Recent solo concerts and teaching have been great. Thanks to Mark Weaver and The Roost in Albuquerque, Steve Paxton at Santa Fe University of Art and Design, Stephen Jones at Texas Tech, Richard Birk at Brazosport College and JD Guzman at Spring HS.
Big thanks to Edwards Instrument Company for sponsoring these events, making this tour possible and supporting my art wherever it takes me.
Below are a few videos from the concert at The Roost.
I’m thrilled to announce that my band Brainkiller will be releasing our new CD next week on RareNoise Records! And we’re embarking on a pretty delicious-looking tour of Mexico!
First things first… BRAINKILLER: The Infiltration, available October 4 in the UK and soon thereafter in stores in the US, Europe and Japan. It will also be available on all of the usual online retailers (iTunes, emusic, Amazon, Rhapsody, etc.).
We’re excited to be working with RareNoise, a really cool label and home of a lot of interesting bands and artists like Bill Laswell, Bernie Worrell, Toshinori Kondo and Nils Petter Molvaer. Lots of cool things are cooking.
One of the album’s tracks, called Michaelsketch (by yours truly) is also the lead-off track on a new benefit compilation CD for the legendary bassist Mick Karn, who is, unfortunately, struggling with cancer. It is available on Amazon, Rhapsody and Zune. Here is more information.
Now, the Mexico Tour:
Universidad de San Juan del Rio, Queretaro
October 6 @ 13 hrs
La Encrucijada Jazz, Jazz Club, Queretaro
October 7 @ 22 hrs ($80)
Feria del Libro, Zócalo del DF, Entrada Libre
October 8 @ 21 hrs
Cuernavaca, festival de arte Revindie, Museo Casona, John Spencer
October 9th 2010
UNAM, DF, Facultad de Química – Auditorio A
October 11 @ 13:00 hrs
UNAM, DF, Facultad de Economía – Vestíbulo
October 11 @ 17:00 hrs
FORO 81, Junto al Convite, Ajusco 81, Portales Sur, DF
October 12 @ 21 hrs ($80)
UNAM, DF, Facultad de Derecho – Vestíbulo
October 13 @ 12:00 hrs
Centro Cultural España, Centro Historico, DF, Entrada Libre
October 13 @ 22 hrs – CD RELEASE PARTY!!!
UNAM, DF, FES Aragón – Teatro
October 14
Film Club Cafe, Satelite, Mexico DF
October 14 @ 21 hrs ($80)
Brainkiller began 10 years ago, originally a duo with pianist Jacob Koller, who now lives in Tokyo. Mexico City drummer Hernan Hecht came on board over 3 years ago and Brainkiller has been a trio ever since. I’ve been here in Mexico City this week writing new music for us, so we’ll be playing tunes from the record and new things in preparation for an upcoming recording.
You can listen to Brainkiller music, see videos and keep up with all the updates on our Facebook page. And here are a few videos from earlier Brainkiller tours:
Please excuse the last minute notice. I’m on a little Texas duo tour for the next week with Mexico City-based Argentinean drummer Hernan Hecht. We’ll be playing in Austin, Nacogdoches and Houston. Here are the details:
Salvage Vanguard Theater in Austin, TX (with special guest Alex Coke, saxophone)
Sunday, September 19 @ 9:30 PM
Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches, TX
Monday, September 20. 1pm masterclass, 7:30pm concert
Spring High School in Houston, TX (with special guest Dennis Dotson, trumpet)
Wednesday, September 22 at 4pm
I had a good few weeks on the east coast. Gave a couple of concerts (solo trombone at Downtown Music Gallery in Manhattan and trio with Ellery Eskelin and Nate Wooley at IBEAM in Brooklyn), got an upcoming recording “obscure relatives and prepositions” mastered and had a nice recording session with Dave Ballou and Michael Formanek in Baltimore.
I also gave a couple of improvisation/trombone masterclasses. The first was at Hunter College in NYC, where Ryan Keberle teaches. He’s a fantastic trombonist, composer, arranger and educator that I met at the Banff Camp 10 years ago. I’m enjoying his new Double Quartet CD this morning (two trombones, trumpet, horn, tuba + rhythm section). Beautiful colors!! The second masterclass was at Towson University, where Dave Ballou teaches, in Baltimore. Dave does the impossible on the trumpet, playing improvised and notated music and everything between. Before our recording session, he and I practiced a little bit. At the end, he played a Bach Violin Partita by memory that was just stunning. Dave was also at Banff as a teacher when Ryan and I were there. Although I met Dave in NYC a year earlier (I saw him on a *sick* quartet gig with Dave Liebman), many of my current associations and projects have roots in Banff.
