by Mike Telin

A co-founder of Splinter Reeds, a San Francisco-based reed quintet, improviser and educator Dana Jessen has also performed with San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, Alarm Will Sound, Ensemble Dal Niente, Calefax Reed Quintet, and Anthony Braxton’s Tri-Centric Orchestra.

On Saturday, April 21 at 8:00 pm at Historic St. John’s Episcopal Church in Ohio City, the bassoonist will join bassist Jaribu Shahid and pianist Josh Harlow for a performance of free improvisations. Presented by the Syndicate for the New Arts in cooperation with New Ghosts, the free concert will also feature improvisation by the newly-formed trio of saxophonist Bob Bucko Jr., violinist Alex Cunningham, and drummer Alexander Adams.

What can listeners expect to hear? “Probably a lot of sounds that are new to their ears,” Jessen said during a recent telephone conversation. “I’ve never played with Jaribu and I’m really excited about it. He’s a phenomenal bass player who is associated with the Chicago-based AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians). He’s played with all the heavy hitters of that organization like Roscoe Mitchell and Anthony Braxton, so I’m excited to get to work with him.”

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