The Rova Saxophone Quartet

Das "Rova Saxophone Quartet" wurde 1977 von Jon Raskin, Larry Ochs, Andrew Voigt und Bruce Ackley eigens für einen Auftritt bei einem Festival des Mills College in Oakland, California gegründet. Aufgrund des Erfolges beschloß das Quartet die Platte "Cinema Rovaté" aufzunehmen. Mit Auftritten in der Vancouver New Music Society in Canada und beim Internationalen Jazz Festival in Moers in Deutschland begann sich das Ensemble auch international zu etablieren. Die Band hat seither eine Vielzahl von Stücken produziert, wobei ihre Hauptschwerpunkte auf komponierter und improvisierter Musik legen. Einige hundert Konzerte quer über den Erdball hat das Quartet absolviert, 1983 gelang es den Musikern als erste amerikanische Band in die damalige UDSSR zu touren (dokumentiert am Video "Saxophone Diplomacy"). Seit 1980 hat das ROVA Saxophone Quartet seinen Wirkungsbereich vergrößert und arbeitete nun auch mit anderen KünstlerInnen zusammen: The Margaret Jenkins Dance Company, Kronos Quartet, Terry Riley, John Zorn, Fred Frith und Henry Kaiser, Richard Teitelbaum und David Rosenboom, Anthony Braxton and Alvin Curran. 1988 verließ das Gründungsmitglied Andrew Voigt das Quartet und wurde durch Steve Adams vom Neighborhood Saxophone Quartet Boston ersetzt. Bis zum Sommer 1996 hat die Band 22 Platten veröffentlicht und erhielt zahlreiche Awards. B I O G R A P H I E N Jon Raskin Geboren 1954 in Heppner, Oregon. Studierte Saxophone bei Eddie Flenner, James Rotter und John Handy sowie Komposition bei Dr. Barney Childs und Allaudin Mathieu. Neben dem Quartet betätigte sich Raskin auch als Filmkomponist ("Just Another Weekend" von Elizabeth Shere) sowie als Komponist von Werken in unterschiedlichster Besetzung ("Telegraphing the Temescal" für Harfe, SaxophonQuartet und Orchester). Larry Ochs Geboren 1949 in New York City. Studierte acht Jahre Trompete, begann erst 1971 mit dem Saxophonspielen. Er besaß in den 70er Jahren ein Studio, gründete 1978 das Label Metalanguage Records und betätigte sich in den 80er Jahren als Komponist für eine Verfilmung von Charles Bukowskis Lebensgeschichte "Bring me your love". Er erhielt zahlreiche Awards und formierte neben dem Rova Saxophone Quartet noch einige weitere Bands wie 1991 das Glenn Spearman Double Trio und 1994 das Trio "What We Live". Bruce Ackley Geboren 1948 in Detroid. Studierte Architektur und Bildende Kunst von 1966-69 , begann 1970 Saxophon zu spielen und arbeitete als DJ von 1973-75. Mitte der 70er Jahre gründete er das Trio "Sound Clinic", das sich vorwiegend mit Improvisation beschäftigte. Ackley arbeitete mit anderen Musikern wie John Zorn, Henry Kaiser und Eugene Chadborn zusammen und vor allem mit dem Posaunen/Elektronikkünstler J.A. Deane. 1996 spielte er in einem Quartet mit dem Bassisten Stefano Scodanibbio, dem Cellisten Rohan de Saran und der Koto-Spielerin Miya Masaoka. Steve Adams Geboren 1952 in New York. Absovierte die School of Contemporary Music in Boston, wo er bei Thmas Oboe Lee, Christopher Yavelov und Alan Crossman in Komposition, bei David Birkin Saxophon und Indische Musik bei Peter Row und Steve Gorn studierte. Er veröffentlichte über 30 Aufnahmen, schrieb Musik für das California Shakespeare Festival 1990 und 91 und arbeitet mit Anthony Braxton, Sam Rivers, Dave Holland, Donald Byrd, Jaki Byard und Ted Nugent und mit zahlreichen Jazz- und Rockbands, Theater- und Tanzgruppen zusammen.

