Stet Lab: signing-out as curator

Stet Lab logo

Originally posted at Stet Lab [original article…]:

As previously announced, after thirty-two events over three and a quarter years, I’ve stepped down as curator of Stet Lab as of February 2011. The duties of running the Lab now are in the very capable hands of Veronica Tadman, Tony O’Connor, Athos Tsiopani with curatorial duties handled by Kevin Terry (Kevin and Tony performed at the very first Lab!). I’d like to thank all of them, Kevin, Veronica and Eoin Callery in particular, for their work keeping this no-budget, alternatively pedagogical space on track over the years. (And thanks for the whisky y’all!—sorry I was too taken to make a proper speech.)

My thanks also to all the guest artists who have shared the stage with us, generously contributing to, and transforming, this practice. There’s too many names to mention, but I’d like to thank, in particular, two club-runners, Bruce Coates (who with Sarah O’Halloran and I kicked-off Stet Lab in November ’07) and Mike Hurley for their advice, cautionary tales and encouragement; to Murray Campbell, Franziska Schroeder and John Godfrey who took time out of their busy schedules, and stepped-up when others would/could not; and to Corey Mwamba, Ian Smith, Justin Yang and Alex Hawkins for encouraging words, and an unwavering belief in grass-roots music organizations. Special thanks to Paul Dunmall, Mark Sanders and Don Malone; heavy-hitters who believed in the Lab enough to participate with neophyte improvisers in what must be, by their standards, a low-key event.

Kudos to Jesse Ronneau for supporting improvised music, and the aims of the Lab in particular, during his time in Cork. I apologize for the many whose name I’ve not listed, but y’all have my warmest thanks, and my sincerest admiration for your contributions—we are a better space for it!

Of course, the biggest thanks go to everyone who participated as listener (and I am thinking in particular of the regulars who come every month!), and to those brave ones who jump-in the deep-end!

Signing-off as curator: Thanks, thanks, thanks and thanks to y’all!

BTW, some of my observations about running this space around the half-way point of my tenure as curator are at ‘Lab report 2007-2009: how to run an improvised music club’.

Please note that Stet Lab’s site has moved to stetlab.wordpress.com. Please update your bookmarks for the site and the corresponding web feeds. busterandfriends.com/stet will remain as an archive of Lab activities between November 2007 and April 2011.

Also, there is now an index of Lab reports written between June 2008 and April 2011 by fourteen author-practitioners documented over nineteen events from the POV of the stage.

thanks: Mathilde 253 with Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith (Cork and Dublin, 2011)

Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith, Han-earl Park, Charles Hayward and Ian Smith (photos copyright 2011 Julia Healy)
Photos © 2011 Julia Healy

Thanks to Catherine Kirby and everyone at the National Concert Hall for able and professional assistance, to John Godfrey, Juniper Hill and Melanie L. Marshall, the then coordinators of the UCC Music Research Seminar Series, who strongly supported Wadada’s visit, and to Mary Hickson, Chris Gaughan, Peter Crudge, Eoin Winning and everyone at the Cork Opera House. Kudos to Tony O’Connor and Athos Tsiopani for the behind-the-scenes help, and to John Hough for the videography and the technical support. Thanks also to Carmel Daly and Mel Mercier of UCC School of Music; Gary Sheehan of Note Productions; Jeffrey Weeter, Paul O’Donnell and, formerly, Jesse Ronneau of the UCC Concerts Committee; and Andreas W. Ziemons, Niamh Ryan and Louise Walsh at Music Network. Thanks to David Leikam of the Arts Noticed, Linda Plover of Blue Monkey PR, Eoin Brady and Bernard Clarke of Nova, and Sandra Quinn at the Evening Echo for their support.

A big thank to the best sound engineer in the world, Alex Fiennes, for amplifying the Cork event, and making the performance sound its best! and to Melanie for the conversations and unofficial roadie duties. Kudos to Marian Murray for jumping into the deep end, a special note of thanks Paul G. Smyth for stepping-up to support this project, and to Dennis Cassidy, Fergus Cullen and Benedict Schlepper-Connolly who came to the rescue when our drum-hire situation briefly went into tail-spin.

And of course a big, big, big thanks to Charles Hayward, Ian Smith and Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith for letting me share in their skill, craft, intelligence, musicality, generosity and sense of play (and their patience with this first-time tour manager): I’ll treasure Charles’ rhythmic travels to the outer reaches of an alternative-universe Caribbean; Ian’s brave counterpoint; and the spiraling, expert stacatto precision of Wadada’s trumpet.

