Due to repairs at the library auditorium, April’s concert will be at the Edye, a black box theater connected to the Broad Stage, at 1310 11th St, at the regular time of 3:30PM. It’s at the corner of 11th St. and Santa Monica Blvd, four blocks east of the Main Library. There is a large free parking lot.
This show is a collaboration with the Venice-based Cold Blue Music record label and features pieces from their catalog. It begins with John Luther Adams’ “Darkness and Scattered Light,” for five basses. On record, the late Robert Black (of Bang on a Can) recorded all five parts. For this, the LA premiere, the players will be John Graves, Hakeem Holloway, James Bergman, Christopher Roberts, and Jeff Schwartz. Bergman, Roberts, and Schwartz will follow this with “Flying,” from Roberts’ “Trios for Deep Voices,” and the program concludes with the world premiere of Nicholas Chase’s “Tiny Thunder,” for piano-four hands, played by Brian Pezzone and Jennifer Logan.
The library auditorium should be back in service for the May 4 performance by Joe Baiza’s quartet. Thanks to James Bergman and Santa Monica College for hosting this special show. See you there!
Soundwaves co-founder Jeff Schwartz gave presentations on the series at the 2017 California Library Association conference (in Riverside) and the 2020 New Music Gathering (online). Note that the theme of the 2017 conference was “New Worlds Emerge” and the 2020 one “Local Action.”
The Santa Monica Public Library’s acclaimed Soundwaves new music series will present seven concerts in 2024, each on the first Saturday of the month at 3:30PM, all in the Main Library’s Martin Luther King Jr. Auditorium at 601 Santa Monica Blvd.
The year begins with two shows of contemporary compositions for strings. On January 6, the Isaura String Quartet gives a program featuring the world premiere of a piece written for them by Sarah Hennies, and violinist/violist/vocalist Wendy Richman, best known as a member of the International Contemporary Ensemble, performs February 3, joined for part of her set by percussionist Tim Feeney.
On March 2 Chris Jonas, a saxophonist who has worked with Cecil Taylor and Anthony Braxton, presents Music from the Deserts, a video and set of compositions inspired by his home in Santa Fe. His band features Cory Wright (reeds), Lisa Mezzacappa (bass), and Jason Levis (drums), all from Oakland.
April 6 spotlights pieces from recent releases on the Venice-based postminimalist Cold Blue Music record label including John Luther Adams’ “Darkness and Scattered Light” for five basses.
On May 4, guitarist Joe Baiza, founder of SST Records bands Saccharine Trust and Universal Congress Of, brings a quartet with Jessika Kenney (vocals), David O. Jones (bass guitar), and Brian Christopherson (drums).
The final two shows are both by bassist-led groups that combine contemporary chamber music and improvisation. On June 1, six-string bass guitarist Steuart Liebig presents the latest edition of his band Minim, with Breana Gilcher (oboe), Maggie Parkins (cello), and Vicki Ray (piano), then the series concludes on July 6 with The Present Quartet, organized by Soundwaves co-founder Jeff Schwartz with Ellen Burr (flutes), Anne LeBaron (harp), and Charles Sharp (winds).
Soundwaves was created by librarian/musician Jeff Schwartz and composer Daniel Rothman in 2016 to present cutting-edge music at the Santa Monica Public Library. It has received grants from the Friends of the Santa Monica Public Library and the Amphion Foundation, and programs have included collaborations with the Angel City Jazz Festival, Piano Spheres, Jacaranda Music, Microfest, Cold Blue Music, and the Dog Star Orchestra. A complete list of shows, with many videos, is at soundwavesnewmusic.com.
Over the course of almost 100 events, Soundwaves has demonstrated three ideas: that Los Angeles has been crucial to multiple experimental musical communities, from refugee Modernist composers to free jazz to punk rock and beyond, that very challenging work can be successfully presented to a general audience, and that libraries and other public spaces can partially substitute for grassroots venues and other arts resources lost to gentrification.
All Library programs are free and open to the public. Parking is available underneath the Main Library, several bus lines and the Metro E line stop nearby, and there are bike racks. The MLK Auditorium is wheelchair accessible. Please call (310) 458-8600 to request additional accommodations.
The Santa Monica Public Library’s acclaimed Soundwaves new music series continues, with six events in September through December, all at the Main Library’s Martin Luther King Jr. Auditorium, 601 Santa Monica Blvd.
All the musical performances are on Saturdays at 3:30 p.m. September 2, at 3:30 p.m, rising star Patrick Shiroishi presents music for four saxophonists. On October 7 Anna Homler sings in invented languages and creates sound with found objects, joined by Jorge Martin on electronics and series coordinator Jeff Schwartz on string bass. November 4 composer Michael Jon Fink picks up his guitar for a set of music inspired by the experimental side of cool jazz, with clarinetist Brian Walsh and cellist Derek Stein. Bay Area clarinetist Ben Goldberg visits December 2 with an all-star trio including Grammy and Tony-winning bassist Todd Sickafoose and drummer Scott Amendola, and on December 9 Berlin-based oboist Cathy Milliken, a founding member of Ensemble Modern, performs with Jeff Schwartz and series co-founder Daniel Rothman (clarinet).
