Sept 18th at Bar Robo: double bill Ottawa meets Vancouver!

Vancouver's Houle/Grdina/Loewen & 

Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang! ft. Cancura/Essoudry/Walton 

Sept 18th at Bar Robo 
http://barrobo.com 
692 Summerset St. West 
$10 

7:30pm 
Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang! 
Petr Cancura on saxophones 
Keith Walton on tuba 
Mike Essoudry on drums  

Inspired by raw sounds of southern blues & roots, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang! plays on themes and improvisations with conviction in the raw musical setting of sax-tuba-drums. 

9pm  
HOULE/GRDINA/LOEWEN 
Since 2014, The collective Grdina/ Houle/Loewen has been performing completely improvised concerts and different permutations of graphic scores. Recently however, the group has forged a new stream of complex compositions that meld together density, ferocious energy and technical virtuosity. The group’s versatility and wide dynamic range has become Finely honed creating an ensemble that can change course dramatically. 

Kenton Loewen · drums 
Kenton Loewen has been a major presence on the creative music scene in Vancouver for many years. He studied percussion at Vancouver Community College with Bernie Arai and Craig Scott, and improvisation with François Houle, before embarking on a highly successful freelance career as a first call musician for projects ranging from alternative rock to collaboration with the international creative music scene’s finest luminaries. 
Kenton says “Musically and otherwise experimentation is at the heart of my life's work and I would describe myself as an improviser. That being said the pallet of colour for sound is infinite and in turn all exploration and exploitation of ones own instrument must come in to play in order to redefine the role of the musician. It's important to eradicate boundary and preconception as the musician and the listener. Music to me is the nature of being singular enough in mind and spirit to play the sound of oneself with the strength and intention of transcending even the instrument that expresses this sound, let alone the self that must relinquish. I have worked and played world wide for the better part of the last 20 years. I've toured endlessly with Submission Hold, Mother Mother, Peregrine Falls, Dan Mangan + Blacksmith, Boxcutter, The Gordon Grdina Trio and The Crackling to name a few working projects. I've worked with 
Mats Gustafsson, Fredrik Ljungkvist, Mark Helias, Tony Malaby, Giorgio Magnanensi and a bunch of other geniuses to boot. It's been invaluable experience and these vibrations change everything.” 
  
François Houle · clarinets 
Clarinetist François Houle has established himself as one of today’s most inventive musicians, in all of the diverse musical spheres he embraces. His extensive touring has led to solo appearances at major festivals across Canada, the United States and Europe, and he has released more than twenty recordings, earning multiple Juno Award and West Coast Music Award nominations. Inspired by collaborations with the world’s top musical innovators, François has developed a unique improvisational language, virtuosic and rich with sonic embellishment and technical extensions. Frequently listed as a “Talent Deserving Wider Recognition” and “Rising Star” in Downbeat’s Critics’ Poll and Reader’s Poll. François studied at McGill University and Yale University. He has been an artist-in-residence at the Banff Centre for the Arts and at the Civitella Ranieri Foundation in Umbria, Italy, and was a featured soloist in the International Clarinet Association’s 2007 and 2008 ClarinetFests. He is a faculty member at the Vancouver Community College School of Music and teaches Masters and DMA clarinet students at the University of British Columbia. He served as Artistic Director of the Vancouver Creative Music Institute for five years. In 2008 he was appointed as “Associate Composer” of the Canadian Music Centre. 
  
Gordon Grdina · electric guitar & oud 
Juno award winner Gordon Grdina is an accomplished Oud/Guitarist whose sound is a combination of his interests in mainstream jazz, free-form improvisation and Arabic classical music. Aside from the avant-garde leading Gord Grdina Trio, Gordon leads the Persian contemporary ensemble Qalandar and is a part of the free-punk duo Peregrine Falls. Haram is Gordon’s main ensemble for the exploration of Arabic classical music. Currently Gordon has a new NYC quartet with Tim Berne, Matt Mitchell and Satoshi Takeishi. As well as these jazz and world music accomplishments Gordon is a long- standing member of Dan Mangan + Blacksmith. He has collaborated with Gary Peacock, Paul Motian, Mats Gustafsson, Evan Parker, Colin Stetson, Samuel Blaser, Jerry Granelli, David Tronzo, Fredrik Ljungkvist, Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten, Fred Lomberg-Holm, Francois Houle, Benoit Delbeq, Jeb Bishop, Eric Boeren, Michael Moore, and Michael Blake. He has performed at many festivals across Canada and Europe most notably, Festival International de Music Actuelle de Victoriaville, Calgary Folk Festival, Glastonbury, Reeperbahn Festival, Ottawa Folk Festival, Guleph Jazz Festival, Natt Jazz Festival Bergen, Bimhuis Amsterdam, Burning Eagle Festival, Haldern Pop, Vancouver Jazz Festival, Toronto Jazz Festival, Halifax Pop, and Osheaga.