Max Johnson Sextet & Thomas Kraines
Max Johnson Sextet:
Composer, bassist, and improviser Max Johnson presents his brand new sextet in the premiere of “Without Fear,” a new concert-length work performed alongside Anna Webber (tenor saxophone, flute), Yuma Uesaka (soprano saxophone, clarinet), Nate Wooley (trumpet), Lester St. Louis (cello), Max Johnson (double bass), and Jeff Davis (drumset, vibraphone). The piece is a sprawling, style-blurring composition that explores the many musical worlds Johnson has inhabited over the past fifteen years, weaving together elements of jazz, chamber music, folk music, free improvisation, and progressive rock.
The work draws from Johnson’s experience as an in-demand performer and prolific composer, having performed internationally and recorded with artists such as Anthony Braxton, Geri Allen, the Daedalus Quartet, David Grisman, Tyshawn Sorey, Mary Halvorson, Mivos Quartet, and several alumni of Frank Zappa’s bands. Conceived as a musical ecosystem where diverse influences coexist and interact, “Without Fear” highlights the individual voices and abilities of the ensemble while bringing Johnson’s expansive musical vision into a single personal work.
As a lover of comic books, the piece is inspired by the Green Lantern, whose power ring can create anything imaginable through sheer force of will, so long as its bearer remains without fear. Like the ring itself, the work imagines a creative space where the many musical languages Johnson inhabits can live together within a single composition.
Thomas Kraines, a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and the Juilliard School, has gained renown as a versatile cellist, composer, and teacher. In addition to the Daedalus Quartet, he performs often with his wife, violinist Juliette Kang, with the Philadelphia-based Network for New Music, the Arcana Ensemble, and the improvisatory ensembles Great Blue Heron and Basquiat Blues. Kraines’ solo cello and chamber compositions have been heard around the country. He has performed his own works in collaboration with artists such as Awadagin Pratt, Mimi Stillman, Maria Jette, Ilana Davidson, and Kinan Abou-afach. Kraines has served on the faculty of the Longy School of Music, Princeton University, Peabody Conservatory, Phillips Academy Andover, and Yellow Barn. He currently teaches at the University of Pennsylvania and the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia.
accessibility: space is on the second floor up a flight of stairs.