Joe McPhee & Michael Foster's The Ghost:

Joe McPhee grew up in New York, is a multi-instrumentalist and plays since the late 60ties within the creative and free jazz music world. His play is energetic, demanding and breathtaking sensitive - still with over 80 years! He learnt to play trumpet as a kid and - inspired by John Coltrane, Albert Ayler and Ornette Colemann - he thought himself saxophone in his thirties. McPhee's first recording was with Clifford Thornton in 1967 on the album "Freedom and Unity". He became involved and known in Europe in the mid 70ties and since the 90ties he also plays with a younger generation from Chicago and New York. He played/plays regular for example with Ken Vandermark, Peter Brötzmann, Evan Parker, Mats Gustafsson, Dominic Duval, Jay Rosen, Jeb Bishop, The Thing, Clifton Hyde, Jérôme Bourdellon, Raymond Boni, Joe Giardullo.

Michael Foster's The Ghost is a trio that celebrates and ruthlessly probes the free jazz tradition's queer feelings, drawing inspiration from noise, reductionism, and the leather culture to unpack the masculinist aesthetics of musical catharsis. The Ghost is Michael Foster (tenor/soprano saxophones, samples, compositions), John Moran (bass), Joey Sullivan (drums).

The Humanosity Project is a quartet of four monster improvisors operating in the extreme regions of Jazz. They first got together under a tree by a river in Philadelphia and have since performed in NYC, Baltimore and Washington DC.

Matt Lavelle is a flugelhorn, bass and alto clarinet player, and composer now based in Philadelphia. He began his music career with Hildred Humphries, a swing era veteran who played with Count Basie and Billie Holiday. He has played in ensembles led by Sabir Mateen since 2002. In 2005, Lavelle began study with Ornette Coleman. Lavelle was a member of the Bern Nix quartet from 2010-2017. In 2011 Lavelle created the 12 Houses Orchestra. Lavelle has played and collaborated with Ornette Coleman, William Parker, Warren Smith, Henry Grimes, Eric Mingus, Sabir Mateen, Roy Campbell, Daniel Carter, Jemeel Moondoc, Mat Maneri, Ras Moshe, Hilliard Greene, Steve Swell, Matana Roberts, Bern Nix, Jack DeSalvo, Charles Downs, Tom Cabrera, Francois Grillot, Giuseppi Logan, William Hooker and many others. Lavelle published his first book, New York City Subway Drama and Beyond, in 2011. In 2013 he published a second book called The Jazz Musician’s Tarot Deck. Lavelle is also the author of the blog No Sound Left Behind.

Dave Ross (guitar) is the recipient of a Boston Music award and has performed at Lincoln Center, Vision festival and The Kennedy Center. He has recorded and performed extensively as a leader and side man with Henry Grimes, Marshall Allen, William Parker, William Hooker, Ras Moshe, Charles Downs, Larry Roland, Sabir Mateen, Jason Hwang, Albey Balgochian, and many others.

Julius Masri is a Philadelphia based multi instrumentalist, and performer/composer for the city’s dance community at large. His music focuses on improvisatory methods and syncretic / linguistic exchanges within various musical languages including Jazz, Metal, AfroCuban, Experimental Noise, and Arabic music. Born in Tripoli, Lebanon, he moved to the States in 1990 and picked up drumming a year later. He studied with Philadelphia instructors Carl Mottola, Elaine Hoffman-Watts, and as an undergraduate at Bard College, with AACM’s Thurman Barker, Richard Teitelbaum, and Joan Tower. Julius plays drums, circuit modified Casio keyboards, Oud, Kamancheh (aka Rabab, Spike Fiddle), and various other instruments. He currently performs in groups such as grind/crust metal bands Night Raids, Nomad War Machine, free jazz groups Bruxer, Spectral Forces, Humanosity Project, Dromedaries, trombone and synth duo Superlith, and more. He has performed with Henry Grimes, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Bobby Zankel, Thurman Barker, Jaap Blonk, Randi Potoppidan, members of the Sun Ra Arkestra.

Pete Dennis (they/he) is a musician, improviser, composer, visual artist, and teacher. Living in West Philadelphia, Dennis is inspired by their beautiful community and the future. Other ever present inspirations include William Parker, the works of Octavia E. Butler, their partner Abigail, and the knowledge that all vibrations carry the potential to transmit the truths of life and death. Dennis’s recorded creations are released using the project name Search for the Infinite Light and include but are not limited to Killing a Dixie Hummingbird (2019), World’s End Welcoming Committee (2021), and pastē (2022). Their most current projects and collaborations include 99 Futures, Oarsman, Mitamu, St. John’s Wort, and an ongoing poetry/bass duet performance with Abigail Swoboda. They believe that sound is the foundation of healing and would like to acknowledge all master improvisers of the past,present, and future.

accessibility: ramp into lobby, then 7 stairs into theater