In Ears ‘n’ Eyes – What’s the Big Idea!

What’s the Big Idea now?

A Feast for Ears ‘n’ Eyes

What: In Ears ‘n’ Eyes: A Live Improvised Jam Session of Jazz Painting, Jazz Music, Jazz Tap and Video Performance + Silent Art Auction

Who: Visual Jazz Painter Roger Goldenberg

Who: Publick House Nonet +2 (Nick Mainella, Matt Langley, Eric Klaxon (saxophones); Zach Lange, Jimmy Clark (trumpets); Brian Newbold (trombone); Mike Effenberger (keyboard); Rob Gerry (bass); Eric VonOeyen (drums); +2 Special Guests; Chris Klaxton (trumpet) and Jim Rudolph (drums)

Who: Jazz Tap Dancer Ayan Imai-Hall

Who: Video DJ Rob Zechel.

Where: The Dance Hall, 7 Walker Street Kittery, ME

When: Saturday, January, 2012, 8–10PM

Tickets: $15 at the door and may be purchased at the door or at www.thedancehallkittery.org

Parallel genres of improvisation will fuse Saturday night, January 7th, 2012 at The Dance Hall on Walker Street in Kittery, Maine. Visual jazz artist Roger Goldenberg and a dazzling array of 11 of the Seacoast’s top jazz musicians, The Publick House Nonet +2 will colloborate along with 17year-old jazz tap dancer Ayan Imai-Hall and VideoDJ Rob Zechel to tantalize the audience with VizzazzaVeeBopanism during their second invention of their debut jazz-art-collaboration from 8 to 10pm. Eleven musicians, a dancer and visual artist will “paint” their music in this impromptu improvisational format. This rare spectacle should not be missed. The artwork created during the performance will be sold at the performance by silent auction and raffle. Go home with a piece of the performance!

Poster created by Corrine Long; text by Zach Lange

The In Ears ‘n’ Eyes collaboration was the invention of Matt Langley and Roger Goldenberg. Goldenberg is know for his vivacious colorful abstract paintings on irregular shaped canvases that have come to be understood as visual jazz; Langley for his multidimensional saxophonism, a nationally traveled musician who is sought after to add (hot) sauce to the work of international recording artists Charlie Kolhase, Pandelis Karayorgis and Curtis Clark. Goldenberg’s painted shapes, colors, gestures and rhythms speak the same language as Langley’s. These two artist-friends theories agree: All colors go together, all sounds go together, no wrong notes, no wrong colors, just the requisite expert weave of right placement, correct amounts and of course, the fun had in making great art happen. This common ground and their friendship was the basis upon which the In Ears ‘N’ Eyes performance was built.

The second iteration of In Ears ‘n’ Eyes has expanded the personnel and the vision. This January 7th performance brings forth the Seacoast’s newest jazz ensemble, The Publick House Nonet. The Nonet’s musicians have created original compositions as the vehicle for this upcoming artistic conversation between painter, dancer, videographer and musicians. The Publick House Nonet is spearheaded by tenor saxophonist Nick Mainella. The line-up of talent in this dynamic group includes many of the seacoasts premier jazz musicians including Matt Langley, Eric Klaxon (saxophones); Zach Lange, Jimmy Clark (trumpets); Brian Newbold (trombone); Mike Effenberger (keyboard); Rob Gerry (bass); Eric VonOeyen (drums); +2 Special Guests; Chris Klaxton (trumpet) and Jim Rudolph (drums). The expanded personnel (three saxes, three trumpets, one trombone, keys and two drum sets) provides an opportunity for enhanced textural layering, rich rhythms and complex harmonies. Adding to the texture will be Rob Zechel,video-grapher and the seacoast’s very on jazz tap phenomenon, 17 year Ayan Imai-Hall. The artwork created duringthe performance will be sold at the performance by silent auction and raffle. Go home with a piece of the performance!

Why attend the perfomance? The new attractive Dance Hall venue is reason enough! The historic Kittery Grange Hall has been charmingly transformed into the long-dreamed of Dance Hall by Drika Overton, the hall’s founder, director and long-time friend of Roger and Matt. The Dance Hall of Kittery, Maine is the perfect venue for this night of improvisation. It is an intimate, unobstructed open space with a stage, tastefully restored by John Boley reusing its original architectural elements. This night’s performance underscores Overton’s vision of presenting a community based performance and cultural venue that is affordable to local musicians so they canoffer daring inventive performances of their craft. Need more reasons? This second In Ears ‘N’ Eyes event is an ongoing experiment in multi-media jazz collaboration by artists at the top of their field. You will rarely see this much talent performing in the same room. More? A raffle and silent auction will be held. The paintings createdat the event will be sold by silent auction held at intermission and concluded at the end of the performance. One painting will be sold by raffle and if our muse prevails, digital downloads of the event will be available online.

Background: The seed for this performance series germinated two years ago after Roger Goldenberg preformed a ten-minute improv painting with a pianist Mike Melvoin at Darmouth’s Hopkins Center during the Class of 59 reunion (viewing available on you tube). However, it was the inventive mind of Goldenberg’s friend Matt Langleythat conceived of the first performance last June. For that perfomance, Langley plugged in his aptly named band Color (the version of the group for that night was Hue). The performance also included a video D-J and 17 year old jazz tap dancer Ayan Imai-Hall. Goldenberg loved the idea but hesitated making this leap because he had yet to work out the logistical details of mixing colors on stage during a performance. Goldenberg remarked, “The painting process is much slower than music-making and watching somebody mix paint for a couple of hours would be only slightly more interesting than watching the paint dry.” The logistical dilemma was solved as Goldenberg’s improv chops were honed during last year’s onstage performance in the West End Theatre’s production of Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living In Paris. Serendipity seems to be the master (isn’t it always) because once the artists agreed to make this performance happen, their friend Drika Overton’s performance space The Dance Hall opened its doors for business. Now on January 7th, the audience will witness the second happening of the ongoing research project, In Ears ‘n’ Eyes.

Please come out to The Dance Hall Kittery on January 7th, 8–10 pm to witness a type of experimental artistic research that has not occurred in the Portsmouth area for many years. The Dance Hall Kittery is providing a laboratory for new ideas and creativity to grow. Please come out to see some of the Seacoast’s finest artists asthey collaborate in this conversation and feast for the eyes and ears.

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