Saxophonist Sam Newsome is a soprano saxophone specialist. Since making the soprano his main instrument almost 20 years ago, he has established himself as one of the more important soprano players of his generation. Newsome has been nominated by the Jazz Journalist Association (JJA) as “Soprano Saxophonist of Year,” several years in a row, and has consistently placed in the top 10 in the Downbeat Critics Poll in the “Soprano Saxophone” category. Newsome, who made a name for himself as a tenor saxophonist in the Terence Blanchard band in the early nineties, has moved away from his hard bop roots and now embraces more experimental and avant garde concepts. In addition to being associate professor of jazz studies at Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus, Newsome continues to tour, record and develop new ways to explore the soprano saxophone’s sonic terrain.

“Max Johnson is one of the most prolific and versatile musician/composers in music today” (All About Jazz). Max Johnson is a bassist, composer and bandleader based in New York City, known for his big sound, eclectic style and prolific output. With 9 albums, and over 2000 concerts under his belt, Johnson has proven to be an unparalleled force on the bass, and an individual voice as a composer.

Kyle Press performs improvised, amplified, and effected soundscapes of multiphonics and overtones on vocals and saxophones. He had performed with the groups Love Club, Impressionist, OhBree & others. He's also am active participant in Philly’s vibrant free jazz / improvisation scene, where he has reliably pushed against the more academic trappings of the genre; focusing on creating walls of sound rather than re-contextualizing jazz/classical norms in an improvisational environment.

Glazier/Ranaglia:

Drummer Max Glazier and baritone-saxophonist AJ Ranaglia use traffic cones and chains and all kinds of other nonsense to cycle through contrasting sonic palletes and create a constantly expanding world of sound. Max and AJ met in 2021 while studying music at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and have spent the past year developing a style of non-idiomatic improvisation grounded in contemporary extended techniques, found items, and theories of rhythmic dissonance. Both are active freelance musicians in the Philadelphia area, having played with bands and projects including Inverse and Obverse, the Wudshed, Maax Power, the Animal Instincts Society, and Vague Positivity.

accessibility: space is on the second floor up a flight of stairs.