Schedule:
20:00 Doors open
20:30 Film screening: Phill Niblock and William Hooker
21:00 Premiere of a special, pre-recorded performance: «Flowers of the Spirit (Phase II)» by William Hooker
22:00 Mette Rasmussen, solo saxophone, live performance
Utmark presents the Danish saxophone player Mette Rasmussen live at Bergen Kjøtt and William Hooker streamed from New York.
William Hooker’s contribution to Utmark will consist of three parts: The premiere of the new piece «Flowers of the Spirit (Phase II)», spoken word readings and a screening of a new film by Phill Niblock, made in collaboration with Hooker. Because of the ongoing corona pandemic and the current travel restrictions, Hookers performance has been produced in advance, especially recorded for Utmark in New York during the fall of 2020.
The event is streamed live here
METTE RASMUSSEN
SOLO SAXOPHONE
Drawing from the energy of free jazz, Mette Rasmussen’s playing has been described as a head full of ideas, that she executes to the maximum. With an ongoing study of new sonic possibilities she uses a broad pallet of techniques, constantly extending the grammar of the instrument. The last several years she has been highly active all around the world. Touring the road most of the year. In the resent year she has been touring with among others Chris Corsano, Sofia Jernberg, MoE, Tashi Dorji, Julien Desprez and Godspeed You! Black Emperor.
WILLIAM HOOKER
SOLO DRUMS
SPOKEN WORD
FILM SCREENING
Drummer, composer and poet William Hooker has been a tireless force in improvised music for over 40 years. He appeared on New York’s loft jazz scene in the mid-70s, and was part of a generation of artists driven by contemporary social, political and cultural issues. As bandleader he has fielded ensembles in an incredibly diverse array of configurations. Each collaboration has brought a serious investigation of his compositional agenda and the science of the modern drum kit. As a player, Hooker has long been known for the persuasive power of his relationship with his instrument. His work is frequently grounded in a narrative context. Whether set against a silent film or anchored by a poetic theme, Hooker brings dramatic tension and human warmth to avant-garde jazz. His ability to find fertile ground for moving music in a variety of settings that obliterate genre distinctions offers a much-needed statement of social optimism in the arts.
While William Hooker’s production spans more than 70 albums as a solo artist and band leader, it all began with the double LP … Is Eternal Life; an album that is now legendary in free jazz circles. The record was recorded in 1975-76 and released on Hooker’s own label Reality Unit Concepts. The long list of Hooker’s partners in the years to come includes some of the key names in free jazz, as well as avant-rock musicians such as Jim O’Rourke, Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo. His most recent album, Symphonie Of Flowers (Org Music 2019) has received rave reviews, and consists of an ambitious piece of music where the drum, as instrument, forms the basis for a three-part “symphony” where Hooker himself is complemented by drummers Warren Smith, Marc Edwards and Michael TA Thompson, as well as musicians such as Mara Rosenbloom (piano) and Stephen Gauci (tenor sax).
Utmark is Bergen Kunsthall´s own concert series, presenting a wide range of artists within alternative, visionary and exploratory music – outside the mainstream.