Back in Texas for a week or two, I’ve been giving some masterclasses at some fine Houston area high school jazz programs. I also just learned that I’m the recipient of a 2010-2011 ASCAPlus Award, which is a honorable recognition for composers who have works performed in non-mainstream types of venues.
More news soon, but in the meantime I’m on Facebook if you are interested in the various goings on of my creative pursuits, some of them involving the trombone.
I’m proud to announce that my trombone quartet “Rewritable” is being performed by the Stephen F. Austin Trombone Choir under the direction of Dr. Deb Scott this Wednesday, July 7 at ITF 2010 in Austin. The performance takes place at 7:15pm in Bates Hall, Butler School of Music at the University of Texas.
Unfortunately, I am unable to attend the festival in my own home state, for pete’s sake (I’m recording and playing in Mexico City), but I’ll be there in spirit. Please go if you can and support this ensemble. They premiered my piece at the 2009 TMEA Convention and are still not sick of it, even after a year and a half of practice.
On a personal note, I studied with Deb when I was in high school. I learned so much from her and got hip to so much music, literature and recordings, coinciding with me catching the jazz, experimental music and composition bugs. She’s always been supportive and encouraging of whatever I’m going after. I’m lucky to have had her as a teacher. Judging from a few visits to SFA over the past few years, I’d wager that her current students feel the same.
I’ve been in Tokyo for the past month, playing a dozen or so concerts and finishing up a new recording with Braindreamer, my 10 year old duo with pianist/composer Jacob Koller. We have one more concert this Thursday, May 6. We’ll be sharing the bill with the fantastic duo of pianist/composer Satoko Fujii and trumpeter/composer Natsuki Tamura. Here are the details:
Thursday May 6
Cremonia Studio in Ogikubo
7:30PM
adv. 2000 yen/ at the door 2500 yen
5-22-7 Ogikubo
Suginami-ku, Tokyo 167-0051
Cremonia is 2 minutes from Ogikubo (JR or subway) south exit. Here is the map (in Japanese!)
If you need any extra info, please email me: brian (at) braintone (dot) com
We’re both doing duo sets with separate grand pianos. Seems like some 2 piano/2 horn quartet excitement is in order too. I played with Satoko 4 years ago at The Stone in NYC with her NY Orchestra and before that as a duo at University of Incarnate Word in San Antonio. Both were truly special and memorable events. If you don’t know their music, visit Satoko’s website.
Braindreamer is the new name for the duo, originally called Brainkiller. Brainkiller has permanently morphed into a trio with drummer Hernan Hecht so we’ve given each group a separate identity.
We’re planning a fall US tour for the new CD release. Please drop a line if you’d be interested in having us perform and/or give a workshop. Performance opportunities are increasingly rare for us. Jacob lives in Tokyo now, playing and teaching like a madman (his new Chopin piano trio CD on the Japanese label Omagatoki is getting gobs of attention here and truly is off the chain, I must say).
To all the folks in Mexico and other concerned parties…
I’m playing several times in the Mexico City area this month, so please come out and say hello. Check my MySpace for last minute updates, additional concerts and information if you’re planning to attend.
Festival Ollin Jazz Tlalpan w/Adrian Terrazas Quartet
Aug. 12 @ 8PM
Cafe ES3 w/Adrian Terrazas Quartet
Aug. 13 @ 9PM
Hotel Virreyes, Izazaga y Eje Central
El Imperial w/Adrian Terrazas Quartet
Aug. 14 @ 10PM
Alvaro Obregon 293 esq. Oaxaca
Festival Ollin Jazz Tlalpan w/Daniel Zlotnik Quintet
Aug. 15 @ 7PM
Casa Hilvana duo w/Hernan Hecht
Aug. 18 @ TBA
Colonia Roma
Cafe ES3 duo w/Hernan Hecht
Aug. 19 @ TBA
Hotel Virreyes, Izazaga y Eje Central
Zacatecas Jazz Festival, Zacatecas
Aug. 27 @ 9PM
Museo Manuel Felguérez?Calle Colón s/n esq. Seminario Col. Centro
El 81 w/Adrian Terrazas Quartet
Sep. 4 @ 10PM
Ajusco No. 81 Portales Sur
There are so many great players in Mexico City. Adrian Terrazas (www.myspace.com/adrianterrazasgonzalez) plays woodwinds with Mars Volta and leads a energetic two horn quartet with me and Mexico City-based bassist Carlos Maldonado and drummer Hernan Hecht. Daniel Zlotnik is another fantastic woodwinds player that I met on my first trip to DF 2 1/2 years ago. And Hernan is in several projects with me now, including this duo and the Brainkiller Trio.
