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Jazz in the Library: Andrea Wolper & Ken Filiano

Thursday, November 7, 2024 4:15–5:15 PM

Description

The music of duo Ken Filiano (bass, composition) and Andrea Wolper (vocals, composition) moves along an expansive continuum, joyfully enfolding jazz traditions, spontaneous composition, and spoken word. Embracing conventional and unconventional approaches to their respective instruments, their focus is always on bringing the musical moment to life.When the duo met on stage, there was an immediate musical connection. Over time, their partnership grew, and the couple married in 2003. Living in Brooklyn, New York, they both work as leaders of their own projects, and collaborate with artists across a variety of genres.Ken is a highly sought-after bass player for jazz, tango, poetry, experimental, improvisational, and classical projects. He also leads two quartets, Quantum Entanglements and Baudolino's Dilemma, and co-leads several groups, including the Steve Adams/Ken Filiano Duo, Lerner-Grassi-Filiano, and TrioPlex (Cooper-Moore, Michael TA Thompson, Ken Filiano), and was half of Double Duo with the late Jay Clayton. His extensive discography includes hundreds of recordings with a who’s who in jazz and improvised music, as well as a solo bass CD, "subvenire" (NineWinds), and "Dreams From a Clown Car" (Clean Feed), featuring his quartet. For these and numerous other recordings and performances, critics have called Ken a "creative virtuoso," a "master of technique"... "a paradigm of the kind of artist... who can play anything in any context and make it work, simply because he puts the music first and leaves peripheral considerations behind."Described as “an audacious artist who flouts genre limitations,” Andrea has headlined in top venues in New York city (Dizzy’s Club, the Blue Note, Birdland, and many more), and beyond. Reviewers have called her most recent album, "Wanderlust" (Moonflower Music), “magnificent,” “truly exceptional,” “an early candidate for year-end ‘Best Of’ lists.” Andrea herself has been praised as a “brilliant musical storyteller,” “exquisitely masterful,” “expressive and flawless in her phrasing.” She has also been noted as “a terrific arranger” and “superior” songwriter, and has been awarded a number of composing residencies. In addition to leading her own jazz and jazz-adjacent projects, Andrea has performed and recorded for artists from the straight ahead Heavenly Big Band to free jazz icon William Parker (including appearing on his epic recording, “Migration of Silence Into and Out of the Tone World”).The music of duo Ken Filiano (bass, composition) and Andrea Wolper (vocals, composition) moves along an expansive continuum, joyfully enfolding jazz traditions, spontaneous composition, and spoken word. Embracing conventional and unconventional approaches to their respective instruments, their focus is always on bringing the musical moment to life.When the duo met on stage, there was an immediate musical connection. Over time, their partnership grew, and the couple married in 2003. Living in Brooklyn, New York, they both work as leaders of their own projects, and collaborate with artists across a variety of genres.Ken is a highly sought-after bass player for jazz, tango, poetry, experimental, improvisational, and classical projects. He also leads two quartets, Quantum Entanglements and Baudolino's Dilemma, and co-leads several groups, including the Steve Adams/Ken Filiano Duo, Lerner-Grassi-Filiano, and TrioPlex (Cooper-Moore, Michael TA Thompson, Ken Filiano), and was half of Double Duo with the late Jay Clayton. His extensive discography includes hundreds of recordings with a who’s who in jazz and improvised music, as well as a solo bass CD, "subvenire" (NineWinds), and "Dreams From a Clown Car" (Clean Feed), featuring his quartet. For these and numerous other recordings and performances, critics have called Ken a "creative virtuoso," a "master of technique"... "a paradigm of the kind of artist... who can play anything in any context and make it work, simply because he puts the music first and leaves peripheral considerations behind."Described as “an audacious artist who flouts genre limitations,” Andrea has headlined in top venues in New York city (Dizzy’s Club, the Blue Note, Birdland, and many more), and beyond. Reviewers have called her most recent album, "Wanderlust" (Moonflower Music), “magnificent,” “truly exceptional,” “an early candidate for year-end ‘Best Of’ lists.” Andrea herself has been praised as a “brilliant musical storyteller,” “exquisitely masterful,” “expressive and flawless in her phrasing.” She has also been noted as “a terrific arranger” and “superior” songwriter, and has been awarded a number of composing residencies. In addition to leading her own jazz and jazz-adjacent projects, Andrea has performed and recorded for artists from the straight ahead Heavenly Big Band to free jazz icon William Parker (including appearing on his epic recording, “Migration of Silence Into and Out of the Tone World”).

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