<< back to schedule The Improvisation Summit of Portland 2016


Date: Friday, June 3  |  Time: 10:55pm  |  Stage: Stage 2

Ava Mendoza joined by local garage-free-jazz group Halfbird.

Ava Mendoza’s eclectic guitar playing that draws on elements of classical, blues, Jazz, metal and noise had earned her recognition as the fret board and stompbox wizard in the Oakland noise and free-improvisational music scenes. Since then, Mendoza has relocated to Brooklyn, New York where she plays in her trio Unnatural Ways and has extensively toured the USA and Europe. Mendoza brings an everlasting fluxus moods and energies to her performances. Mendoza does not hesitate to jump from blues finger picking to abrasive metal and walls of noise all with seamless transitions to make the wide variety of sounds very cohesive and personal which a listener can identify as an authentic expression of a musician that does not believe in the boundaries of classification and genres.
http://avamendozamusic.com/

Halfbird is Grant Pierce (drums), Ben Kates (sax), and Brandon Conway (guitar). They play wild, maximalist improvisations influenced by free-jazz, punk, thrash, and noise.
https://halfbird.bandcamp.com/