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Sam Wenc + Friends:Sam Wenc pedal steel
Sam Yulsman piano
Joey Sullivan drums
John Moran bass
Victor Vieira Branco vibraphone
Will Henriksen violin
Matthew Lee bass clarinet/saxophone
From Language At An Angle liner notes, by Jack Braunstein:
“Language At An Angle” is the latest offering from Sam Wenc (fka Post Moves); an eight-part tone poem and journey through the heart, and, as the title suggests, a reflection on meaning itself. Fleshed out with a crew of wildly talented improvisor-composers, the music sits in a unique place at the edges of free-improvisation, East Asian court music, and the overtone-centered wizardry of drone technicians like Ellen Fullman and Kali Malone.
Compositionally and spiritually, there is no greater influence on this record than the late Susan Alcorn, to whom the album is dedicated. Like all of those who had the privilege to be taught by Susan, Wenc was transformed by her presence and generosity. While her boundless creativity and fierce technical ability on the instrument are a treasure to all open-minded steel players, what I understand Sam to treasure most about her mentorship were the more intangible things–the wholeness of spirit that she brought to her playing and relationships, and her sensitivities to the spiritual forces of the world. Susan’s passing was a devastating loss for her community: there are some transformations for which you can’t prepare. What Language at an Angle offers instead is a practice of making meaning in this world, tenuously, temporarily, as it is, deeply. And in doing so, he is passing on a gift. Ready or not, we might need it.
“The singular music of pedal steel guitarist, Sam Wenc…takes an instrument that is usually associated in a cliche way and turns it into something very atmospheric and expansive” – WNYC
Victor Vieira-Branco & Sam Yulsman duo:
Victor Vieira-Branco is a Brazilian/American vibraphonist, having spent the 2010s in the vibrant São Paulo music scene. While Bark Culture is Vieira-Branco’s primary vehicle as a leader, his performances include work with Rob Mazurek’s Exploding Star Orchestra, the Chad Taylor Quintet, and as active as an improviser having performed with Toshi Makihara, Ken Vandermark, Dorothy Carlos, Ben Hall, Jaribu Shahid and others.
Sam Yulsman is a pianist, composer and theorist with roots in a wide array of experimental music and jazz lineages. He has collaborated closely with Jessie Cox, Roman Filiu, Brandon Lopez, Chris Corsano, Anaïs Maviel, Art Lande, Lester St. Louis, Alicia Hall Moran, Anna Webber, Diego Espinosa, TJ Borden, Marcela Lucatelli and Kevin Ramsay among many others. As a composer his work has been performed by ensembles and soloists including JACK Quartet, Talea Ensemble, the Sun Ra Arkestra, Distractfold, Ensemble Korea, Rage Thormbones and Séverine Ballon. He recently completed his DMA in composition at Columbia University where he studied with George E. Lewis.
venue is wheelchair accessible
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Atonement, 1542 E Montgomery Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19125-2434, United States
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