H I S T O R Y The Rova Saxophone Quartet was founded in late 1977 by Jon Raskin, Larry Ochs, Andrew Voigt, and Bruce Ackley for the occasion of a special festival appearance at Mills College in Oakland, California. The tapes of the concert were so exciting that the quartet decided to produce the record Cinema Rovaté. Before the completion of the recording, Rova had been invited to perform at the Vancouver New Music Society in Canada and the 1979 Moers International Jazz Festival in West Germany. Responses such as these made it clear that the saxophone quartet could be much more than a novelty group, and Rova established an on-going commitment to work as a multi-reed ensemble. In the last 19 years, Rova has created dozens of pieces for saxophone quartet involving an adept blending of notated composition and structured improvisation. They have presented their work in hundreds of concerts in the U.S. and Canada, and on over 20 European tours, including concerts in France, Great Britain, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Czechoslovakia, Slovenia, and Croatia. In 1983, Rova became the first new music group from the United States to tour the USSR. Saxophone Diplomacy, a documentary video of the tour, has been aired on many PBS stations in the United States since its premier on KQED, San Francisco in 1983. Rova toured the USSR again in November 1989, releasing a CD from the tour on the New Albion label entitled, This Time We Are Both. Since 1980, Rova has extended their musical interests to collaborative projects. Among their collaborators are The Margaret Jenkins Dance Company, Kronos Quartet, Terry Riley, John Zorn, Fred Frith and Henry Kaiser, Richard Teitelbaum and David Rosenboom, Lawrence "Butch" Morris, Anthony Braxton, Alvin Curran, and the martial arts drum troupe San Francisco Taiko Dojo. Rova's not-for-profit incorporation in 1985 helped develop a funding base for its acclaimed annual Pre-Echoes Series, collaborative concerts in which many of the above mentioned artists appeared. The Russian avant-garde Ganelin Trio inaugurated the series in San Francisco in June 1986. The Series also provided a venue for the world premieres of works written especially for Rova by composers such as Henry Threadgill, Jack DeJohnette, John Carter, Robin Holcomb and Chris Brown. Founding Member Andrew Voigt left Rova in August 1988 and was replaced by Steve Adams, formerly with Your Neighborhood Saxophone Quartet in Boston. As of Summer 1997, Rova will have released over two dozen recordings of original music on labels such as Black Saint, Victo, Hat Art, Sound Aspects, and New Albion Records. The next collaborative release will be the 30th anniversary presentation of John Coltrane's Ascension; the CD will be released by Black Saint Records in April 1997. B I O G R A P H I E S Jon Raskin (born 1954 in Heppner, Oregon) His musical background includes saxophone studies with Eddie Flenner, James Rotter, and John Handy. He studied composition with Dr. Barney Childs and Allaudin Mathieu, and in the early 70's he performed in two new music ensembles: one under the direction of John Adams at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the other under the direction of Dr. Childs at the University of Redlands School of Music. A founding member of the Blue Dolphin and the Farm, two alternative art spaces in San Francisco, Jon has worked and collaborated extensively with theater and dance companies. He served as music director of Tumbleweed Dance Company from 1974-1977; he received an NEA grant to compose the music for the 1988 Soon 3 production: Poison Hotel. Jon was a featured composer at New Music America in 1987 and has been the recipient of Meet the Composer grants in California and New York. In 1989, he composed the filmscore for Elizabeth Shere's Just Another Weekend. In 1991, he received a commission award from the Reader's Digest/Meet the Composer Commissioning program. In 1995, Mr. Raskin completed a commission for the Berkeley Symphony. The piece, Telegraphing the Temescal, is written for harp, saxophone quartet, and orchestra. He organized the 30th anniversary performance of John Coltrane's