Wadada Leo Smith
Leroy Jenkins for Solo Violin (2025)
I have worked with Wadada in a variety of contexts in the last 15 years, both as a solo artist and with the Flux Quartet.
The Violin Concerto For Leroy Jenkins is a work composed by Wadada nearly 30 years ago, and recomposed in 2024 and performed during Wadada's residency at Ventura College in 2025. Tonight's piece is a violin cadenza extracted from that larger piece, presented as a stand-alone solo work.
Vijay Iyer
The Diamond (2018)
A MacArthur grant recipient and widely recognized as one of the great musical innovators of his generation, Vijay has created an incredible body of work --- his album Blood Sutra was and still is mindblowing to me. He also happens to be a fellow alum of Yale, where he majored in mathematics and physics.
The Diamond (2018) contains four movements:
1. A Dream
2. A Phantom
3. A Drop of Dew
4. A Flash of Lightning
Ornette Coleman
Trinity (1983)
I had the fortunes of working with Ornette on a project in my student days at Juilliard. What ensued was an otherworldly decade-plus relationship of learning, playing, and pontificating about life and the universe. Highlights from our time together included memorable collaborations at the Bell Atlantic Jazz Festival in NYC, as well as The Festival Dancing In Your Head at the Walker Art Center, a celebration of Ornette's 75th birthday.
Oliver Lake
Movements, Turns and Switches (1993)
Since playing with Oliver nearly 25 years ago at Lincoln Center's A Great Day In New York Festival, there have been numerous premieres, collaborations, and the album, Right Up On, of string quartets performed by the Flux Quartet. The piece you're hearing tonight was commissioned by the Library of Congress, programmed there again in 2021, resulting in my initial meeting and collaboration with pianist Cory Smythe.
Muhal Richard Abrams
Trio Things (2016)
The founder and driving force behind AACM, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, Muhal composed Trio Things in 2016 with myself and Meaghan Burke in mind. With the composer himself on piano, we performed this piece three times, as the Muhal Abrams Trio. Working with Muhal and bringing this piece to life was truly one of the most meaningful experiences of my musical journey.