Tonight's performance showcases the artistry of a new quartet of inventive musicians from the jazz world. Myra Melford (piano/harmonium), Ben Goldberg (clarinet), Scott Amendola (drums), and John Shifflett (bass) join forces for a memorable evening of original compositions. The musicians are donating a percentage of the proceeds to benefit to the The Jazz and Improvised Music Fund of the Department of Music, UC Berkeley (JIM Fund). Plus, all ticket holders will be able to download the show for free!.

A musical adventurer, Myra recasts the blues and boogie-woogie of her native Chicago, folds in elements from sources as far afield as klezmer, tango, and chamber music, and blends them with the rangy, percussive avant-garde approach she cultivated in studies with Don Pullen and Henry Threadgill.

Clarinetist Ben Goldberg makes music based on avant-jazz and folk forms, by turns deeply grooving and earthy or sublimely ethereal. Ben's work with New Klezmer Trio, Tin Hat, Junk Genius, and his own Ben Goldberg Quintet attests to the stunning vitality of this performer, who refers to the clarinet as "the narrow prism that refracts the spectrum of my music."

Drummer Scott Amendola applies his wide-ranging rhythmic virtuosity and his gift for twisting musical genres in unexpected directions to a vast array of settings, as an ambitious composer, a savvy bandleader, and a creative foil for some of the world’s most inventive artists in jazz, blues, rock, and new music.

Bassman John Shifflett is currently a music instructor at San Jose State University. John has done countless studio sessions, and his show business experience includes tours with Frankie Avalon and the Ringling-Barnum & Bailey circus, but his primary focus has always been jazz. He has performed with the likes of Dave Liebman, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Red Holloway, Ernie Watts, John Zorn, Madeleine Peyroux, and Kurt Elling.

Amazingly, this particular quartet has never performed before, even though all the members have deep musical connections with one another: Ben plays in Myra’s Be Bread sextet; Scott and Ben collaborate in the groups Go Home and Plays Monk; and John is part of the Scott Amendola Trio, and Quintet. Melford, who moved to the Bay Area in 2004, says, “I’ve been waiting for an opportunity like this to make music with these incredible musicians. A hometown band in my new hometown.”

The group will present compositions by Myra, Scott, and Ben. “I’ve been writing a lot of new music for this concert,” says Ben, “and one thing I know is that something unexpected and wonderful will happen when musicians of this caliber get a hold of those tunes.”

Visit Myra Melford's website

Visit Ben Goldberg's website

Visit Scott Amendola's website

Listen to a track from Myra Melford: