On the evening of Wednesday, September 30 we are proud to present avant-garde improvisational trio Almost Music (NYC/PA), featuring saxophonist Jack Wright, double bassist Evan Lipson, and trumpeter Jonah Gelbart. Opening for Almost Music is percussionist/improviser Troy Kunkler (CMH). Doors 7:30pm, show begins at 8:00pm. Performance will take place at Old First (1101 Bryden Road 43205). $8.00 online, $10 at the door.
About the artists:
Jack Wright (b. 1942) is a musician described as playing “post-electronic saxophone, and dedicated to to free playing since 1979. Described thirty years ago as an “undergrounder by design,” he is a veteran improviser based mainly in Philadelphia. He has played mostly on tour through the US and Europe since the early 80s in search of interesting partners and playing situations. Now at 83 he is still the “Johnny Appleseed of Free Improvisation,” as guitarist Davey Williams called him in the 80s, on the road as much as ever. He continues to inspire players outside music-school careerdom, playing sessions with visiting and resident players old and new. He’s said to have the widest vocabulary of any saxophonist, including leaping pitches, punchy, precise timing, sharp and intrusive multiphonics, surprising gaps of silence, and obscene animalistic sounds. Apart from interviews, for a true assessment of his and his partners music and for links to his writings (including The Free Musics) go here: Spring Garden Music.
Evan Lipson (b. 1981) has lived with the incurable disease of music since early adolescence, seeking the liminal realms in which intellect and instinct, history and myth, and creative and destructive force intersect. Drawn towards aberrant perspectives at an early age, his formative activities were primarily rooted in extreme and discordant forms stemming from various traditions of “underground” and ancient musics. He may or may not have some degree of affiliation with Rev. Fred Lane in addition to a social scientific think tank known as MEINSCHAFT.
Jonah Gelbart is an improviser, composer, system-builder based in the greater Philadelphia area, playing trumpet and shofar. He plays everything from classical, straight-ahead jazz, new music, to free improvisation. He is currently a member of the Hansen-Protasi Group, the Kitchen Sink ensemble, the (Toshi) Makihara/Allen/Gelbart Trio, and various other temporary musical arrangements. Playing sessions regularly since June 2025 at the Spring Garden Music House in Philadelphia with Jack Wright, saxes, and Henry Allen, guitar.