Nomad Trio
Gordon Grdina has managed to place a finger in every corner of the jazz/world fusion room. —Pop Matters
Complex, intricate, idiosyncratic, and rockin’—those are the adjectives that best describe this cross-border collaboration between Vancouver guitarist Gordon Grdina, and New York’s Matt Mitchell piano, and Jim Black drums. Juno Award winner Grdina’s compositions give the nod to 20th century classical composition, rock, free jazz, and third stream, and this trio promises to explore those ideas at their highest levels.
Gordon Grdina is known for his incredible versatility and ability to bring a fresh and edgy vibe to any ensemble he joins or forms. His musical output is diverse, including 10-piece Arabic/avant-garde ensemble Haram, the intricate GG Quartet and cinematic GG Septet, high-energy collective Grdina/Houle/Loewen, free-punk duo Peregrine Falls, and contemporary Persian-influenced ensemble The Marrow.
Jim Black is a legend in the downtown New York jazz and improv scene and a world-renowned drummer. He has been part of legendary groups Endangered Blood, Tim Berne’s Bloodcount, and Human Feel as well as leading his own groups the Jim Black Trio, Alas No Axis, and Malamute.
Matt Mitchell is a mainstay on the New York jazz scene playing with internationally acclaimed ensembles like the Dave Douglas Quintet, John Hollenbeck’s Large Ensemble and Tim Berne’s Snakeoil. He also leads his own Quartet, Phalanx Ambassadors and Friction duo with Ches Smith.
Amendola Greenlief Duo
Scott Amendola – drums, electronics
Phillip Greenlief – tenor saxophones and Bb clarinet
Scott and I began working together not long after I returned to the Bay Area in 1993. We composed a few things and explored compositions by other composers, but the music really began to flow when we began to work in free improvisation. We played a lot, bouncing between the Bay Area and Los Angeles, and the fruits of those labors culminated in the work COLLECT MY THOUGHTS, our CD release on the 9 Winds label. This record really helped to put us both on the map as free improvisers (the CD received rave reviews in Down Beat and many other high profile publications).
We continue to work as a duo and are currently finishing up a new recording of improvisations. It’s always been easy to play with this guy, there’s a lot of joy and the ideas flow in abundance. -P. Greenlief
“Amendola’s music is consistently engaging, both emotionally and intellectually, the product of a fertile and inventive musical imagination.” – The Los Angeles Times
“From standpoints of imagination, rhythm and technique (including circular breathing), Bay Area Phillip Greenlief is one of the most astonishing saxists I’ve ever seen/heard.” – Metal Jazz