The Roulette Tapes

The adventurous guitarist admired for contributions to the improvisation scene, hybrid compositions for dance and concert settings, and thoughtful, poetic songs that reflect identity and social structures all in a unique and instantly recognizable style. Cochrane walks us through it, illustrated with concert and studio recordings from the 90s to the present. Musicians and collaborators who appear in this segment include Annie Gosfield, Miguel Frasconi, Roger Kleier, Richard Carrick, Zeena Parkins, Kato Hideki, Richard Dworkin, JD Foster, Gelsey Bell, and others.

The jazz piano virtuoso and highly praised composer/improviser channels spiritual and emotional musical poetry in concert excerpts from the Roulette archive, including his quartet with Allen Lowe, Gerald Cleaver, and Kevin Ray, a trio with Evan Parker and Paul Lytton, and a new solo album.

Composer, poet, activist, organizer, author, educator, bandleader, and one of the world’s most celebrated jazz and new music bass players tells the tale richly illustrated with concert excerpts dating to 1990. Projects and people featured here include: Hamid Drake, Conrad Bauer, Roy Campell, Rob Brown, Jackson Krall, Matthew Shipp, Organic Orchestra, Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra, and dozens more in the ensembles. Find the full concert recordings at roulette.org/archive.

The pianist and composer discusses influences and cross-genre creations, mentors and collaborators from Leroy Jenkins to Butch Morris, keyboard and electronic strategies, and curiosity to keep exploring. Lushly illustrated with concert excerpts from the Roulette Archive.

A 40-year retrospective on the work of composer and multi-instrumentalist Ned Rothenberg with 8 excerpts featuring the artist on bass clarinet, alto sax, and shakuhachi in compositions and improvisations alongside musicians including: Fred Frith, Hans Reichel (guitars, daxophone); Evan Parker (sax), Jennifer Choi/Olivia De Prato/Stephanie Griffin/Alex Waterman (string quartet); Yumiko Tanaka (Shamisen); Min Xiao-Fen (Pipa), Vortex (percussionist Satoshi Takeishi, pianist Shoko Nagai); Riley Lee, Ralph Samuelson (shakuhachi); and the Paul Dresher Ensemble (Joel Davel, conductor; Woramon Jamjod, engineer). Rothenberg does a stellar job of weaving the history together in stories and observations.

Concert excerpts included in this program: Hans Reichel w/Fred Frith & Ned Rothenberg 1987 / Ned Rothenberg Solo 2005 / Evan Parker / Ned Rothenberg Duo 2006 / Ned Rothenberg Quintet #1 for Clarinet and String Quartet 2008 / Yumiko Tanaka / Ned Rothenberg / Min Xiao-Fen with Vortex 2013 / Ned Rothenberg’s Ryu Nashi, New Music for Shakuhachi 2016 / Ned Rothenberg: Beyond C w/Paul Dresher Ensemble 2019

The composer and multimedia electronic artist discusses new and developing works, appreciation of the experimental lineage, adapting to COVID-19, and shares recordings that document one point along the curve. Roulette awarded Clarke a 2020 Van Lier Fellowship.

The musical work of the interdisciplinary artist who conjures experiences through ritual, altered perception, and shared imagination—employing traditional and customized instruments and electronics—in order to explore the multifaceted layers of consciousness. Photo: Nikki Sneakers.

Pianist, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and instrument builder Cooper-Moore in conversation about roots and priorities, singing pianos, collaborators and influencers, and how life and music intersect, alongside some of his free jazz and cross-disciplinary projects recorded at Roulette. The Vision Festival awarded him Lifetime Achievement honors in 2017.

Composer David Behrman (Sonic Arts Union, Merce Cunningham) describes his unique flavor of electronics with examples covering three decades. Appearances by Takehisa Kosugi, Jon Gibson, Cleek Shrey, and a moment with Christian Wolff. Photo: Maria Ludovici.

Music and a conversation with Mary Prescott, the Thai-American interdisciplinary artist, composer, and pianist based in Minneapolis and New York City whose work explores the foundations and facets of identity and social conditions. Prescott discusses process, experimentation, improvisation, and curiosity alongside excerpts from Songs Between Life and Death recorded in concert at Roulette in 2019.