CMC Sessions: Clave for Improvisers with Charlie Gurke

Charlie Gurke, Clave for Improvisers March 9, 2021, 6:00pm (PST) Free What does it mean to play “in clave”? Join Charlie Gurke for a lecture-demonstration on what it means to play in clave as an improviser. Charlie will explore phrases from soloists on a range of instruments from voice to percussion to piano and more, and identify typical rhythmic motives used in soloing in clave based grooves, and discuss how to incorporate these into your playing and practicing. This event will be conducted online via video conferencing. RSVP to receive the link to join, emailed prior to the start of the discussion. RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cmc-sessions-clave-for-improvisers-tickets… About the CMC Sessions Series: Take a deep dive into jazz, Chinese-American, Latin, old-time, gypsy jazz, and genre-crossing styles with CMC faculty from the Cultural Traditions Department. The sessions offer engaging discussions, inspiring demonstrations, and musical tips in a creative format. Participants are invited to interact with the faculty through a Q & A. CMC Sessions are free and open to all levels of music students. Learn more about the series: https://sfcmc.org/about/news/take-a-deep-dive-with-faculty-at-cmc-sessi… About the Artist: On CMC’s faculty since 2015, Charlie Gurke leads CMC’s intermediate and advanced jazz ensembles. Charlie is a saxophonist, composer, and educator active in the jazz and latin music scenes in the San Francisco Bay Area. You can hear him perform at venues and festivals around the bay with his own ensemble, Gurkestra, with Grammy award winning Pacific Mambo Orchestra, John Santos, Cuban son quintet Latido, and with the salsa band Candela. Charlie teaches jazz ensembles and jazz history at Laney College in Oakland, CA, has been an artist-in-residence at the SF School of the Arts, and a performing artist with the SF Symphony’s Adventures in Music program. He holds a BA in music composition from Cal State East Bay, and a MM in jazz studies from the University of Oregon, where he was a graduate teaching fellow.