga, Glenn Kotche, Werner Moebius, Steve Nelson-Raney, Lionel Marchetti, Tatsuya Nakatani, Adam Sonderberg, Thomas Gaudynski, Tim Catlin, Rhys Chatham, Matt Turner, Achim Wollscheid, Fred Lonberg-Holm’s Lightbox Orchestra, and many others.

Jason Kahn: Kahn has been exhibiting his sound and visual works since the late 1990’s, and has had solo and group exhibitions internationally, including museums, galleries and arts spaces in the USA, Canada, France, Croatia, Germany, Argentina, Egypt, Poland, Switzerland, Denmark, Austria and Spain. Originally a percussionist, Kahn later began integrating live electronics into his playing. He currently performs with different combinations of percussion, analogue synthesizer or computer. As a composer, Kahn’s work draws on electronic and acoustic sound sources to create slowly developing compositions imbued with a sense of timelessness. His work addresses the entity of sound as both a physical and psychological factor shaping our consciousness. Kahn’s sound installations seek to enhance spatial awareness through sonic intervention, focusing on expanding our perception to other dimensions of seeing, hearing and feeling a space.

Pinko Communoids: Pinko Communoids is an improvisational trio based in Charlottesville, Virginia. The trio consists of Carey Sargent, Kevin Parks, and Wendy Hsu. We create both free and structured improvisations using conventional instruments including guitars, accordions and percussion, found objects, circuits, microphones, and other electronics. We enjoy the quiet interplay of small sounds and often employ a restrained sonic palette of diverse timbres. Though we like occasional loud cathartic noisy workouts, we play at appropriate volumes and always invite our audience to savor our sounds without ear plugs. Our recent explorations have led us to investigate aspects of tuning and timbre and the relationship between the two.

Jonathan Zorn : Jonathan Zorn is a composer/performer of electro-acoustic music. In his compositions he creates interactive systems for acoustic and electronic instruments that exceed the control of any single participant, creating surprises and new ensemble dynamics for performers to explore and navigate. In performance he uses double bass, voice, guitar, modular synthesizer, and computer instruments of his own creation. As a designer of computer instruments, Zorn aims to create instruments that have the kind of flexibility, control, and surprise that one would expect from an acoustic instrument, while also defying and remapping assumed correlations between gesture and sound.