Eric Dahlman & the JMDEQuartet now with Jimmy Zhao on multiple Chinese instruments, viola, etc.
These are Important musicians and concepts contributing to the Boston and Beyond free-form music scene for many a year—not often in the limelight—they incorporate ideas and sounds taken from contemporary music that doesn’t fit on the same stage necessarily as “traditional” avant garde (i.e Jazz). . Each player hails from a different background, and combines their skills with the singular goal of creating emotive compositions, spontaneously.
This program is supported in part by a grant from the Somerville Arts Council a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Unrehearsed and creative music ala Free-Jazz, Free-Rock, Electronics and Experimental Sounds that are “serious fun” you just don’t hear often (enough),liberated from any stylistic and melodic shackles. Thus the quartet combines and breaks apart elements of Chinese and other ethnic folk, free jazz, modern classical with occasional electro acoustic ambient soundscapes, such as with the Trumpet dappled with percussion, electronics, field recordings, ethnic folk. Influences: Miles, Bjork, Jon Hassell, etc
Eric Dahlman Eric Dahlman has a long and varied musical history having performed with the late great free jazz icon Hal Russell and his NRG Ensemble, The Aardvark Jazz Orchestra, The Travis Chandler Philharmonic, Auddity, Rakalam Bob Moses and others. Dahlman has appeared on Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty’s Discovery Channel soundtrack “Bridges”, and has performed on the new Trident Trumpet (a three bell, six valve trumpet built by band mate Erik Nugent- see photo above). Studied at Harvard with Anthony Davis and John Luther Adams. Dahlman recently performed with L.A.’s Steve Ellison and Cubefest at Virginia Tech and at MIT with the PEK Orchestra.
Dahlman’s musical elements appear in the documentary film “The Bear Cult” (2015 Hyperion Romania), with sound design and mixing by Mike Mayo, Dahlman’s collaborator, audio engineer and co-producer. This is Mayo and Dahlman’s second album together. Their first, “Ripped Echo”, was released in 2007 and was recently re-released. Eric latest album’s are Glacier and Tunnel Sessions, recorded in an abandoned train tunnel in Clinton, MA.
Michael Nkonlach Michael Knoblach – Percussion – Has performed and recorded with numerous local improvisational and rock n roll luminaries, as well as many artists of widely varying genres. He has had extensive studies in Arabic, North Indian Classical, Javanese Gamelan and African Percussion, as well as drum set and frequently works with found percussion and instruments of his own invention. Jimmy Zhao on multiple Chinese instruments, viola etc. Jimmy runs a Chinese music school in Malden and has vast experience performing new and traditional Chinese music. David Welans BM music composition from Berklee, with graduate studies in flute and composition at Boston University. Certified by the Massachusetts Department of Education. Primary flute teacher : Doriot Anthony Dwyer, former principal flute with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Quality control/tester /headjoint cutter with the William S.Haynes Flute Company for 20 years, after which I held the same position with the Verne Q. Powell Flute Company. I have been teaching flute, piccolo, and music composition for over 25 years in both private and classroom settings. My studio is located in Davis Square, convenient to either the Porter or Davis stop on the Red Line. My approach to teaching flute is to address technical issues such as embouchure, flute/body balance, breath control, and finger technique, while at the same time having the student immediately access the enjoyment of flute playing through pieces appropriate for their individual preferences and abilities.
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