In a rare debut, Texan Maria Chavez (turntables) joins improvisor Ricardo Arias (balloonist) for the first time, and Jack Wright (saxophone).
Born in Lima, Peru in 1980, Maria Chavez grew up in Austin, Texas and has lived in Houston from the age of 10. Chavez melts and mutates all forms of vinyl and has a collection of 8 broken styluses (and counting) that all get different sounds. She has worked with many international, regional and local improvisers, including Christina Carter who is in a duo with Maria called Weird Cookie. Kaffe Matthews, who is in the process of making a cd with Maria due out early next year, opened for Hrvatski in mak August 2003 and has performed with Thurston Moore (of Sonic Youth) during her debut in NYC. Her solo cd "those Eyes of Hers" is out now on www.pitchphase.com.
Ricardo Arias, born in Bagota, Colombia and currently living in Queens, NY, has been making improvised music using unorthodox instruments for the past nineteen years. He has performed with numerous like minded musicians in Europe, South and North America. Recent Collaborations include a duo with Michel Doneda, various groupings with Jack Wright, Nate Wooley, Vic Rawlings, James Fei, Sean Meehan, Barry Weisblat, N.R.A., Tatsuya Nakatani, and Hans Tammen. In 2004 he published a solo CD illustrating his work with the balloon kit.
Jack Wright has been a bold saxophonist, as well as an influential musical personality over the past twenty-five years. He has been called teh Johnny Appleseed of free improvisation for his encouragement to young players. As a musical explorer as well, his muicpasses through radical shifts of style and approach from one year to the next, yet always somehow identifiable as his own. His most recent tours have been with Michel Doneda, Tatsuya Nakatani, Bob Marsh, Michael Griener, Sabine Vogel, Reuben Radding, Phil Durrant, Tom Djll, and Bhob Rainey.