The Archer Spade Performance Series
Presents:
Ava Mendoza Trio w/Jamalaadeen Tacuma and Khary Abdul Shaheed
&
Susan Alcorn
Plus a Special Event: The opening for photographer Katie Rey’s new photo series from the Rotunda’s sanctuary. An opening reception will begin at 7pm, with the show at 8pm
Ava Mendoza
My name is Ava Mendoza. I play guitars and stompboxes and write music. Currently I’m based out of Brooklyn, NY, having just recently relocated here from Oakland, CA. I have played guitar for most of my life and been active for the last decade playing my own music and in many different groups. In any context I try to bring expressivity, energy and a wide sonic range to the music I play. I’ve toured throughout the U.S. and Europe and recorded or performed with a broad spectrum of musicians including pop-folk band Tune-Yards, Fred Frith (Henry Cow, Art Bears, Massacre) singer Carla Bozulich (The Geraldine Fibbers, Evangelista), Nels Cline (guitar hero of Wilco), members of ROVA saxophone quartet, members of Caroliner, and more. I like writing for dance, theater and film. I’ve played on recordings released by labels Weird Forest, Tzadik, Clean Feed, NotTwo, ugEXPLODE, Resipiscent, Tompkins Square, Bridge Records, Edgetone, Table and Chairs, and others.
Jamaaladeen Tacuma
Jamaaladeen Tacuma is a Philadelphi-based bassist who has worked extensively with Ornette Coleman and leads Free Form Funky Freqs with Calvin Weston and Vernon Reid, as well as freelancing with an ongoing list of jazz and rock legends.
Khary Abdul Shaheed
A graduate of The Philadelphia High School for Creative And Performing Arts, Khary has shared the stage with artists such as R&B singer Bilal, pianist Cyrus Chestnut, and the legendary Stevie Wonder at the prestigious Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. Khary continues to share his talent, knowledge and drumming wisdom with the youth, teaching at the Harambee Institute of Science and Technology Charter School.
Susan Alcorn
Susan Alcorn is a Baltimore, Maryland-based composer and musician who has received international recognition as an innovator of the pedal steel guitar, an instrument whose sound is commonly associated with country and western music.Having absorbed the technique of C&W pedal steel playing and refined it to a virtuosic level, her original music reveals the influence of free jazz, avant-garde classical music, Indian ragas, Indigenous traditions, and other musics of the world. The UK Guardian describes her music as “beautiful, glassy and liquid, however far she strays from pulse and conventional harmony.” Though mostly a solo performer, she has collaborated with numerous artists including Pauline Oliveros, Eugene Chadbourne., the late Peter Kowald, Chris Cutler, Fred Frith, Maggie Nicols, Joe Giardullo, Joe McPhee, Mike Cooper, Lê Quan Ninh, Ellen Fullman, Evan Parker, Michael Formanek, Ellery Eskelin, and John Butcher.
Katie Rey
Katie’s work has been featured in various galleries in Delaware and Pennsylvania, including the Delaware Museum of Art, and her photos have appeared as cover art on musical releases by artists such as NY’s downtown avant-guitar hero Elliott Sharp, Brooklyn’s Twins of Eldorado, and guitarist Nick Millevoi. Katie is an elementary school art teacher in the Brandywine School District. http://www.katiereyphotography.com/
Admission is FREE. Donations are encouraged.