Moyindau: jazz with an Eastern European flavor

Wednesday, November 17th, doors at 7:00, show at 7:30, $3 students, $5 general.

Featuring Alex Kreger (piano/compositions), Kevin Bene (saxophones), Susanna Mendlow (cello) and Ryan Ptasnik (drums).

The group Moyindau explores the territory between jazz and contemporary classical music, improvised and notated forms. Its unique instrumentation without a bassist frees the ensemble from the hierarchy associated with the traditional roles of the rhythm section, allowing each instrument a chameleonic flexibility to serve multiple functions and resulting in constantly shifting textures. Familiar grooves are displaced and disassembled, while elements of contemporary classical music typically perceived as inaccessible are presented in the context of familiar grooves and pop music sensibilities.

The ensemble also draws from ethnic folk traditions of cultures across the world, an influence perhaps best explained by the group's beginning as the backup band for vocal settings of Kazakh poetry.