Thursday, April 25, 2013, 6 pm
Few musicians share the ability of saxophonist/composer Rudresh Mahanthappa to embody the expansive possibilities of his music with his culture. Time and again, Mahanthappa has eloquently displayed the capacity to absorb numerous styles and genres of music, combine them with the language of modern jazz, and emerge with a new form still recognizably jazz.
What has materialized is a sound that hybridizes progressive jazz and South Indian classical music in a fluid and forward-looking form that reflects Mahanthappa’s own experience growing up a second-generation Indian-American. Just as his personal experience is never wholly lived on one side of the hyphenate or the other, his music speaks in a voice dedicated to forging a new path forward.
Gamak's quartet setting features guitarist David “Fuze” Fiuczynski, whose own microtonal vocabulary has opened new possibilities for Mahanthappa’s compositional imagination. The Gamak band also includes electric bassist Rich Brown and drummer Gene Lake. Gamak issued its first release on January 29 on ACT Music.
Crossing Brooklyn Ferry is a three-day music and film festival curated by Aaron Dessner and Bryce Dessner of The National. With a title taken from Walt Whitman’s seminal poem “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry,” this genre-spanning event channels the creative expansiveness associated with the literary icon. The inaugural 2012 festival featured bands, singer-songwriters, improvisers, composers, new music ensembles, and filmmakers from all corners of the New York City music scene.
Crossing Brooklyn Ferry takes place in the various spaces of BAM’s Peter Jay Sharp Building. Offerings include headliner acts each night at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, intimate music performances at BAMcafĂ©, screenings of commissioned short films with original scores at BAM Rose Cinemas, and a late-night dance party on Saturday night.