About this Event
In the perfect environment for close listening, Larry Ochs once again brings a new ensemble to The Back Room and invites you, the listeners, to join the musicians in enjoying their spontaneous but carefully sculpted music as it happens, in real time.
Through repeated performances, musical discussions after shows, and rehearsals, this music slowly but confidently evolves. The audience and the performance environment matter. There's no more perfect environment than The Back Room to hear the intimate sound sculptures that Tales End will perform on February 19.
Conceptually, Tales End might be said to be administratively led by Larry Ochs. The music will develop collectively, with a small pool of like-minded musicians rotating in to listen, play, and respond when available.
Ben Davis - cello
Darren Johnston - trumpet
Lisa Mezzacappa - acoustic bass
Larry Ochs - tenor and sopranino saxophones
Larry Ochs has been creating this kind of improvised music in the Bay Area since 1977, when he and his life partner Lyn Hejinian moved to Berkeley. Most notably, he has also been a member of Rova Saxophone Quartet since 1977, a music group that has spent most of the last 47 years performing world-wide, with an emphasis on spontaneously evolving, but rules-based structures, for improvised music. Tales End began its musical journey in 2023, and Ochs very much looks forward to seeing how it develops through this decade. For a look at his other touring bands, please visit: www.ochs.cc
has been concentrating on fusing his classical, jazz, and contemporary music experiences into a raw vehicle of acoustic expression. Originally from the UK, Ben has recently been seen and heard playing with great USA-based musicians such as Tomeka Reid, Mary Halverson, Ben Goldberg, Chris Brown, Zeena Parkins, Nicole Mitchell, Gerald Cleaver, William Winant, and Roscoe Mitchell.
is a well-known member of the Bay Area jazz and improvised music scenes. Since 1997, he has collaborated and recorded with an extremely diverse cross-section of artists - from straight-ahead jazz luminaries such as bassist/composer Marcus Shelby, to experimental icons like ROVA, Fred Frith and Myra Melford, and to bands and musicians in popular world-music idioms, while always maintaining his own unique voice in each context.
is a Berkeley-based composer, bassist and producer who has been active in the Bay Area music community for more than 20 years. Her activities as a composer and ensemble leader include ethereal chamber music, electro-acoustic works, avant-garde jazz, music for groups from duo to large ensemble, and collaborations with film, dance, and visual art. Recent projects include Cosmicomics, a suite for electro-acoustic jazz sextet based on Italo’s Calvino’s stories about the origins of the cosmos; and the serial audio opera The Electronic Lover. She is a recipient of the Pauline Oliveros New Genres Prize from the International Alliance for Women in Music (IAWM) and has been commissioned by the San Francisco Girls Chorus and Del Sol Quartet.
Tickets are $25 general admission; $15 for students with ID/low-income individuals. Children under 12 are free. Advance tickets are available here, or if the show is not sold out, you may purchase your tickets at the door before the show.
Doors open one half hour before show time. We accept cash or Venmo only at the door.
The Back Room is an all-ages, BYOB (for those 21+) space, dedicated to (mostly) acoustic music of all kinds. You are welcome to bring your own food and beverages. The venue is ADA accessible. If you need more information or have any questions, please call us: #510-381-1997.
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Thank you for your support!
Please note: Although masks are no longer required, we strongly encourage their use to keep everyone safe in our intimate space.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
The Back Room, 1984 Bonita Avenue, Berkeley, United States
USD 16.82 to USD 27.37
