| Performer Bios |
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| Last Updated: Thursday, January 22, 2004 |
Friday, February 27, 8 PM, $7, All Ages
Atomic Chamber Ensemble (Seattle)
| Jaxie Binder | Curt Golden | Dean Jensen |
| Bob Williams | Chris Gibson |
This acoustic guitar ensemble springs from a rich tradition of interactive music making. With an approach grounded in Robert Fripp's Guitar Craft, their material ranges from highly intricate compositions to playful circulated improvisations, from explosive harmonic polyrhythms to haunting melodies that take the breath away.
The Atomic Chamber Ensemble, formerly known as the Seattle Guitar Circle, has appeared in and around Seattle since their formation in 1998. Some of the venues where they have performed include Bumbershoot, the Northwest Folklife Festival, On the Boards, the Seattle Art Museum, King Cat Theater, I-Spy, Vancouver TV, and various radio programs. Currently in the Ensemble are founding members Jaxie Binder, Curt Golden, Dean Jensen, and Bob Williams, as well as Chris Gibson, who joined in 2000. Their first CD, "Twilight", also includes Steve Ball and Bill Rieflin. Their second recording includes Derek DiFillippo, and is scheduled for release in early 2004.
http://www.atomicchamberensemble.com
Jaxie Binder
New York native Jaxie Binder began to study violin at the age of 9, an instrument she continued to play through her early twenties. She first seriously took up the guitar at the age of 21, when a friend gave her a vintage Fender electric guitar. Jaxie studied jazz guitar for many years with Mark Barasch, and briefly with Leni Stern. In 1990 she attended her first Guitar Craft course. Thereafter, she joined the New York Guitar Project, an ensemble of Crafty Guitarists, and worked and performed with them for seven years. In 1994 she formed the Wilsons with Bob Williams. Together, they spent time playing and performing in Europe with the Wilson 5 and other fellow Crafties. Since 1998, she has been studying voice in Seattle with Thomasa Eckert. In 1997, she moved with Bob and their family to Seattle to join the Seattle Guitar Circle.
Curt Golden
Curt Golden was born and raised in a Virginia into family that believed in a musical education and he was given lessons in piano, violin, and cello. Curt first picked up the guitar at the age of 11 and it quickly became his life's passion. From 1973 to 1976, he studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. After graduating, Curt played in a number of rock, blues, and jazz bands. In 1985, Curt attended the first Guitar Craft seminar, presented by guitarist Robert Fripp. He went on to record and tour extensively with the League of Crafty Guitarists. Fripp named Curt a Guitar Craft instructor in 1986. Curt then taught guitar and performed with a number of groups in New York City, including the rock band Desperate Measures. He moved to Seattle in 1998 to join the Seattle Guitar Circle. A list of his recordings and compositions and information on his instruction can be found at www.curtgolden.com.
Dean Jensen
A West Coast native, Dean Jensen grew up playing piano and trumpet and first picked up the guitar at the age of 15. He credits his education in the study of classical guitar at the University of California, where he first began to explore nontraditional forms of music, as being one of the strongest early influences on his musical life. In 1985, Dean attended his first Guitar Craft course. Soon thereafter, he formed the experimental group Loud Shirts with guitarist John Novak and saxophonist Bill Janssen, and performed around the Midwest and on the East Coast. Dean also toured and recorded with the League of Crafty Guitarists. In 1992, he formed the Chicago rock band Ping Jockeys with bass player Brian Gingrich. He appears as guest artist with guitarist David Torn on Gingrich's CD, The White Rim of Heaven. Dean moved to Seattle with his family in 1998 and joined the Seattle Guitar Circle.
Bob Williams
Bob Williams grew up in Annapolis, Maryland. His first musical encounter was at about the age of 6, when his father built an electronic device he called a "White Wonder Box." The device produced sounds that were like nothing Bob had heard before. Several years later, Bob heard Jimi Hendrix and his life changed. He figured Hendrix must have had a White Wonder Box too. Shortly thereafter, Bob started playing guitar. He played in rock bands in the Annapolis area through his teens and early twenties. In 1985, he attended his first Guitar Craft course and his life changed again. Since that first Guitar Craft course, Bob has been involved in several groups with other Guitar Craft musicians, including Chapter Two, The New York Guitar Project, and The Wilsons, which he formed with Jaxie Binder. In 1997, Bob and Jaxie moved to Seattle with their family, and became a part of the Seattle Guitar Circle. Bob currently performs with the Atomic Chamber Ensemble. Bob appears on the recordings of Steve Ball, and Brock Peitel, and will be releasing a solo CD in Spring 2004.
Chris Gibson
Chris Gibson was born and raised in Sunnyside, Washington. He began to study music at the age of 15 and played in various progressive rock and metal bands. He was self-taught on the guitar for the next 6 years. When he was 22 years old he began to study jazz guitar with Howard Schanzer and a few years later enrolled at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. At the same time he began attending Guitar Craft courses, and in 1998 he began to study with Curt Golden. His work in Guitar Craft continues, and he has just returned from working and performing for the past 3 months in Atlanta with the League of Crafty Guitarists. In Seattle, he performs and records with the Atomic Chamber Ensemble, and is active in the Seattle Guitar Circle. He has recently been a guest player on the new Steve Ball Roadshow CD's.
http://www.atomicchamberensemble.com
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