sarah-hughes-ensemble-blog

[sarah-hughes-ensemble-blog]

The Sarah Hughes Ensemble is an improvisational project led by Baltimore saxophonist Sarah Hughes (sarahmariehughes.com), accompanied by Sam Lohman (drums), Doug Kallmeyer (bass),Dan Gutstein (spoken word) and T. A. Zook (basscello).

Sarah Hughes is an alto saxophonist, composer, improviser, educator, and art adventurer hailing from Maryland.  She obtained her MM in Jazz Saxophone at the New England Conservatory in May of 2015 and currently freelances in and around Maryland, DC, Virginia, and New York. Sarah graduated with a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Maryland in 2008. While there she studied privately with world-renowned classical saxophonist Dale Underwood. After graduating, Sarah taught beginning band and strings in Prince George’s county schools for five years and also maintained two private studios in Maryland and Virginia. During that time she performed in and around DC and New York City with ensembles including the Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra and the Brad Linde Ensemble, a Washington D.C.-based collective dedicated to exploring and expanding the styles of jazz that emerged in the 1950s including bebop, cool jazz, third stream, and free jazz. As part of these ensembles, Sarah shared the stage with jazz greats such as Lee Konitz, Ted Brown, Freddie Redd, Matt Wilson, and Michael Formanek. While at the New England Conservatory, Sarah studied privately with Jerry Bergonzi, Ran Blake, Donny McCaslin, and Anthony Coleman, all of whom impacted Sarah’s unique approach to improvisation and music-making. Sarah performed on Coleman’s latest album, “You” and has performed with Coleman in concerts at the New England Conservatory as well as Roulette and The Stone in New York.  Sarah studied composition in classes with Ken Schaphorst and also Ben Schwendener, with whom she has performed several duo concerts in Boston. In September of 2015 Sarah toured Sweden as part of Amy K. Bormet’s “Ephemera” and performed in Sweden’s first Women in Jazz festival. She also recently taught an improvisation workshop, “Improvisation for Everyone: Games and Storytelling” for beginning, intermediate, and advanced instrumentalists in the 2016 Judith Lapple Summer Woodwind Camp in Fairfax, Virginia.  Most recently, she went on tour with an improvising trio “Lead Bubbles”, playing venues in New York, Montreal, and Toronto. Sarah hopes her music and teaching will continue to introduce her to new people, places, and art.

T. A. Zook (https://goo.gl/svtpQ ) is based in Arlington, VA.  Mr. Zook is co-founder of the Lost Civilizations experimental music project (https://goo.gl/OznNw );  Heterodyne (https://goo.gl/Ds4D8k); Chimiak & Zook (https://goo.gl/YYNKlW ); and Rosati and Zook (https://goo.gl/8SmFnj).

Mr.  Zook is primarily a nylon-string guitarist; however, in live performances he more commonly plays an NS Design Omni Bass, set up as a basscello,  through digital signal processors.  In 2016, Mr. Zook was awarded Steinberger Artist status.  At studio sessions, he also plays a variety of digitally-processed, non-traditional analog instruments such as bowls, rainsticks, slidewhistle, whistle-flutes, oceanharp, etc.

An Avant Music News interview with Mr. Zook is posted at http://goo.gl/5LdYos; audio interviews are posted athttps://goo.gl/RsPbR9 and  https://goo.gl/ZVvF4l .

Mr.  Zook began his study of the guitar in Chile and Uruguay (the latter under the guidance of Luis Acosta), and continued upon his return to the U.S. in the early 1960s under Sophocles Papas (classical)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophocles_Papas ;http://comusco.com/sophocles_papas.en.html ) and Frank Mullen (jazz)(http://goo.gl/6E3eir  ; http://goo.gl/niQTYd  ).  From 1999 through 2012, he studied improvisation under David Darling (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Darling_(musician)  ;http://www.daviddarling.com/;http://www.musicianguide.com/biographies/1608003038/David-Darling.html  ), a study which continues under the auspices of the Music for People organization (http://musicforpeople.org/wp/ ), which conferred him Honorary Graduate certification in 2011.

During the early 1970s, Mr. Zook had the privilege of working with keyboardist (B-3 & Lawrence Audio electric piano)/singer Larry Buck, who was very supportive in his development as a musician.

Mr. Zook has frequently performed in the Sonic Circuits Festival of Experimental Music (http://dc-soniccircuits.org/).

Mr. Zook is fortunate beyond his ability to express in words for the opportunities that he has had to work with so many accomplished and kind musicians and artists, as well as for the support by audiences for the music that comes through him, thanks to the Muse!

Doug Kallmeyer spends much of his time on the road mixing bands which have included Blonde Redhead, School of Seven Bells, and currently with Phantogram (recently returned from a tour to Iceland and Europe).  Add to that list more live work with notable artists including Shellac, Sunny Day Real Estate and Rancid. Both local to the Washington D.C. metropolitan area and on the road, a career which has numbered live shows in the thousands, and continues. His last release, 2005′s “Even Calls” (EM:T, 2005, 302acid) was a group foray into ambient textures which received rave reviews in publications like the UK’s WIRE magazine, and resulted in tours throughout the US and Europe. His most current project, Dubpixels (http://www.dubpixel.com/ ) expands upon modern and classic aesthetics in dubwise music production to include audio and video.(http://www.facebook.com/Dubpixels ;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/302_Acid ;http://sesshinnofi.wordpress.com/ ;http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Mantis/125299140867441 ).

Dan Gutstein (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Gutstein) is a preeminent poet; the author of two collections, non/fiction, and Bloodcoal & Honey; his writing has appeared in 100 journals and anthologies. Dan has taught at a number of colleges and organizations, including George Washington University and the Smithsonian.  More at  http://dangutstein.blogspot.com/.

Sam Lohman drums for Trio OOO, New Atlantis Duo and Matta Gawa.

Schedule:

January 14, 2018 at Baltimore’s The Crown (https://thecrownbaltimore.tumblr.com/); details:  https://www.facebook.com/events/313733955796662/) free download:  https://soundcloud.com/sarah-hughes-ensemble/live-at-the-crown.

For more information:  tedzook@hotmail.com