Clockwise from top left:
Fred Jackson Jr, Tyler Wagner, Tony Carpenter, Erik Sowa
About the artists:
The Improvised Music Series presents an evening of intense musical vibration, featuring the sculpted sounds of Gleaming Shard’s strings and drums in celebration of their new album! Bringing us into the space is a new quartet lead by Erik Sowa, playing in the spirit of Andrew Hill, Pharoah Sanders, and Archie Schepp.
8:30 PM:
Erik Sowa - drums, percussion
Tony “Toca” Carpenter - congas, percussion
Fred Jackson Jr. - alto & soprano saxophone
Tyler Wagner - bass
9:30 PM: Gleaming Shard
Da Wei Wang - prepared guitars and
Jerome Bryerton - gongs, cymbals
$15 / $10 w/ Student ID - Tickets Available at the Door
Gleaming Shard (photos by Melissa Venator (JB) and Mark Hansen (DWW))
Tony “Toca” Carpenter is Chicago’s own percussionist extraordinaire. He began his percussive journey in the early 70's when he began exploring traditional rhythms of West Africa, such as the Rumba and 6/8 patterns. Ultimately adding Sambas and a vast array of rhythms to his vocabulary. Complimenting his playing skills, his arsenal of percussion instruments, lending depth, imagination and creativity to any musical project that is lucky enough to have him involved. In the 70's, Toca performed with African Dance Troops such as Julian Swains Inner-City Dancers and Najwa Dance Troop - this is where the development of the ethnic rhythm began. In addition, Toca has also played with many Masters Cogueros, including Mongo Santamaria, Armando Peraza, Alex Acuna and Giovanni Hidalgo, and performed with musical icons such as Jerry “The Ice Man” Butler, Ramsey Lewis, Lonnie Listen Smith, Ronnie Laws and The Emotions. Toca’s combination of rhythms and jazz classics form his own unique genre, “Cultural Jazz.” With a unique grasp of the stylized intricacies of R&B, gospel, and jazz, the melodious tones of his unit "TOCA LIVE" is a sound you will never forget.
Fred Jackson Jr. is a saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist based out of Chicago. He has been a school teacher for all grade level public and private since 2015. Currently he works with sitarist Shanta Nuerulla (of AACM), Mai Sugimoto Quartet, and his Erudition Project. His newest business venture is Spacetonic Music (Music publishing label since 2017) used to self publish his compositions. He was recently award the 2020-21 “Fresh Works, New Voices” grant from the Jazz Institute of Chicago. This grant allowed him to record his album of original compositions “Genre”.
Erik Sowa is a Chicago based drummer/multi-instrumentalist whose musical directions are informed by post-rock, free jazz, ambient/noise, and afro-beat traditions. In recent years, Erik has collaborated with a wide range of performers of varied musical genres including Peter Maunu, Jeb Bishop, Norman Long, Ben Schmidt-Swartz, Mai Sugimoto, Thomas Comerford, and Snek Trio. In 2022, Erik released a self-titled solo album of instrumental compositions titled "Cedar Lake Recordings Vol. 1" which was reviewed in Dusted Magazine.
Tyler Wagner is a bassist, improvisor, and producer based in Chicago IL. He can be found in an ever growing and boundary-crossing variety of bands and collaborations with the likes of Erez Dessel, Sarah Clausen, Maria Elena Silva, Chandler Browne, and many more.
Gleaming Shard brings together a duo of hardened, scar-ravaged veterans from the fringe Chicago music scene - Da Wei Wang (prepared guitars) and Jerome Bryerton (gongs, cymbals). The duo does not perform music. Rather, it sculpts an ambient environment by weaving a moving network of harmonies, microtones and polyrhythms. It molds a thick space with the vibrations and particles that zigzag throughout the world. As light speeds epic distances, away from the singular origins of the Universe, so the duo’s music evolves gradually over the eons, if it perceptibly develops at all.Gleaming Shard will celebrate the release of its debut album, Mirrors in Light Diamonds, on Balance Point Acoustics.
https://balancepointacoustics.bandcamp.com/album/mirrors-in-light-diamonds
This project is partially supported by an Individual Artists Program Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.