As of Friday morning, tickets remain available for Norman Blake's Saturday performance at the Legs. Advance sales will end tonight, though there will probably still be a few spots available for purchase at the door. Remember, seating is general, and we'll definitely be having some folks on the floor. Get there early if you strongly prefer one of our 80 traditional seats. For those supple enough to enjoy it, being seated on stage just a few feet from an artist like Norman Blake is a real thrill.
On Tuesday, we have another exceptional performance, though far removed from Norman's "old time country music". We've partnered with the Shaking Ray Levi Society to bring a truly stellar group of free improvisors to Chattanooga. British Saxophonist John Butcher will be making his first area visit, and he's considered by many to be the current "top dog" on his instrument. Thomas Lehn will be weaving the electronics madly, in the company of our own Dennis Palmer. The percussion section of Oakland's Gino Robair and Bob Stagner of Chatt-town is as resourceful as anyone could imagine. Quirky delights will abound as the International Improvisors convene!
An Evening with Norman Blake
Saturday, June 2 at 8 p.m.
$15 adv/$18 door
“Norman is a true hero. He’s one of a handful of the best acoustic guitar players in the world. He’s learned hundreds of country songs, including rags, instrumental tunes, and fiddle numbers, knowing the influences and nuance of every one. He should be an absolutely revered musician. I will continue to champion Norman Blake to the end of my days.” T-Bone Burnett
International Improvisors: John Butcher, Thomas Lehn, Gino Robair and Shaking Ray Levis
Tuesday, June 5 at 7:30 p.m.
$10 adv/$12 door
In the spirit of Derek Bailey's "Company Week" - the annual free improv festival that brought together unique combinations of diverse performers - this will be an evening of distinguished international improvisers in constantly changing configurations, promising to be the most unexpected music event in Chattanooga this season.
Thomas Lehn (Cologne, Germany) draws from his background in pianistic interpretation and plays exclusively on vintage analog synthesizers in numerous international ensembles. Rooted in the experience of a wide spectrum of musical fields based on his background as an interpreting and improvising pianist in classical, contemporary and jazz music and being involved in numerous other projects like music theatre, dance, and multi-media, he has been developing an individual language of electronic music.
"Lehn has a prodigious imagination as well as the rigor to keep things both fascinating and compelling." - All Music Guide
Gino Robair has performed and recorded with Tom Waits, Anthony Braxton, John Zorn, Nina Hagen, Terry Riley, Lou Harrison, John Butcher, Derek Bailey, Peter Kowald, Otomo Yoshihide, and the ROVA Saxophone Quartet. He is one of the "25 innovative percussionists" included in the book Percussion Profiles (SoundWorld, 2001), as well as a founding member of the Splatter Trio and Pink Mountain. His opera, I, Norton, based on the life of Norton I, Emperor of the United States, has been performed throughout North America and Europe.
"Robair and his buddies essentially gut the common preconceptions of their instruments in a bid to attain an unreal sort of beauty...startlingly original..." - San Francisco Weekly
The work of John Butcher (London, England) ranges through improvisation, his own compositions, multitracked saxophone pieces and explorations with feedback and extreme acoustics. Originally a physicist, he left academia in 1982, and has since collaborated with hundreds of musicians - including Derek Bailey, John Stevens, Gerry Hemingway, The EX, Polwechsel, Gino Robair, Rhodri Davies, John Edwards, Toshimaru Nakamura, Paul Lovens, Eddie Prevost, John Russell, Mark Sanders, John Tilbury, Christian Marclay, Phil Minton, and Steve Beresford.
The Shaking Ray Levis (Dennis Palmer and Bob Stagner) use analog synths, vocal-tellin' and percussion to achieve their Southern Ol' Time Avant-Garde sound. They are the first American group to have recorded for Incus Records, one of the world's most important improvisation-based record labels, founded by legendary guitarist Derek Bailey. Along with Bailey, they have also performed and recorded with the Rev. Howard Finster, Min Tanaka, David Greenberger, Fred Frith, Amy Denio, John Zorn, Borbetomagus, Tom Cora, Roger Turner, and Tony Oxley.
Advance tickets and more info: www.barkinglegs.org
Coming soon from Flying Fingers and Friends at Barking Legs:
Sat, June 2: Norman Blake
Tues, June 5: International Improvisors: Butcher, Lehn, Robair, Palmer and Stagner
Thurs, July 12: Trevor Watts & Veryan Weston Return!
Sat, Sept 1: Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart
Tues, Sept 25: Vox Arcana
Barking Legs Theater, 1307 Dodds Ave., Chattanooga Tn. 37404, 624-5347.