New York-based alto saxophonist and composer Tim Berne is one of the most influential reedmen to come out of the "Downtown" milieu. Prefiguring a number of young New York musician-composers currently active, Berne's work has sought to seamlessly blend a range of sources including blues and R&B, pan-tonal composition, jazz and rock into one dynamic and creative whole. more ›

Texas has become a sort of home away from home for a coterie of Scandinavian free-jazz musicians. Norwegian contrabassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, who had visited Austin and other parts of the state numerous times with the power trio The Thing (Paal Nilssen-Love, drums; Mats Gustafsson, saxophones), decided to settle here in 2008. More recently, Norwegian tenor saxophonist and composer Gaute Solaas has been making his presence known on the Austin scene following a similar relocation. Though he hasn't moved to the Lone Star State just yet, veteran Norwegian reedman Frode Gjerstad could be next - he's performed with small groups as part of the Epistrophy Arts concert series on several occasions and even brought his massive Circulasione Totale Orchestra to Houston in 2010. more ›

It's not that Texas doesn't have its fair share of world-renowned musicians, but in the landscape of jazz and creative improvisation, very few intercontinental free music ensembles have their gestation in the Lone Star state. It's probably creditable in part to the dry and dusty shot up I-35 towards Dallas that gives the familial trio Yells At Eels (trumpeter-composer Dennis Gonzalez, bassist Aaron Gonzalez, and drummer Stefan Gonzalez) their restless rhythmic energy. But the landscape of experience also gives this father and sons combo a powerful and steely lyricism. The unruly-looking and technique-heavy Gonzalez brothers have metal-oriented projects like Akkolyte under their belts, but also classically formulated improvisational groups led by drummer Alvin Fielder and pianist Curtis Clark, among others. They're also fairly regular features in Austin, though one's familiarity with them might depend on how many free jazz or crust shows (!) one has attended in recent years. more ›

Concertgoers and jazz/improvised music aficionados will get a special treat on Thursday when the Instant Composers Pool Orchestra returns for a one-night performance at AAMP as part of the Epistrophy Arts Spring Concert Series (the group's last stand here was in spring 2006). The Instant Composers Pool was founded in Amsterdam in 1967 by pianist-composer Misha Mengelberg (b. 1935 in Kiev, Russia), percussionist Han Bennink (b. 1942 in Holland), and reedman Willem Breuker (1944-2010; Breuker left in 1973). As a counter to the perceived conservatism expressed in Dutch jazz, the Instant Composers Pool produced their own concerts and recordings from the beginning; Mengelberg coined the term "instant composition" to reflect the fact that improvising musicians are really composing in the moment, espousing a fluidity between tune and extemporization, and that players draw on a wealth of musical experience to assemble music in real time. Mengelberg was trained early on as an architect, and also had some interaction with neo-dada and fluxus artists in Europe in the 1960s, which partly explains the irreverence and subversive theatricality that are often part of Instant Composers Pool performances. more ›

On Thursday night as part of the Epistrophy Arts spring concert series, Jordan will appear in a trio with drummer Hamid Drake and Norwegian bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, one of Austin's newest artist residents. Jordan and Drake have played together in various groups before, but this will be his first meeting with Flaten - expect the power-trio pyrotechnics to deliver handsomely. more ›

German reedman Peter Brötzmann is a welcome guest in Austin on Wednesday night; he's appeared in town with a number of different groups over the years as one of Germany's - and Europe's - best known ambassadors of jazz and creative music. more ›

As a kickoff performance for the 2010 Epistrophy Arts concert series, promoter/curator Pedro Moreno brings Norwegian reedman Frode Gjerstad to Austin on Tuesday night. Gjerstad bills himself as "the other Norwegian saxophonist," in reference to the looming figure of Jan Garbarek, an internationally renowned tenor and soprano player whose name is synonymous with Norwegian jazz. more ›

Chicago-based reedman and composer Ken Vandermark is probably no stranger to Austin ears, as he has been here numerous occasions with his regularly working group, the Vandermark Five; Peter Brötzmann’s Chicago Tentet; and in trio with drummers Paul Lytton (UK) and Paul Lovens (Germany). more ›