Ascension, which was performed December 15, 1995. Larry Ochs (born 1949 in New York City) After studying trumpet for eight years, he began playing the saxophone in 1971. From 1972-1977, he owned and operated Twelve Stars Studio in Northern California and was the leader of the Northern Fictions Consort. In 1978, he founded Metalanguage Records. Activities of the eighties included the composition of a soundtrack for the Starr Sutherland video of the Charles Bukowski story, "Bring Me Your Love" in 1985; producing the lp, Diamanda Galas in 1984; and in 1983 organizing the first tour of a U.S. new music group to the Soviet Union. Larry has served as an advisor to the San Francisco Chamber Music Society and has received Meet the Composer grants from Chicago, Milwaukee, New York and California. He is also a member and composer for the new music trio, Room, with electronics composer Chris Brown and percussionist William Winant. Room has released 2 CD's on the labels Sound Aspects and Music and Arts. In 1987, he was a featured composer at New Music America. In 1989, and again in 1995, he received a commission award from Meet the Composer/Reader's Digest Commissioning Program. In 1991, he helped found the Glenn Spearman Double Trio, whose three CD's he has produced for Black Saint Records in 1992, 1994, and 1996. Also in 1992, he was commissioned by Antwerpen '93's year-long festival of the arts to compose a work for ten-piece ensemble. This piece, The Secret Magritte, received it's U. S. premiere in June of 1995 and was recorded and released by Black Saint Records. In 1994, Mr. Ochs composed and performed the music for Leslie Scalapino's play Goya's L. A., and he produced Figure 8: Pipe Dreams (the first CD for the saxophone octet, Figure 8). In 1994, he also formed the trio What We Live with bassist Lisle Ellis and drummer Donald Robinson. The group had performed at festivals in Vancouver, Canada; Mulhouse, France; Seattle, Washington; as well as having toured throughout the U.S. and Europe. What We Live's first CD was released by the Japanese label, DIW, in 1996. Also, in 1995, he performed with the group Red Handed (led by India Cooke) for a recording to be released in 1997. Bruce Ackley (born in 1948 in Detroit) A student of Architecture and Fine Arts from 1966-69, he began playing saxophone in 1970 and formed his first trio that year in Detroit. As a disc jockey from 1973-75, Bruce presented jazz and new music programs on San Francisco's community sponsored station, KPOO. In the mid-seventies, he formed the Sound Clinic, an improvising wind trio, with trumpeter George Sams and saxophonist Lew Jordan. He also participated in the founding of the Blue Dolphin, an artist-run alternative art space in San Francisco. A 1986 Bay Area Music award nominee for best saxophonist, Ackley has been involved in a number of recordings with John Zorn, Henry Kaiser, and Eugene Chadborne and collaborative projects with trombone/electronics composer, J.A. Deane, involving the creation of sound environments for the films of Bay Area film maker, David Machalak. In 1996, he recorded and performed in a quartet with bassist Stefano Scodanibbio, cellist Rohan de Saran, and koto player Miya Masaoka. Steve Adams (born in 1952 in Rockville Centre, N.Y.) Steve is a graduate of the School of Contemporary Music in Boston. He has studied composition with Thomas Oboe Lee, Christopher Yavelov and Alan Crossman, saxophone with David Birkin and Indian music with Peter Row and Steve Gorn. His discography of over 30 recordings includes four with Boston's Your Neighborhood Saxophone Quartet and two as a leader for the 9 Winds label. Steve was a finalist in the 1983 Massachusetts "You Gotta Have Arts" grant competition. He wrote the music for the California Shakespeare Festival's 1990 production of Twelfth Night and for the 1991 production of Midsummer Night's Dream. He has also composed for the Empire Brass Quintet and Marimolin, a violin/marimba duo. He has performed with Anthony Braxton, Sam Rivers, Dave Holland, Donald Byrd, Jaki Byard and Ted Nugent and with many other jazz, rock, and classical dance and theater groups.

Selected Works

BIOGRAPHIES