Demolition Duo Explodes is:

John Savage, flutes and saxophones
Ken Ollis, drums and percussion

with special guests:

Juniana Lanning, electronics
Dan Duval, guitar
Alyssa Reed-Stuewe, vocals
Joe Cunningham, tenor saxophone
Jonathan Sielaff, bass clarinet

This concert features the Demolition Duo (Ken Ollis and John Savage) in improvised trios and large ensemble compositions and improvisations. The performance will also be a CD release for Ollis and Savage’s new CD on PJCE Records (http://pjcerecords.org)

Ken Ollis

Ken Ollis is a drummer and composer from Portland, OR. He has performed extensively throughout the US, Canada, and Europe, and has played with a variety of musicians including: Kenny Werner, Ingrid Jensen, Julian Priester, The Drifters, Bud Shank, John Stowell, Darrell Grant, John Gross, Dan Balmer, Chata Addy, Rob Blakeslee, Rich Halley, Glen Moore, and many others.

Most recently, his projects have included work with Dominique Eade, Heather Masse (from The Wailin’ Jennys), Aoife O’Donovan (from Crooked Still), Pepe and The Bottle Blondes, Paxselin Quartet, and several other groups. Ken also regularly performs in collaboration with painters, poets, dancers, and cinematographers. His compositions are featured in the repertoire of the Paxselin Quartet, the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble, PDX Ensemble, The Chamber of Commerce, and in his own groups.

John Savage

Flutist, saxophonist, and composer John C. Savage has been compared to Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Jean-Pierre Rampall, Herbie Mann, and Ian Anderson. Known equally as “a thoughtful and rigorous improviser,” and “a badass, knock-down-drag-out force to be reckoned with” (The Willamette Week), Savage lived in New York City for nearly a decade performing with, amongth others, The Savage 3, Billy Fox (The Uncle Wiggly Suite), the electroacoustic duo Cartridge, The Brooklyn Qawwali Party (eponymous release), and the Andrew Hill Big Band (A Beautiful Day). Savage continues to be a sought-after soloist and collaborator on both coasts working with a wide variety of artists, including the NYC-based Kitsurie Ensemble (The Kaidan Suite and Amanogawa), Point to Line (with flutist Lisa Bost-Sandberg), and Portland’s improvised woodwind and drum set group, Demolition Duo. Savage has received honors and awards from New York University, the Atlantic Center for the Arts, the Oregon Arts Commission, and the Portland-based Regional Arts and Culture Council. Savage also served on the board for Portland’s Creative Music from 2010-2013 as development coordinator. Savage holds a Ph.D from New York University in performance and improvisation.

Creative Music Guild presents Demolition Duo Explodes
as part of the 2014 March Music Moderne.

Supported in part by Performance Works NW || Alembic Co-Production Series.