The second installment of Convergence, a new series focused on bringing together free jazz musicians from different parts of the Midwest, takes place at Wild Goose Creative (2491 Summit Street, in the North Campus area) on Saturday, November 8th, at 9pm. The event is BYOB, and there is a suggested donation of $5-$10. The night will feature three different groups: two sax-drums duos (which will collaborate as a “double-duo” at the end of the second set) and a quartet of electric guitar, soprano saxophone, trumpet, and drums. All three sets should be great performances, but of special note is the second set presenting a duo of tenor saxophonist Dan Wenninger and local multi-instrumentalist Adam Smith on drums. Smith is known for his prowess on keyboards and synths, but this show will be a chance to witness his lesser known free jazz drumming talents, as shown in the video at the end of this article. Promoter Gerard Cox shared more details about the event and the series, keep reading for his insights:
Gerard Cox: “Convergence is a series begun by saxophonist Dan Wenninger from Cleveland [The first volume took place there in July]. The premise is that each bill is based entirely upon collaborations between improvising and jazz musicians from different cities around the Midwest. The idea is to both facilitate new ongoing collaborations and to celebrate what we have in common. The hunch we operate from is that there is something to a “Midwestern” approach to improvisation and jazz and these events give us a chance to define and refine the dialect.
“On this bill are three sets: two really fantastic sax-drums duos and a jazz chamber ensemble with a rather unique instrumentation (electric guitar, soprano saxophone, trumpet, and drums). Hasan Abdur-Razzaq and Ryan Jewell’s duo will perform followed by the duo of (local great) Adam Smith and Dan Wenninger from Cleveland. Fans of the Coltrane masterpiece “Interstellar Space” will enjoy their fiery expeditions, and the two duos will unite for a collaborative blastoff into the cosmos. Finally, guitarist L.A. Jenkins, a master of atmosphere, will create lush and hypnotic fields for trumpeter Don Volenik of Akron and saxophonist Alex Henry of Cleveland to blow over” [with rhythm provided by Cleveland drummer J. Guy Laughlin].
“This is the first Columbus entry in a series that we hope will be a catalyst not only for the improvised music scene but for arts collaboration within the Midwest in general. We pledge to the belief that ‘flyover country’ is just a state of mind, and that we can make the arts as dynamic and relevant here as we will it to be.”
Video of the Adam Smith/Dan Wenninger Duo: