A wildly charismatic trumpeter with a global musical vision, Will Magid has earned a devoted following with his Bay Area concert series World Wide Dance Party, a moveable musical feast serving up celebratory sounds from around the world. The multi-instrumentalist, producer and DJ returns to the Gardens with Alligator Spacewalk, what Magid describes as “a sonic journey through time and space blending 1920s jazz, French Impressionism, funk, and global sounds.” The singular ensemble features trombonist Adam Theis, Garett Kobsef on saxophone, clarinet, and flute, violinist Shaina Evoniuk, Kevin Wong on B3 organ, guitarist Zebuel Early, drummer Paul Oliphant, percussionist Brandon Lee, MC Aima The Dreamer, and vocalist Fred Ross.
In addition to performing pieces from the new Alligator Spacewalk record, the ensemble premieres “The Lunar Conquest Suite,” a new composition by Fulbright recipient Teddy Raven. The piece interprets the trials and tribulations of the individuals involved in the events leading to the moon landing, and utilizes recently released audio samples from the NASA archive.
The Cosa Nostra Strings, a spin-off of Theis’s Jazz Mafia, shares this stylistically expansive, personnel-overlapping program. Featuring Theis and Evoniuk, violist Keith Lawrence, and Lewis Patzner on cello and trombone, the CNS specializes in original hybrid crossover music encompassing acoustic heavy metal and soaring power ballads.