In addition, Soundwaves is teaming with the Angel City Jazz Festival to host a talk by composer/performer Nicole Mitchell, on her recent book The Mandorla Letters: For the Hopeful, on Thursday, October 26, at 6:30 p.m. Mitchell’s book is an original, powerful, and accessible blend of Afrofuturist fiction, memoir, ecofeminist manifesto, and notes on her music. A book sale and signing will follow her talk.
Since 2016 Soundwaves has regularly presented free concerts of cutting-edge music at the Santa Monica Public Library, supported by the Friends of SMPL and the Amphion Foundation, including collaborations with the Angel City Jazz Festival, Piano Spheres, Jacaranda Music, Microfest, Cold Blue Music, and the Dog Star Orchestra.
Soundwaves focuses on noncommercial music, drawing on Los Angeles’ large and complex history of experimentation in rock, jazz, classical, and uncategorizable creative music, bringing the underground back to the westside. Visit soundwavesnewmusic.com for more information, including videos of many past shows.
All Library programs are free and open to the public. Seating is limited and on a first arrival basis. For more information, call (310) 458-8600 or visit smpl.org. The Auditorium is wheelchair accessible. For other disabled services, call Library Administration at (310) 458-8600 one week ahead. The Main Library is directly served by Big Blue routes 1, R10 and 18. Other bus routes and the Blue Line stop nearby. Ride your bike. Bike racks are available.
Miller Wrenn and Sean Sonderegger led an open participation community workshop on conducted improvisation, using the Conduction system codified by Lawrence “Butch” Morris, and their own ideas for organizing music while it is being made.
The Santa Monica Public Library’s acclaimed Soundwaves new music series resumes, with free concerts the first Saturday of each month at the Pico Branch Library Annex in Virginia Avenue Park, at the corner of Pico and Cloverfield.
On January 7, 2023 violinist/violist Lauren Baba, known for her work with her big band, the Vitamin String Quartet, and as a touring musician for Japanese Breakfast, leads a jazz sextet. February 4 Jacaranda Music presents the work of Philip Glass, with a flute duo and a short film with a score by Glass recorded by Jacaranda’s Mark Alan Hilt on organ. CalArts faculty member Randy Gloss heads a percussion ensemble using instruments and rhythms from around the world on March 4, and Redlands Symphony Principal Bass Scott Worthington performs a solo recital April 1. Cosmic Vibrations, featuring vocalist Dwight Trible, who worked with Horace Tapscott and Pharoah Sanders, bring spontaneous spiritual jazz on May 6, and the season concludes June 3 with the Smudges: violinist Jeff Gauthier and cellist Maggie Parkins, whose work incorporates improvisation and electronics.
From 2016 to 2020 Soundwaves regularly presented cutting-edge music at the Main Library, supported by the Friends of SMPL and the Amphion Foundation, including collaborations with the Angel City Jazz Festival, Piano Spheres, Jacaranda Music, Microfest, Cold Blue Music, and the Dog Star Orchestra Festival. Soundwaves focuses on noncommercial music, drawing on Los Angeles’ large and complex history of experimentation in rock, jazz, classical, and uncategorizable creative music, bringing the underground back to the westside. Visit soundwavesnewmusic.com for more information, including videos of many past shows.
The Pico Annex is an indoor/outdoor space. Its configuration will vary to suit the music and weather. For indoor events, masking is currently encouraged by not required. SMPL will follow LA County Health Department guidelines in case of any changes. These concerts are free and open to the public. There are no tickets or reservations. Free parking is available and the #7 Big Blue Bus stops at the park
From January 2016 to March 2020, the Soundwaves concert series presented dozens of free performances of world-class creative music at the Santa Monica Public Library, including collaborations with PianoSpheres, Jacaranda, the Angel City Jazz Festival, Microfest, Cold Blue Music, the Dog Star Orchestra Festival, and others. Due to cuts in the Library’s budget and hours, the regular series will not resume.
However, there will be three Saturday afternoon concerts this summer, outdoors at the Library’s Pico Branch Annex in Virginia Avenue Park, at 2200 Virginia Ave, Santa Monica, CA, 90404. They’re at 3:30 on the first Saturday of the month, one set only. No tickets or reservations, just come on by.
There will be no Soundwaves events until it is safe for people to gather again. As many of the artists scheduled for March, April, May, and June will be rebooked as possible once the next season can be planned.
That season will be partially supported by a grant from the Amphion Foundation. Many thanks to them.
Meanwhile, videos of past shows are available on this page, and more are on their way.
Follow this page on your RSS reader for updates, subscribe to the Library’s YouTube channel for new video uploads, like or follow SMPL on other social media for all library developments, and stay safe.
Soundwaves 