Brian Allen is preparing for an extended tour that starts in Maryland and ends in Texas. If you happen to be near any of these venues, check him out. You won’t be disappointed.
Brian Allen Solo Trombone Recital and Masterclass Tour
Towson University
Baltimore, MD – 9/30
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA – 10/6
Boston University
Boston, MA – 10/7
Brazosport College
Lake Jackson, TX – 10/12
Stephen F. Austin University
Nacogdoches, TX – 10/13
Brainkiller Trio is heading back to Mexico this week. Phoenix keyboardist Jacob Koller, Argentinian drummer Hernan Hecht and I will meet in Mexico City, where Hernan is currently based, to play several concerts of our original music. We’ll again be playing for wonderful people in some beautiful venues and enjoying the amazing food. My MySpace page has some videos and sounds from our last Mexico tour.
In the meantime, here is a duo video of Hernan Hecht and me at the Clarion at Brazosport College this past April. This particular one starts with me on the Atari and then moving the trombone for the second half.
I have also again composed several pieces, inluding two bass trombone pieces, and produced recordings of the Texas All State Jazz Audition Etudes. Check braintone.com/JazzOrderForm.pdf if you’d like to order yourself a copy of the recordings. This year, I’m offering all of them as MP3 downloads.
While not as immediately exotic as Siberia or Thailand, Lake Jackson Texas really could be considered another country as Mr. Wilkins could verify. This coming weekend, I’ll be playing some duos here with the great Argentinian drummer Hernan Hecht.
Brian Allen || Hernan Hecht Duo April 2008 Tourette
Sunday, April 20 – The Clarion at Brazosport College, Lake Jackson 4pm. Admission is free
Monday, April 21 – Klein Oak HS in Houston, 3pm
Tuesday, April 22 – Hecht Drum Clinic at Brazoswood HS, Lake Jackson 8:30am
Tuesday, April 22 – Allen + Hecht Masterclass at Lake Jackson Intermediate School, 4pm $5 suggested donation
Brian Allen – trombone, Atari 2600, melodica, Kaoss Pad and other toys and electronics
Hernan Hecht – drums, electronics, percussion, toys (www.hernanhecht.com)
The Clarion is a beautiful performance hall with amazing acoustics. It is 50 miles south of Houston and one of the nicest places I’ve ever played. I have had the honor of teaching at Brazosport College since 2002.
Mexico City-based Hernan Hecht and I met in Merida in the Yucatan Peninsula, January 2007 when I got a grant from the organization Meet the Composer to rehearse and perform my music with a new band composed of Mexico-based musicians. Last September, Hernan and I did a very intense duo southwestern U.S. tour, with over 11 concerts in 10 days, playing all over Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. We will have a duo CD coming out shortly.
Now Hernan has joined Brainkiller, my duo with Phoenix pianist Jacob Koller, and we’re really excited about our recently recorded CD after a rocking fall Mexico tour. In March, the trio played several concerts in Phoenix, including a show at the eternally cool and supportive Modified Arts Space, opening for Carla Bozulich. I also did an Edwards-sponsored clinic at Peoria HS in Phoenix.
Reviews for “Synapse” my trio CD with Tony Malaby and Tom Rainey, are still coming in with the latest being in the Greek Jazz Magazine “Jazz and Tazz.” If you can translate, please have a look here or here (and scroll down).
You can still buy this CD at many fine vendors, including iTunes, Amazon, CDBaby, Downtown Music Gallery and through my website.
Jazz Trombone Ensemble fans might be interested in this clip from the 2005 Texas Tech University Jazz Bone Band, the year we won the ETW Jazz Trombone Ensemble Competition and performed at ETW with the generous support of Edwards Instruments! This performance was at TMEA from that year, playing my tune “Knockoff.”
As always, please see my YouTube channel www.youtube.com/gatotemus for all the above videos and much more.
I’m thrilled to announce that my band Brainkiller will be releasing our new CD next week on RareNoise Records! And we’re embarking on a pretty delicious-looking tour of Mexico!
