Author Archives: Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi

Music Listings – 3/7 through 3/13/2016

1. Mary Halvorson 

Date: Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Time:  8pm
Venue: The Roulette (509 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217)
Ticket: $20
Genre: jazz/improv

Famed jazz guitarist Mary Halvorson celebrates the second night of her Roulette residency with a debut performance from the new trio comprised of Ambrose Akinmusire, Craig Taborn, and Halvorson.

Guitarist/composer Mary Halvorson has been called “NYC’s least-predictable improviser” (Howard Mandel, City Arts), “the most forward-thinking guitarist working right now” (Lars Gotrich, NPR.org) and “one of today’s most formidable bandleaders” (Francis Davis, Village Voice). Ms. Halvorson is best known for her longstanding trio, featuring bassist John Hébert and drummer Ches Smith, and more recently for her solo guitar project, Meltframe. She has several other projects as a bandleader including a quintet, septet and octet. Collaborative projects include a chamber-jazz duo with violist Jessica Pavone, the avant-rock band People and the collective ensembles Thumbscrew (with Michael Formanek and Tomas Fujiwara) and Secret Keeper (with Stephan Crump). Ms. Halvorson is also an active member of bands led by Anthony Braxton, Taylor Ho Bynum, Trevor Dunn, Tomas Fujiwara, Ingrid Laubrock, Joe Morris, Tom Rainey, Mike Reed and Marc Ribot, among others.

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“Freelance Isn’t Free” – Freelancers Union Makes a Show of Support to End Abuse of Freelance Workers

Freelancers Union Legislation Hearing logoText by Dawoud Kringle

Photos and video by Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi

One would think that freelance work is lucrative. On paper, in theory, this is true. The reality, however, is very different. The sad fact is that 1.3 million freelancers in New York city lost an average of $6,000 a year to nonpayment. The reason for this is simple. There is no legal protection for freelancers. If a freelance worker is hired for a job, often he / she is not paid. They may be underpaid, paid late, or never paid at all. If they sue the company, there is no legal framework clearly defining freelancers’ rights in the way a regular W2 employee’s rights are protected. Even if they do win the case, freelancers have no way to actually collect what they’re owed. To add insult to injury, freelancers who dare to challenge having their rightfully earned wages stolen are often blacklisted. The situation is, quite simply, intolerable.

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Event Review: Condensing the Vapors of Ideals into the Liquid of Process: Musicians for Musicians Holds its Third Public Meeting

Date: February, 23, 2016
Venue: CA Music Room (NY)

Review by Dawoud Kringle

MFM Open Meeting 2-23-2016On Tuesday, 2/23/16, Musicians For Musicians (MFM) held its third open public meeting at CA Music Room. The attendance was a bit thin, but considering the miserable weather, this was no surprise.

After the ritualistic opening of the meeting with a musical offering (this time, it was MFM founder Sohrab Saadat’s solo saxophone exploration of his composition “Sad Sake”), the discourse and dialogue over the processes, possibilities, and definitions of MFM and its agenda began to take shape.

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Music Listings – 2/29 through 3/6/2016

1. Lauren Lee

Date: Monday, February 29, 2016
Time: 7:30 pm
Venue: Antibes Bistro (112 Suffolk St, New York, New York 10002)
Tickets: $t.b.a.
Genre: jazz

Lauren Lee is a forward-thinking vocalist, pianist, and composer based in New York City. A native of the St. Louis (MO) metropolitan area. Her interest in jazz and contemporary classical music lead her to New York University in 2009 to begin a Master of Music in Jazz Studies. By studying under greats like Kenny Werner and Gil Goldstein, she began to find a compositional and improvisational voice of her own. Since graduation, she’s continued to find her voice her three ensembles: The Velocity Duo, a completely improvised electro-acoustic bass and voice duet project; and her “Space Jazz” trio, which focuses on her classical and singer-songwriter flavored jazz compositions, and her standards trio, a guitar/bass/voice ensemble that plays jazz vocal favorites.

She will be joined by: Andrew Miramonti on guitar and Andrew Grau on bass. Continue reading →

MFM and DooBeeDoo endorse “FREELANCERS TO COUNCIL: MAKE DEADBEAT COMPANIES PAY”

Freelancers Union Legislation HearingNYC Council’s Committee on Consumer Affairs Holds Hearing on Freelance Isn’t Free Act; Graphic Artists, Writers, Domestic Workers and more Rally at City Hall in Support of Bill

1.3 Million Freelancers in NYC; Average Lost to Nonpayment Epidemic: $5,968 / year

WHAT: At press conference before NYC Council’s Consumer Affairs Committee hearing, gig workers rally behind bill to stop NYC’s nonpayment epidemic, pass “Freelance Isn’t Free” Act.

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