Last but not least, thanks to all who came to listen and witness creative music in real-time!

  • Arts Council Ireland logo
  • Music Network logo

Presented with funding from the Music Network Performance and Touring Award, and support from UCC School of Music, Note Productions, the National Concert Hall and the Cork Opera House.

thanks: Matana Roberts, Han-earl Park and Mark Sanders

Matana Roberts, Han-earl Park and Mark Sanders (original photos by Brett Walker, Stephanie Hough and Andrew Putler)
Matana Roberts, Han-earl Park and Mark Sanders (original photos by Brett Walker, Stephanie Hough and Andrew Putler)

Thanks to Paul O’Donnell and Jeffrey Weeter of the University College Cork Concert Series; to Kevin Terry and Athoulis Tsiopani for helping out on the evening; to the Music Research Seminar Series (run by John Godfrey, Juniper Hill and Melanie L Marshall) for hosting the talk by Matana; to the Head of Music, Mel Mercier; to Carmel Daly for administrative support; and to John Hough for the technical and photographic work. I’d like to thank Jesse Ronneau who worked to host many improvised music events at the School over the years. This was the last concert, before he moved on to greener pastures, with his involvement, and his support of, and belief in, this and other projects has been invaluable.

And a very, very big thanks to Matana and Mark for their incredible musicianship and generosity. I find Matana’s work daring, original and provocative—her sound is by turns humorous and beautiful, and always compelling—and Mark is about the finest drummer I have had the pleasure of working with. I hope I managed to keep up with them on the evening, and hope to play again.

Finally, thanks to all who came to support this event!

performance: Stet Lab’s third birthday

Stet Lab 10-11-10, 11-15-10 and 12-06-10 poster (click to download PDF…)
poster (click to download PDF…)

Monday, November 15, 2010, at 9:00 pm (doors open at 8:45pm): Stet Lab’s third birthday event takes place featuring Ian Smith (trumpet) with Han-earl Park (guitar), plus Andrea Bonino (guitar and electronics), Helena Reilly (voice) and Athoulis Tsiopani (keyboard). The event takes place at The Roundy (Castle Street, Cork, Ireland), and admission is €10/5. [Details…]

performance diary 03-31-10 (Cork, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Husbands Bosworth, London)

upcoming performances
date venue time details
April 12, 2010 The Roundy
Castle Street
Cork, Ireland
9:00pm (doors: 8:45pm) Stet Lab featuring John Godfrey (guitar) plus The Real-Time Company (for the Ad-Hoc Association) of… Enda Buckley (guitar), Tony O’Connor (bass guitar), Owen Sutton (drums) and Athoulis Tsiopani (keyboard).
Admission: €10 (€5).
[Details…]
April 14, 2010 House Gig
La Crosse Terrace
Glasgow
Scotland
7:30pm Performance by Han-earl Park (guitar) plus Heddy Boubaker (saxophone), Fritz Welch (percussion) and others.
Donations.
[facebook…]
April 15, 2010 Stills Gallery
23 Cockburn Street
Edinburgh EH1 1BP
Scotland
7:00pm Grind Sight Open Eye presents a performance by Han-earl Park (guitar) plus Heddy Boubaker (saxophone), Fritz Welch (percussion) and others.
Donations: £5.
[facebook…]
[Details…]
April 17, 2010 Turville Memorial Hall
Welford Road
Husbands Bosworth
Leicestershire LE17 6JX
England
7:00pm An open recording session by Lee Allatson, Han-earl Park, Jamie Smith and the four guys in Black Carrot.
[facebook…]
[Details…]
April 18, 2010 Cafe OTO
18–22 Ashwin Street
Dalston
London E8 3DL
England
8:00pm Performance by Charles Hayward (drums), Han-earl Park (guitar) and Ian Smith (trumpet and flugelhorn) plus special guest Lol Coxhill (saxophone).
Admission: £5 adv. / £6 on the door.
[Details…]
[Cafe OTO Page…]
[facebook…]
[Get tickets…]
May 10, 2010 The Roundy
Castle Street
Cork, Ireland
9:00pm (doors: 8:45pm) Stet Lab featuring Juniper Hill (voice) and friends, plus The Real-Time Company (for the Ad-Hoc Association) of… Philip Guiton (guitar), Marian Murray (violin), Claudia Schwab (violin) and Kevin Terry (guitar).
Admission: €10 (€5).
[Details…]
May 26, 2010 Blackrock Castle Observatory
Cork, Ireland
8:00pm (doors: 7:45pm) Debut performance by io 0.0.1 beta++ (itself) with Bruce Coates (saxophones), Franziska Schroeder (saxophones) and Han-earl Park (guitar), plus iWife (itself) with John Godfrey (guitar) and Francis Heery (diffusion).
Presented with funding from the Music Network Performance and Touring Award, and support from the Arts Council of Ireland, Blackrock Castle Observatory, The Castle Bar and Trattoria and the UCC School of Music.
€16 (€10).
[Details…]
[facebook…]
[Get tickets…]
2010 (TBC) Venue TBC TBC Performance by Han-earl Park (guitar), Mark Sanders (drums) and Franziska Schroeder (saxophones).
Details to follow…
Interested promoters and venues, please get in touch!

