ONLINE: DRIFT
Skye Cooper
Trumpet player Dave Cooper leads Drift and QUAD, and performs with Isthmus Brass, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and Madison Symphony Orchestra.
Led by trumpet player Dave Cooper, the DRIFT ensemble was initially gathered to play a set of compositions and arrangements by Cooper, inspired by music from Béla Bartók to Miles Davis. Making up for March and December 2020 DIG Jazz dates postponed by the pandemic, DRIFT reconvenes with some new Cooper compositions and a reconfigured lineup just for this show. Pianist Chris Rottmayer is unable to participate, so tenor sax player Tom Gullion (from Cooper's more improvisation-based group, QUAD) will make up the quartet with returning drummer Matt Endres and bassist Nick Moran. Find the free Madison Music Collective livestream on the Arts + Literature Laboratory Facebook and YouTube pages.
press release: The ensemble DRIFT is an acoustic jazz quartet that focuses on through-composed music. As opposed to the head-solos-head format of conventional small group jazz, many of QUAD's works do not repeat forms, but are composed start to finish with solos sections built within the piece. Influences/inspirations are drawn from Bela Bartok, Miles Okazaki, Kenny Werner, Kenny Wheeler. All compositions and arrangements for DRIFT are by Dave Cooper composed within 2018-19.
David Cooper - Trumpet, Tom Gulliom - Tenor Sax, Chris Rottmayer - Piano, Matt Endres - Drums, Nick Moran - Bass
The DIG JAZZ Series is presented by Madison Music Collective, Arts+Literature Laboratory, Janus Galleries, John & Carolyn Peterson Charitable Foundation, Dane Arts, Wisconsin Arts Board, WORT-FM, North Street Cabaret, Bear Sound and MadisonPro Audio.