If you look at the line-up for this one-night only concert at Walt Disney Concert on Tuesday night, you’d be convinced that Ryan Gosling’s character in La La Land was completely wrong. Jazz is not dying on the vine. The Edge of Jazz is a one-night only concert of jazz world premieres curated by Herbie Hancock. The website describes the works selected as walking the line between formal composition and improvisation.
On the bill are new works from Hitomi Oba, Vijay Iyer, Billy Childs, Kamasi Washington, Tyshawn Sorey and Hermeto Pascoal. Conductor Paolo Bortolameolli leads the New Music Group of the LA Philharmonic in this concert.
The works having their world premieres (all of which were commissioned by the LA Philharmonic) are:
Aina by Hitomi Oba
Oba is a composer and saxophonist and has the distinction of both opening the concert and being the sole woman on the bill. She is one of the founders of the new music collective LA Signal Lab. She performs with multiple ensembles (of varying configurations) and also teaches at UCLA.
Crisis Modes by Vijay Iyer
Pianist/composer Vijay Iyer has the distinction of having been voted Downbeat Magazine‘s artist of the year three times. He’s a MacArthur Fellow and one of the most highly acclaimed musician/composers of our time. Far From Over, his 2017 release, topped the Billboard Magazine jazz charts.
of Darkness and Light by Billy Childs
Five-time Grammy Award winner Billy Childs is both a jazz pianist and composer.His most recent album was 2017’s Rebirth. Over the course of his career he has received commissions from the LA Philharmonic, the LA Master Chorale and several other organizations. Amongst his earliest influences is this project’s curator, Herbie Hancock
Struggle from Within by Kamasi Washington
If you listen to KCRW you know Kamasi Washington headed their list of the best albums of 2018 with his most recent recording, Heaven and Earth. His previous album, The Epic, was a monumental 172-minute recording that put him front and center in discussions about contemporary jazz music.
For Fred Lerdahl by Tyshawn Sorey.
Sorey’s most recent record, Pillars, was hailed by critics around the world and found itself on several Best of 2018 lists. He plays multiple instruments and has performed with John Zorn, Steve Coleman and Vijay Iyer.
Suite Universal by Hermeto Pascoal
Pascoal is a multi-instrumentalist/composer from Brazil who first came to the United States in 1970 following the success of the group Quarteto Novo with Airto Moreira.  Beyond his own performances of his work, Pascoal’s compositions have been performed by a diverse group of artists that ranges from the Berlin Symphony to Gil Evan
Images of Herbie Hancock, Billy Childs and Paoloa Bortolameolli courtesy of the LA Philharmonic.