Continue reading “performance diary 03-31-10 (Cork, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Husbands Bosworth, London)”

performance diary 03-22-10 (Cork, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Market Harborough)

upcoming performances
date venue time details
April 12, 2010 The Roundy
Castle Street
Cork, Ireland
9:00pm (doors: 8:45pm) Stet Lab featuring John Godfrey (guitar) plus The Real-Time Company (for the Ad-Hoc Association) of… Enda Buckley (guitar), Tony O’Connor (bass guitar), Owen Sutton (drums) and Athoulis Tsiopani (keyboard).
Admission: €10 (€5).
[Details…]
April 14, 2010 House Gig
La Crosse Terrace
Glasgow
Scotland
7:30pm Performance by Han-earl Park (guitar) plus Heddy Boubaker (saxophone), Fritz Welch (percussion) and others.
Donations.
[facebook…]
April 15, 2010 Stills Gallery
23 Cockburn Street
Edinburgh EH1 1BP
Scotland
7:00pm Grind Sight Open Eye presents a performance by Han-earl Park (guitar) plus Heddy Boubaker (saxophone), Fritz Welch (percussion) and others.
Donations: £5.
[facebook…]
[Details…]
April 17, 2010 Venue TBC
Market Harborough, England
TBC Performance by Han-earl Park (guitar), Jamie Smith (guitar) and others.
Details to follow….
[facebook…]
April 18, 2010 Cafe OTO
18–22 Ashwin Street
Dalston
London E8 3DL
England
8:00pm Performance by Charles Hayward (drums), Han-earl Park (guitar) and Ian Smith (trumpet and flugelhorn).
Admission: £5 adv. / £6 on the door.
[Details…]
[Cafe OTO Page…]
[facebook…]
[Get tickets…]
May 10, 2010 The Roundy
Castle Street
Cork, Ireland
9:00pm (doors: 8:45pm) Stet Lab featuring Juniper Hill (voice) and friends, plus The Real-Time Company (for the Ad-Hoc Association) of… Philip Guiton (guitar), Marian Murray (violin), Claudia Schwab (violin) and Kevin Terry (guitar).
Admission: €10 (€5).
[Details…]
May 26, 2010 Blackrock Castle Observatory
Cork, Ireland
8:00pm (doors: 7:45pm) Debut performance by io 0.0.1 beta++ (itself) with Bruce Coates (saxophones), Franziska Schroeder (saxophones) and Han-earl Park (guitar), plus iWife (itself) with John Godfrey (guitar) and Francis Heery (diffusion).
Presented with funding from the Music Network Performance and Touring Award, and support from the Arts Council of Ireland, Blackrock Castle Observatory, The Castle Bar and Trattoria and the UCC School of Music.
€16 (€10).
[Details…]
[facebook…]
2010 (TBC) Venue TBC TBC Performance by Han-earl Park (guitar), Mark Sanders (drums) and Franziska Schroeder (saxophones).
Details to follow…
Interested promoters and venues, please get in touch!

Continue reading “performance diary 03-22-10 (Cork, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Market Harborough)”

performances: Safety First plus DIG

Interrupt the usual updates with news of a performance by my students.

On Friday March 19, 2010, 1:00 pm, at the Ó Riada Hall, UCC Music Building, Sundays Well, Cork, Ireland:

The Safety First Improvisers are putting on their end of year show. It will feature instances of momentary weirdness, inside and outside, reggae-rock-nuts and a popular Christmas number one. Support by the Dangerous Improvisations Group. Admission is free!

Every year is different, but this’ll be… all over the map! 🙂