Los Angeles-based drummer, composer, and bandleader Dylan Ryan brings his group Sand to Double Happiness (482 South Front St.) on Wednesday, November 12th. This show is the penultimate date on an 11-date Midwest run for the band in support of its new album Circa, released earlier this fall on Cuneiform Records. Sand, which enlists the talents of Chris Welcome (NYC) on guitar and Willie Blair (Chicago) on bass, is a fine example of the boundary-breaking avant-garde stylings that its label is known for, as the trio meshes strains of jazz with various rock and heavy metal textures. Overall, the show is a rare jazz-leaning triple bill: the night starts at 9pm, with opening sets by knots, the local “geometry jazz” duo that has played several of my favorite sets of 2014, and Small Songs, a new project by saxophonist Alex Burgoyne (Liver Quiver, Free Jazz Hit Parade, Insane Jazz Posse).
From Burgoyne: “Small Songs is focused on music written by my piano students about their pets. Hopefully they’ll be a great vehicle to get into some weird space. Featuring Dan DiPiero on drums, Joshua Bryant on bass, and me on something else [along with Fran Litterski].” Should be a great show of innovative new music – here’s a new video from Dylan Ryan/Sand: