Patrick Crossland, trombone.........Jack Wright, saxophones
Jack and Patrick with Zach Darrup in DC
Patrick with Toshi Makihara and Evan Lipson
Jack Wright recent solo CD "What is What" and reviewed here
Next Tour: March 15-21: Philly, Easton PA, Providence, New Haven, Holyoke, Brooklyn, Newark DE
Jack Wright is a saxophonist in the Philadelphia area, one of the originals of American free improvisation. Now 81, he has lived some diverse lives, as activist and academic, until settling into music full-time in 1979--free playing is all he's done since then. He tours Europe (April 2023) and the US, where he acquired the moniker the "Johnny Appleseed of Free Improvisation" in the 80s. He started out in the free jazz direction, but by the late 90's found that boring and conventional; shifting gears a few times he is now playing sounds that few have heard before--distorted pitches, precise timing, intrusive multiphonics, sudden changes of direction, obscene animalistic sounds, and occasional "real" notes. He partners mostly with Zach Darrup, Ben Bennett, Evan Lipson, Patrick Crossland, and Ron Stabinsky. He published a book in 2017, The Free Musics, sold to most of the free players in the US and many in Europe. He also released a book of mostly political/social critique, drawing on his lifetime of experience, Shaky Ground. For info on all this go to Spring Garden Music.
Patrick Crossland was born in Jackson, Mississippi. Growing up in southern Louisiana, he began playing trombone at age 10. His musical study continued at the University of Southern Mississippi, the Manhattan School of Music, the Royal College of Music (London), the University of Minnesota, and the Staatliche Hochschule fu¨r Musik – Trossingen (Germany). Prominent solo performances include the Walker Art Center’s “Festival Dancing In Your Head”, the Darmstadt Course for New Music, where he was awarded a Solo Performance Prize, UMBC’s Livewire Festivals, and the American Trombone Workshop. Dr. Crossland has performed with orchestras and ensembles across Europe and the USA, including concerto performances in the USA, England, and Germany. In addition to his activities as a soloist and chamber musician, he is an avid improviser, performing and recording with artists including Gu¨nter Christmann, Alexander Frangenheim, and Jack Wright. Recent festival performances include High Zero (Baltimore) and concepts of doing (Berlin). He is currently a member of the composers slide quartet and Ensemble Laboratorium. Patrick Crossland is the recipient of Maryland State Arts Council Awards and currently teaches trombone, improvisation, and other courses at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
*Zounds is
an archaic exclamation, a euphemism for "God's Wounds,"
a forbidden "curse" word.