”Big Bang”, the latest new and all-inclusive music and mixed media series at Cornelia Street Café, beginning Monday, October 17th, 2005 and every third Monday of the month thereafter.

"Big Bang' is a creative collision of musicians with artists in spoken word, dance, visual art, video art, found words, theatre, etc. presenting works in progress in a new series every third Monday at the Cornelia Street Café. The evenings will include two featured groups followed by a brief talk back with the audience after each set. Every evening will end with a jam session in which we fish names out of a hat (including names of audience members) that will go for about 10 minutes.

8:30 Jason Kao Hwang and Sang Won Park

Jason Kao Hwang(violin) and Sang Won Park(kayagum, ajang) have collaborated for over fifteen years in The Far East Side Band. Now working as a duo, their cross-cultural improvisations continue to evolve.

Sang-Won Park(kayagum/ ajang/ voice), a native of Seoul, Korea, made his Western debut at Carnegie Recital Hall in 1979. He then toured the United States and Europe's leading institutions in Scandinavia, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, England and Switzerland. Les Amis De L'Orient and Sono Disc in Paris produced his album entitled Le Kayagum de Park Sang-Won. Mr. Park has collaborated with many musicians from the avant-garde, recording with Laurie Anderson, Bill Laswell, Charles K. Noyes and Henry Kaiser. He has also performed with Nam Jun Paik and Joseph Celli. His CD Song of a Drifting Soul has been recently released by Water Lilly Acoustics.
www.sangwonpark.com

Violinist/ composer Jason Kao Hwang past ensemble, The Far East Side Band, has released two CDs, Urban Archaeology (Victo Records) and Caverns (New World Records). They have performed at the Jazzgalerie Nickelsdorf Konfrontationen (Austria), the duMaurier Ltd. International Jazz Festival (Vancouver), International Festival Musique Actuelle (Victoriaville), Beijing International Jazz Festival, Chicago Asian American Jazz Festival, Freer Gallery (Washington, D.C.), Visions Festival (NYC) and many other stages. His new quartet Edge has recently completed their first recording, the release TBA.

His opera, The Floating Box, A Story in Chinatown, was recently released by New World Records. As violinist, he has performed on recordings including Ravish Momin’s Tarana Trio, William Hooker and The Gift, Anthony Braxton's 1996 Sextet (Istanbul) and 1995 Octet (NYC), Dominic Duval's The Navigator (Leo); Henry Threadgill's Come Save the Day (Columbia) and Butch Morris's Dust to Dust and Testament:, A Conduction Collection (New World). Over the years, he has performed with numerous artists including Pheeroan Aklaff, Vladamir Tarasov, Reggie Workman, Sirone and William Parker.
www.jasonkaohwang.com

9:30 Strike Anywhere Ensemble

The Strike Anywhere Performance Ensemble was founded in 1997 in NYC by Artistic/ Producing Director, Leese Walker. Its mission is to promote empathy, free-thinking and greater social awareness through provocative theatre and educational outreach. The permanent ensemble is comprised of world-class musicians, dancers, visual artists and actors. Its work is guided by the words of Bertolt Brecht, “Art is not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer with which to shape it.” Performers collaborate through an ensemble-based, improvisational process to create politically- charged, original works that addresses socially relevant issues. The earliest productions were completely unscripted, with actors and musicians collaborating in performance to spontaneously create stories through improvisation. Today, the pieces are partially set, with the scripted sections generated through improvisation in rehearsal. Strike Anywhere has toured extensively. It’s critically acclaimed show, “10 Brecht Poems” has played at over 30 venues and was aired in full on local NY television. In July-August 2004, SA’s Artistic/Producing Director, Leese Walker, was awarded the prestigious APPEX (Asia Pacific Performer Exchange) fellowship which allowed her to join 16 artists from around the world in a 6 week artistic exchange in Bali, Indonesia. Strike Anywhere has been featured on local NY television, NPR, WBAI and German Public Radio. The ensemble has worked with improv guru, Paul Sills (Founder of Second City) and regularly collaborates with avant garde composer, Walter Thompson. Shows currently touring include: Soundpainting and 10 Brecht Poems. Shows currently in development include: SPIN, Gatotkacha and 3-D Jazz (Working Title).

Curated by Katie Down
 Cover $10   www.strikeanywhere.info

"Trombonist Joe Fiedler has been an MVP in configurations that range from salsa bands to the jazz avant-garde. Tonight his partner is Tanya Kalmanovitch, the Juilliard-honed Canadian violinist who's been tearing up the scene lately."
- Time Out New York

"Fiedler's among the most impressive trombonists to emerge in the past couple of decades. He's got a complete set of tools: excellent chops and range, a big warm tone, and mastery of extended techniques."
- Harvey Pekar, Signal to Noise Magazine

"...viola/violinist Tanya Kalmanovitch only recently made the move to New York and is already creating quite a splash. Nominated as one of AAJ-NY's "Best New Talents" of 2004, expect to hear her name and music more as time goes by."
- Laurence Donohue-Green, All About Jazz New York
 Cover $10   www.tanyakalmanovitch.com ,  www.joefiedler.com

 Cover $10   www.lisaparkins.com ,  www.royzimmerman.com

A multi-talented composer and pianist, Daniel Kelly has developed his own personal and unique approach to jazz, Afro-Cuban music and free improvisation. As comfortable with keyboards, samplers and electronic sound manipulation as he is with acoustic piano, Daniel has innovated original ways to incorporate these instruments into his own sound world.
 Cover $10   www.danielkellymusic.com