• Woodwinds: Christine Tavolacci – Alto Flute/Flute, Daniel Weidlein – Flute/ Soprano Sax/Tenor Saxophone, Justo Almario – Flute/Clarinet/Tenor Saxophone, Gavin Templeton – Flute/Alto Saxophone/Bass Clarinet/Baritone Sax, Ryan Wilkins – Bassoon/Contrabassoon, John Stehney -Bassoon/Contrabassoon
  • Rhythm Section: Daniel Szabo – Piano, Alexander Noice – Electric Guitar, José Gurría-Cárdenas – Drumset
  • String Section: Eric KM Clark – Violin, Tylana Renga – Violin, Lauren Baba -Viola, Betsy Rettig – Violoncello, Tara Atkinson – Violoncello, Dave Tranchina – Doublebass
  • Guest: Tom McNally – Electric Guitar
  • Conductor: Marc Lowenstein

Gurría, 43, says he’s thrilled, but he wonders: Can a jazz symphony grow blue hair and enter the classical repertory? A sharper picture will emerge this Sunday, October 2, at the John Anson Ford Amphitheater during the Angel City Jazz Festival, where “Skies” will get its West Coast premiere.
“Skies” comes to Los Angeles — Coleman’s artistic crucible for most of the 1950s, before he attained jazz-icon status — by a twisting path. Its story highlights the challenges a black avantist faced in a traditionally white realm. It reveals key information Coleman withheld from his conductor. And it points to an uncertain future wherein a work rooted in improvisation and personal method bids for survival after its composer’s 2015 death.
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Greg Burk