Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society Presents: Allison, Cardenas & Nash

Against the backdrop of over 25 years of creative collaboration, bassist Ben Allison, guitarist Steve Cardenas, and saxophonist Ted Nash weave musical conversations that are full of subtlety and surprise. These independently successful jazzmen have released four albums as a trio. The inspiration for this collaboration was Jimmy Giuffre’s drummerless units of the 1950’s and 60’s. As jazz was becoming more expressionistic and at times bombastic, musicians like Giuffre were going in the opposite direction. They were envisioning quieter music that maintained elements of blues and folk, while also embracing the emerging qualities of free playing.

Bassist, composer and producer Ben Allison has performed and recorded his own brand of music for nearly three decades.  Known for his inspired arrangements, inventive grooves and hummable melodies, he has developed his own instantly identifiable sound. Allison has released 19 albums as a main or featured artist, 7 of which reached #1 on the national jazz radio charts, garnering him 9 SESAC Performance Awards.  Ben has performed and collaborated with a stylistically diverse range of artists including oudist Ara Dinkjian, kora player Mamadou Diabate, and saxophonists Lee Konitz and Joe Lovano. He won the Downbeat Critics’ Poll in the Rising Star Bassist category three consecutive years.

Guitarist and composer Steve Cardenas has been an integral part of the New York City jazz community since 1995. Steve has performed and recorded with many well-known and highly esteemed musicians. Notably, he was a longstanding member of the Paul Motian Electric Bebop Band, Charlie Haden Liberation Music Orchestra, Steve Swallow Quintet and Joey Baron’s Killer Joey. In addition to the Ben Allison band, he is a member of the John Patitucci Electric Guitar Quartet, Jon Cowherd Mercy Project and Adam Nussbaum Lead Belly Project. He has also performed regularly with such artists as Madeleine Peyroux, Eliane Elias, and Norah Jones.

Saxophonist and composer Ted Nash, a two-time Grammy award-winner has enjoyed an extraordinary career as a performer, conductor, and composer. Nash has that uncanny ability to mix freedom with substance, blues with intellect, and risk-taking with clarity. He is a member of the New York-based Jazz Composers Collective, a musician-run entity dedicated to presenting the original works of composers pushing the boundaries of their self-expression. Nash is also a long-standing member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, with Wynton Marsalis. Nash’s recordings have received wide critical acclaim, appearing on the “best-of” lists in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Village Voice, and The Boston Globe.

Ben Allison – Bass; Ted Nash – Saxophones; Steve Cardenas – Guitar

Artist website here

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