(descriptions care of Token Gesture)
Token Gesture Presents:

Hano/Wanders/Akai Trio

Shoji Hano (Japan) – Drums
Kris Wanders (Netherlands/Melbourne) – Tenor Saxophone
Yusuke Akai (Japan/Brisbane) – Electric Guitar

plus solo sets from Hano and Akai
supported by Like Leaves and Lonnie Universe

Jade Monkey
Saturday September 13
9PM
$12

Shoji Hano is one of the premier free jazz drummers in Japan. Since the mid 70s, the drummer/martial artist has simultaneously pummelled and caressed the skins in the classic 60s free jazz style alongside his country’s and the world’s most ferocious free players, noisemakers and psychedelic speed freaks including Derek Bailey, Keiji Haino, Peter Brotzmann, Kaoru Abe, Toshinori Kondo, William Parker, Eugene Chadbourne and PSF metal punks High Rise.

Kris Wanders cut his teeth in the mid 60s with the powerful European free jazz bigband Globe Unity Orchestra. Living in Melbourne since 1979, Wanders is one of the all-time biggest blowers/brawlers in the biz with an elephant-killing sax tone that sounds like a jet taking off. Name a European free jazz/outsider great and Wanders has sprayed them with his monstrous foghorning (Alexander Von Schlippenbach, Peter Brotzmann, Peter Kowald, Han Bennink, Mani Neumeier, Ludo Mich) Nowadays he plays in the free jazz/black metal/noise/grind quartet Embers and continues to tour the world.

Yusuke Akai, although half the age of his bandmates, is one of the fiercest post-free jazz guitarists in the country. The Japanese-Australian echoes all the greats, from jazz and improv kings Derek Bailey and Sonny Sharrock to no-wave and noise form-destroyers Rudolph Grey, Donald Miller, and Keiji Haino. Akai has played with Kazuo Imai, Wadada Leo Smith, and Damo Suzuki, and is a member of Sun of the Seventh Sister and Taste of Teeth.

Needless to say, these guys are gonna tear the roof off! Those that are into free jazz, primitive punk and black metal, noise, and outsider thinking are best advised to get themselves to the Jade Monkey for a earwax-rattling experience.

Support comes from the psychedelic free rock power trio Like Leaves (first show in months!) and loner spirit Lonnie Universe.