411 West Monroe
Austin, Texas 78704

Ingebrigt Håker Flaten in association with Epistrophy Arts present the Texas debut of internationally acclaimed jazz trio Free Fall on March 12.
FREE FALL
Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (Austin) – double bass
Hovard Wik (Oslo, Berlin) - piano
Ken Vandermark (Chicago) – clarinets
Friday March 12, 8PM doors 7:30
AAMP
411 West Monroe
Austin, TX 78704 (map)
Free Fall was organized by bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, reedist Ken Vandermark, and pianist Hovard Wik in 2001 as an opportunity to work together in a chamber music environment and without percussion. Inspired in part by Texas jazz legend Jimmy Giuffre's classic group with Paul Bley and Steve Swallow, the band quickly found its own voice, utilizing velocity, space, and sound by incorporating combinations of pulse-based and open time, distributing melodic responsibility through its fragmentation, and building expression through a dialectic between understatement and explosiveness.
For this Austin debut performance, the trio will be performing in support of the upcoming release 'Gray Scale' on the Norwegian label Smalltown Superjazz. Grey Scale features material that is completely improvised.
Ken Vandermark
Named as one of the 25 most significant improvising musicians under 40 by Downbeat magazine, Ken Vandermark has been a powerful and influential voice in contemporary jazz, both on and off the stage. He's the leader of dozens of bands and a valued collaborator to some of the most exciting artists working today. He's an important organizer of concerts and festivals. He also, at the age of 35, received the prestigious "Genius Grant" from the MacArthur Foundation. All of the (well-deserved) credentials, accolades, and associations sometimes distract from the most notable thing about Ken Vandermark: he's one of the most moving and powerful saxophone stylists working in the music today. His strong instrumental voice can shift from an oblique angularity to a comfortable and rocking back-beat. He is equally at home when swinging "in the pocket" or stretching the music to its outer limits. Though he has a distinctive style, the breadth of Vandermark's projects is a testament to his vital creativity.

Hovard Wik
One of Norway’s most extraordinary artists, pianist/composer Hovard Wik first made his mark in Austin with the Scandinavian powerhouse quintet Atomic in 2008. His sensitive, lyrical playing and ability to traverse mainstream traditions while plying more open approaches has been a hit with audiences. Besides Atomic, Wik also works with Free Fall (Ken Vandermark, Ingebrigt Haker Flaten), Atomic Schooldays, a duo with Hakon Kornstad, and a new project with Axel Dorner and Fredrik Ljungqvist. He’s also collaborated with jazz giants Joe Lovano, Kenny Wheeler, and Lee Konitz.
Ingebrigt Håker Flaten

Ingebrigt, a recent Austin transplant, studied Jazz at the Music Conservatory in Trondheim, Norway, from 1992-95. Since 95 he has been a professional musician, shaping and refining his sound by touring extensively all over the world with a variety of international improvisors. Ingebrigt has ongoing transcontinental projects with musicians from the underground of New York, Chicago, Austin and Houston, and has participated on more than 100 recordings.
Ingebrigt’s primary projects are the acclaimed Scandinavian ensembles Atomic and The Thing, both of which have wowed Austin audiences in recent years. He also leads his own quintet and is a member of the bands, The Electrics, Townhouse Orchestra, The Outskirts, Dave Rempis Percussion Quartet, Scorch Trio, Trinity, IPA, Daniel Levin Trio and Atomic Schooldays. Håker Flaten represents a special era in the Norwegian bass tradition. Inspired by Jimmy Garrison, Richard Davis and William Parker, as well as European bassists such as Barry Guy, Dave Holland and Peter Kowald, he provides an historical continuity of the instrument's tradition. Ingebrigt’s bass playing also draws inspiration and energy from his deep roots in the bustling Norwegian jazz scene. This can be summarized by placing him and his contemporaries in the great lineage of Norwegian progressive jazz musicians that include the famed Jan Garbarek, Arild Andersen and Terje Rypdal, as well as the less well-known pianist, Svein Finnerud, and bassist, Bjørnar Andresen, all of whom were key figures in shaping Norwegian avant-garde jazz into the sound we have today. Making his home in Austin, Ingebrigt Håker Flaten is one of the great ambassadors of the Norwegian sound, carrying this strong tradition further, both musically and geographically. He is constantly pushing and challenging himself, seeking out collaborations that hold a promise to lead to new and unheard territories.

Added by pgm on February 22, 2010

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