For the eight edition the Summer Bummer Festival moves to Trix, one of Antwerp’s foremost multi space venues. On Saturday, we’re proud to present the legendary Susie Ibarra in duo with Tashi Dorji, and Dorji will step in to augment the trance-inducing duo of Oren Ambarchi and Andreas Werliin from Ghosted, Mike Reed’s Separatist Party, Carlos Zingaro in a wonderful quartet of string players, the Belgian Nemø ensemble, a solo performance by Maria Bertel, Heidi Kvelvane and Terrie Ex in a first time meeting with Lazara Rosell Albear and the mysterious electronic duo Liegenaar. In the afternoon, Pak Yan Lau is coaching a workshop for the whole family and there’s also the free access area with a record fair, film screenings, photography expo and some delicious slow food.

SUSIE IBARRA – TASHI DORJI

The duo of American percussionist Susie Ibarra and the highly original Bhutanese guitarist Tashi Dorji (Kuzu) is an unexpected collaboration, proving once again that improvised music doesn’t follow the beaten path. After earning high praise for her collaborations with David S. Ware, John Zorn and William Parker in the nineties, Ibarra has been at the forefront of creative music ever since, focussing on composing as well as performing. In 2019 she joined Tashi Dorji (who played a solo set at Summer Bummer last year) on stage as part of an exhibition about the Indian Buddhist master Padmasambhava. The live recording of that concert was released on Astral Spirits as ‘Master Of Time’, one of the best guitar/drum albums in many years and a preview of what you can expect at Summer Bummer.

OREN AMBARCHI – ANDREAS WERLIIN – TASHI DORJI

Last year, the legendary Chicago label Drag City released ‘Ghosted’ by the collaborative trio of Oren Ambarchi, Johan Berthling and Andreas Werliin. Altough they had been making music together in different groups and constellations for many years, their first joint effort as a trio proved to be exceptional from start to finish. With the music taking form in the fertile space between jazz, minimal music, krautrock and African (poly)rhythms, the trio creates deep, entrancing grooves, subtly layered and constantly transforming. Due to an unfortunate accident, bass player Berthling will not be able to play shows in the next couple of weeks. Therefore Australian guitarist, multi-instrumentalist Ambarchi, one of the experimental scene’s most recognizable figures and drummer Werliin, of Fire! and Wildbirds & Peacedrums fame will perform in an unprecedented trio, yes another world premiere, with guitar player Tashi Dorji for what we believe will turn into one of the high lights of the festival.

MIKE REED’S SEPARATIST PARTY: MIKE REED – BEN LAMAR GAY – MARVIN TATE – COOPER CRAIN – DAN QUINLIVAN – ROB FRYE

Drummer Mike Reed (Artifacts, People Places and Things) convenes his Separatist Party in a twisting of musical landscapes. The project features poet/vocalist Marvin Tate, Ben LaMar Gay on Cornet, and the minimalist-psych trio of Bitchin Bajas (Cooper Crain, Dan Quinlivan and Rob Frye). The Separatist Party’s music is often heavily rhythmic and synthesized, occasionally epic in scope, with Tate’s lyrics carving out images of fragmentation and isolation. The music is part of a larger catalog of Reed compositions that was inspired by the 2015 news essay, “The Lonely Death of George Bell” by N.R. Kleinfield. Starting with minimal loops, and adding concentric layers the band creates a collage inspired as much by Don Cherry and Pharoah Sanders as by the Krautrock of Can, keyboard explorations of Terry Riley, and street preacher monologues.

TURQUOISE DREAM: CARLOS ZINGARO – MARTA WARELIS – HELENA ESPVALL – MARCELO DOS REIS

Turqoise Dream is a different kind of string quartet, bringing together Carlos Zingaro on violin (a pioneer of free improvisation) and younger generations of improvisers from all over Europe: cellist Helena Espvall from Sweden, pianist Marta Warelis from Poland and Portugese guitarist Marcelo dos Reis. This quartet is an example of how free improvisation with an attention for textural and timbral detail can morph into instant composition. This way, Turquoise Dream redefines chamber music in a fascinating way. Their magnificent first album, recorded live at Lisbon’s Jazz Em Agosto festival, delivers the proof.

HEIDI KVELVANE – TERRIE EX – LAZARA ROSELL ALBEAR

After their collaboration with Han Bennink on Friday, the young Norwegian alto saxophonist Heidi Kvelvane (Large Unit) and the Dutch iconoclastic guitarist Terrie Ex (The Ex, Lean Left) share the stage with the Cuban-Belgian percussionist and pocket trumpet player Lazara Rossel Albear from the Art Ensemble of Brussels. Sharing an interest in adventurous and spontaneous musical collaborations, this first time meeting will be full of surprises.

NEMØ ENSEMBLE: MANY WORLDS
ESTHER RISPENS – ELISABETH KLINCK – ESTHER COOREVITS – JASMIJN LOOTENS – NILS VERMEULEN – WIM PELGRIMS

‘Many Worlds’ is a project by double bass player Nils Vermeulen (Jukwaa, Frame Trio, Kabas) for Nemø ensemble. Fuelled by his explorations in the acoustic realm, he tries to create many different worlds for the ensemble to work in. For this project, he uses the language of just intonation. Using harmonic experience as a benchmark for interval determination, creates a very personal and intuitive way of making music together. Because every individual decision affects the whole, the musicians must be as perceptive as possible and make their chosen path hearable. All possibilities are already there. As a composer you organize sound in a particular way. Therefore, every member of the ensemble is not merely the performer but also the composer of this project. ‘Many Worlds’ are compositions that are simultaneously being performed and composed by the musicians of Nemø ensemble in a language of just intonation. Nemø ensemble was founded in September 2017 and performs contemporary, experimental music. The collective aims to connect existing repertoire with new pieces by young artists that are not afraid of crossing boundaries between different genres and artistic disciplines. For this project, the ensemble consists of Esther Rispens (voice), Elisabeth Klinck (violin), Esther Coorevits (viola), Jasmijn Lootens (cello), Nils Vermeulen (double bass) and Wim Pelgrims (percussion).

MARIA BERTEL

The Danish trombone player, improviser and composer Maria Bertel is one of the founders of the Copenhagen based art collective eget værelse and a core member of the band Selvhenter. By amplifying the acoustic sound of her instrument, she creates music that draws inspiration from drone and noise. What is usually not audible now presents itself clearly: movements, metal and breath all become a swirling part of her compositions. Changing organic patterns are emerging, tiny sounds become brutally clear as well as the range of overtones of the instrument.

LIEGENAAR

Liegenaar is the duo Jakke Jalink and Kiara Govaert. With a synth, a sampler, contact mics and other variable instruments, they construct sounds reminiscent of a stalactite filled cave. In love with unexpected fast rythms and heavy noises slowly evolving into whisperlike ambient parts. Come and witness this exercise of two people, trying to become one sonic body.

WORKSHOP: MUSISCOPES WITH PAK YAN LAU

Do you want to create some fascinating sounds and make music together with your children? Then come on to the garden of Trix where the Musiscopes are waiting to be explored…

Musiscopes is a mobile sound installation by Musica Impulse Center. It consists of six wooden sound boxes that, with a motley collection of sound objects, house an intimate acoustic universe. Those who want take a seat around the Musiscopes. With the help of an amplifier, you will discover the many sounds that are hiddin in these works of art. Thus, everyone makes their own private concert or you make music together with the help of some amplifiers.

This workshop is accompanied by pianist, improviser and sound artist Pak Yan Lau from Brussels, known from her projects and bands Bakunawa, Lauroshilau and Going.