Ziggy's hosts a night of adventurous music with a homecoming gig featuring Oakland, California saxophonist Oluyemi Thomas and his quartet. Sharing the night will be NYC-based experimental guitarist-visual artist-architect Sandy Ewen, This is a special night and there's a suggested donation of $5-10 for our artists.
Sandy Ewen - Guitar
OLUYEMI THOMAS QUARTET
Oluyemi Thomas - Bass Clarinet, Soprano, Percussion
Kenn Thomas - Piano
Ben Willis - Bass
David Hurley - Drums, Percussion
Oluyemi Thomas
Oluyemi Thomas was born in Detroit, Michigan. He studied at Washtenaw College in Ann Arbor, Michigan where he received an Associate of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. While attending Washtenaw College, he also studied music and the spiritual and physical nature of sound & silence. Great love and respect for the Arts is regarded as a gem to his parents who passed this on to him and his sisters and brothers. In his childhood years his mother & father often listened to the masters Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Dinah Washington and Billie Holiday. As a creative musician, performer, recording artist teacher and engineer, Mr. Thomas seeks to express his abiding love for the hidden power of Art. Oluyemi’s primary focus is to touch the inner core of individuals, be it in a forum, radio, television, recording or on the bandstand. For two decades he & his lovely wife poet Ijeoma have been members of the music and poetry unit Positive Knowledge. (Bass Clarinet/Saxophone) He may be heard on Music & Arts, Ear Light Records, Eremite, Rastascan & BMG labels. His travels to Africa, the Middle East & Europe are elements he brings to the mix. Oluyemi’s experience in sharing musical language utterance include the great Cecil Taylor, Wadada Leo Smith, Alan Silva, William Parker, Wilber Morris, John Tchicai, Roscoe Mitchell and wonderful conversations with Anthony Braxton and Charles Gayle. ...
read more
Ziggy's hosts a night of adventurous music with a homecoming gig featuring Oakland, California saxophonist Oluyemi Thomas and his quartet. Sharing the night will be NYC-based experimental guitarist-visual artist-architect Sandy Ewen, This is a special night and there's a suggested donation of $5-10 for our artists.
Sandy Ewen - Guitar
OLUYEMI THOMAS QUARTET
Oluyemi Thomas - Bass Clarinet, Soprano, Percussion
Kenn Thomas - Piano
Ben Willis - Bass
David Hurley - Drums, Percussion
Oluyemi Thomas
Oluyemi Thomas was born in Detroit, Michigan. He studied at Washtenaw College in Ann Arbor, Michigan where he received an Associate of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. While attending Washtenaw College, he also studied music and the spiritual and physical nature of sound & silence. Great love and respect for the Arts is regarded as a gem to his parents who passed this on to him and his sisters and brothers. In his childhood years his mother & father often listened to the masters Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Dinah Washington and Billie Holiday. As a creative musician, performer, recording artist teacher and engineer, Mr. Thomas seeks to express his abiding love for the hidden power of Art. Oluyemi’s primary focus is to touch the inner core of individuals, be it in a forum, radio, television, recording or on the bandstand. For two decades he & his lovely wife poet Ijeoma have been members of the music and poetry unit Positive Knowledge. (Bass Clarinet/Saxophone) He may be heard on Music & Arts, Ear Light Records, Eremite, Rastascan & BMG labels. His travels to Africa, the Middle East & Europe are elements he brings to the mix. Oluyemi’s experience in sharing musical language utterance include the great Cecil Taylor, Wadada Leo Smith, Alan Silva, William Parker, Wilber Morris, John Tchicai, Roscoe Mitchell and wonderful conversations with Anthony Braxton and Charles Gayle.
Sandy Ewen
Sandy Ewen is a sound artist, visual artist and architect who has recently relocated to NYC from Houston, TX. Ewen’s audio practice focuses on extended guitar techniques, improvisation, graphic scores and interdisciplinary collaboration. Her unique approach to guitar incorporates a wide array of implements – railroad spikes, sidewalk chalk, threaded bolts, steel wool and other items become an arsenal of abstraction. Ewen has worked extensively with film makers, dancers, poets and musicians to create films, audio recording, sound interventions and performance art. Ewen’s musical collaborations include trio Etched in the Eye, duo with Tom Carter called Spiderwebs, the trio Garden medium, and ongoing collaborations with percussionist Weasel Walter and bassist Damon Smith. For nearly ten years, Ewen has been the leader of an all-female large ensemble. The ensemble conceptualizes and performs sound and performance art, utilizing graphic and text based scores and improvisational constraints. The ensemble performed with an amplified bathtub at Diverse Works in 2016, and performed a suite of installation-specific compositions for Francis Alÿs’ Fabiola Project at the Menil. Sandy has spent much of 2017 touring, performing solo sets and in collaboration with Steve Jansen (tapes and electronics) and Maria Chavez (turntables) around Europe. In years past, Ewen has performed alongside Roscoe Mitchell, Keith Rowe, Lydia Lunch and many others, and has performed and recorded with Jaap Blonk, Henry Kaiser and more.
Kenn Thomas
Kenn Thomas (piano, keyboards), is a versatile artist who plays in various contexts, from gospel to free improvisation. He is often heard in groups led by James Cornish and in collaborative groups that feature the area's leading improvisers. He has been featured on recordings with his brother, the reed man Oluyemi Thomas, most recently on Positive Knowledge - Edgefest Edition, from the 2009 festival.
Ben Willis
Ben Willis is a bassist, improviser, and composer. His omnivorous approach to music has led him to perform alongside members of the Bang on a Can All-Stars, Wolf Eyes, and the Violent Femmes. An avid collaborator, he has often worked with movement and multimedia artists in experiential performances. He is currently working as a composer/performer with Detroit-based immersive theater troupe Nerve. In the past, he has developed original work for Madison, WI’s Cycropia and Li Chiao-Ping dance companies, and collaborated on a video piece with legendary dancer Sally Gross and video artist Doug Rosenberg. Over the past several years, he has distilled hours of bass improvisations into a set of solo double bass pieces. In 2015, he self-released these pieces as the album Egret/Flatlander, and presented them at the International Society of Bassists New Music Summit, curated by Mark Dresser. Though the summer and fall of 2016, he was an Artist in Residence through Spread Art @detroit contemporary, where he focused on developing new solo and ensemble works.
David Hurley
Drummer, percussionist, and occasional trumpet and flute player, David Hurley was a member of the psychedelic / progressive rock band Astra, formed in San Diego, CA in 2001 as Silver Sunshine. He left the band in 2013, freeing up more time for interests like jazz and improv. Since moving to Detroit he's been the host of Triixie's highly regarded Monday night series Fire Music, a biweekly gathering of improvisers from Detroit and the greater metro area.
show less
