SCOTT AMENDOLA - 
TREVOR DUNN -
PHILLIP GREENLIEF

Scott Amendola, Trevor Dunn, and Phillip Greenlief have been working together in various configurations for more than 30 years. Here they are pleased to present these storied players in a classic horn – bass – drums trio, a historic jazz formation that each of these players has expanded and exploded. Their distinguished solo careers have seen them share stage and studio with eminent artists ranging from Fred Frith, Meredith Monk, and Mr Bungle to Buzz Osborne, Zeena Parkins, and John Zorn. But it is this time-tested relationship that conjures their most personal and profound creations.

Whether mining electro-acoustic textures that veer into microscopic noise, or the cross-pollinated avant garde history to which these musicians have been active contributors, this trio creates spontaneous improvisations that evoke both abandon and crafted composition. The musicians’ formal and stylistic experimentation is always in service of urgent emotion; you can hear it in the duo recordings of Greenlief and Amendola (Collect My Thoughts, on Nine Winds; Stay With It, on Clean Feed Records) and Greenlief and Dunn (Untitled on Greenlief’s Evander Music; Twenty-Seven, on Dunn’s Riverworm imprint), as well as in the extensive body of work Amendola and Dunn have created with the Nels Cline Singers.

Scott Amendola, drums, electronics
Trevor Dunn, contrabass
Phillip Greenlief, woodwinds

For Scott Amendola, the drum kit isn’t so much an instrument as a musical portal. As an ambitious composer, savvy bandleader, electronics explorer, first-call accompanist and capaciously creative foil for some of the world’s most inventive musicians, Amendola applies his wide-ranging rhythmic virtuosity to a vast array of settings. His closest musical associates include guitarists Charlie Hunter, Nels Cline, and Jeff Parker, Hammond B-3 organist Wil Blades, violinist Jenny Scheinman, saxophonist Phillip Greenlief, clarinetist Ben Goldberg, bassists Trevor Dunn, and Todd Sickafoose, players who have each forged a singular path within and beyond the realm of jazz.

While rooted in the San Francisco Bay Area scene, Amendola has woven a dense and far-reaching web of bandstand relationships that tie him to influential artists in jazz, blues, rock and new music. A potent creative catalyst, the Berkeley-based drummer is the nexus for a disparate community of musicians stretching from Los Angeles and Seattle to Chicago and New York. Whatever the context, Amendola possesses a gift for twisting musical genres in unexpected directions.

Over a career spanning more than three decades, Amendola has forged deep ties across the country, and throughout the world. As an ambitious composer, savvy bandleader, electronics explorer, first-call accompanist, and capaciously creative foil for some of the world’s most inventive musicians, Amendola applies his wide-ranging rhythmic virtuosity to a vast array of settings.

Trevor Dunn: 

1968: Born traversing a fine line between hippies and rednecks behind the redwood curtain. First musical affinities: The Beach Boys, Blondie, Cheap Trick, Kiss. First television: Ultraman, Speedracer, Bugs Bunny. First films: Over The Edge, The Mouse & His Child, Snoopy Come Home, Bedknobs & Broomsticks. First books: Zylpha Keatly Snyder’s Witches of Worm & Harriet Weaver’s Beloved Was Bahamas

1977: Began studies on clarinet

1981: Began studies on electric bass right after older brother brought home a 7” of Detroit Rock City. Immediately got involved in two bands, one called Ful Choke and the other, Gemini.

1986: The same year that Lynch’s Blue Velvet and Slayer’s Reign In Blood were released, graduated from EHS. The school’s motto: “Pigs live in litter, loggers live in pride”. Started a band called Mr. Bungle. Then got a job at a Shakey’s pizza run by Born Again Christians. The marquee read: Jesus Saves, We Deliver. Began classical technique studies on the contrabass.

1990: Graduated from Humboldt State University after studying the likes of Harry Partch, Iannis Xenakis, Alban Berg, Igor Stravinksy, Gustav Mahler, Bach, you know, all the cats. Also performed Koussevitsky’s Concerto for Double Bass with the HSO after winning the department’s Concerto/Aria competition.

1992: First Mr. Bungle record released on Warner Bros. Moved to SF and two months later embarked on the first MB tour of the US. At the age of 24 was one of the oldest people in the van. For the next eight years played lots of weddings and restaurants between tours with MB. Learned a lot about music playing with Connah, Goldberg, Schott, Kavee, Amendola, Greenlief, et al.

2000: Relocated to Brooklyn, NYC.

Currently Playing sporadically in several bands such as Endangered Blood, Dan Weiss’ Starebaby, SpermChurch (duo with Sannety) and various projects under the direction of John Zorn (Nova Quartet, Brian Marsella Trio, Asmodeus). Also sometimes with Wendy Eisenberg, The Melvins, Kris Davis & Oliver Steidle. Also writing music for film, trio-convulsant, a singer/songwriter home recording project, and a piece for loud, amplified solo bass.

Since his emergence on the west coast in the late 1970s, saxophonist/composer Phillip Greenlief has achieved international acclaim for his recordings and performances with musicians and composers in the post-jazz continuum as well as new music innovators and virtuosic improvisers. He has performed with Wadada Leo Smith, Meredith Monk, Rashaun Mitchell & Silas Reiner, and They Might Be Giants. Albums include two LANTSKAP LOGIC TRIO releases (w/ Evelyn Davis and Fred Frith), THAT OVERT DESIRE OF OBJECT with Joelle Leandre, ALL AT ONCE with FPR (Frank Gratkowski and Jon Raskin), and OH THAT MONSTER with LA punk pioneers Thelonious Monster. Recent residencies have included the Banff Center for Art and Creativity, Neue Muzik Koln, and Headlands Center for the Arts. His critical writing has been published in Artforum, Open Space (SFMOMA), Sound American, and Signal to Noise.
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“The Bay Area’s do-it-yourself ethos has produced a bevy of dazzlingly creative musicians, but few have put the philosophy to work as effectively as Phillip Greenlief.” – Andrew Gilbert, San Francisco Chronicle

Run Time: 90 minutes, including an intermission.