Performer Bios
Friday, May 2, 8 PM, $7, All Ages
Last Updated: Saturday, May 24, 2003 Almost Transparent Blue (Vancouver, B.C.)
Masa J. Anzai - alto saxophone, electronics Kelly Churko - guitar, electronics Skye Brooks - drums Almost Transparent Blue was formed in 1999 in Vancouver. Masa J. Anzai (alto saxophone, electronics), Kelly Churko (guitar, electronics), and Skye Brooks (drums) had all played together in various Vancouver-based groups for several years but wanted to play more challenging repertoire that combined group improvisation with the freedom to express individual compositional influences in a unified setting. The group takes its name from the award-winning novel by Murakami Ryu about the alternative lifestyles of some Japanese youths. The music is surely the companion soundtrack to the book - full of heavy, rhythmic syncopations and beautiful melodic soundscapes wrapped in a hallucinogenic blanket of electronic effects and exotic percussion. http://www.almosttransparentblue.com
Skye BrooksSkye Brooks began playing drums in 1987 and started performing shortly thereafter. From 1996-1998 he majored in jazz studies at Vancouver Community College. Since then, he has become an active figure in VancouverĘs creative jazz and improvised music scene. For over two years he has co-curated Parallelatuesdays, a weekly series featuring local and out-of-town improvisors.
Skye thrives on diversity, and this is reflected by the many projects he is involved in. Some groups he plays with regularly are Broken Crow Quartet, J.P. Carter Trio, the Tony Wilson Quintet, and the Kevin House Revue. Skye is also the prime songwriter for his own rock band Vague Demons, a group which finds him singing lead vocals and playing guitar. He has also played with the Be Good Tanyas, Bob Wiseman, Jesse Zubot, Coat Cooke, Peggy Lee, Dylan van der Schyff, Rob Mazurak, Rob Wright (from Nomeansno) and Submission Hold. Skye has performed in the U.S., Canada, and Japan.
Kelly ChurkoGuitarist and electronic musician Kelly Churko has been active as a performer and composer since 1985. Currently based in Tokyo, he started playing in Vancouver after graduating from the jazz studies program at Vancouver Community College. As a member of various genre-defying local ensembles, his music is beyond category, pushing musical boundaries in many directions. His work as a solo artist is characterized by a visceral sonic barrage and a keen ear for intriguing form. He has performed in Europe, the U.S., and Japan with Hospital and Almost Transparent Blue. Current projects include collaborations with Japanese noise wunderkind Nakagawa Kohei (Guilty Connector) and a brand new ensemble featuring Tabata Mitsuru and Fujikake Masataka (Zeni Geva) and Masuda Ryuichi (ex-Ruins).
Masa J. AnzaiMasa J. Anzai plays alto sax processed through various fx pedals. Aside from A.T.B., you can hear him play tenor sax with Ambulanza and electronics with Hospital. Upcoming releases will feature him on electric bass with Assertion and electronics with Goatsblood.
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