Michiyo Yagi Trio & Robblerobble八木美知依トリオ＆Robblerobble

Top image by [Tetsuya Nagato](http://www.nagato.org/) First Set: Robblerobble (from Norway) John Lilje (bass) Petter Frost Fadnes (sax) Dominique Brackeva (trombone) Vidar K. Schanche (guitar) Ståle Birkeland (drums) Second Set: Michiyo Yagi Trio Michiyo Yagi (electric 21-string koto, 17-string bass koto, voice) Takashi Sugawa (contrabass, cello) Nori Tanaka (drums) Robblerobble  Robblerobble is a new band formed by composer/bassist John Lilja. This quintet plays what they call Third Stream Stoner Rock – what it might sound like if Charles Mingus wrote extended compositions for a band made up of the soloists from John Zorn’s Naked City and the rhythm section from Black Sabbath. Robblerobble is based in Stavanger, Norway, hometown to Frode Gjerstad, Paal Nilssen-Love and Per Zanussi, and is a city with a long tradition of free jazz and improvised/creative music. What separates Robblerobble from other improv ensembles, is that the band performs through-composed music which gives form to each soloist’s improvisation – a united musical expression where the individual doesn’t lose his unique voice. The band’s sound – a mix of electric and acoustic instruments – is inspired by contemporary music’s timbral vocabulary, the harmonies of jazz and the heaviness of hard rock. Robblerobble [Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/robblestavanger) John Lilje (bass)  Born in Kingston, New York in 1970 and grew up in Vermont. Lilje studied jazz composition at Berklee College of Music, graduating Magne cum laude in 1993 and moved to Stavanger, Norway in 1997. He has performed and recorded with a number of internationally renowned musicians, including Frode Gjerstad, Arve Henriksen, Per Zanussi, and Kjetil Møster. He has composed music for the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK), Metropole Orkest in the Netherlands, and written big band arrangements for Cameroonian bassist Richard Bona. Petter Frost Fadnes (sax)  Born in Stavanger, Norway in 1974. He has played regularly since the age of 16, performing within everything from heavy metal to ska, improvised music and jazz. In 1996 Petter moved to the UK to do a degree in jazz; eventually ending up with a PhD in Performance in 2004. He has been active in and around the vibrant Leeds music-scene and co-founded Leeds Improvised Music Association (LIMA); now defining innovation in British jazz and improvised music. In 2008 Petter relocated to his hometown to work as a freelance musician, while taking up a post at the University of Stavanger. Main projects are The Geordie Approach (UK/NO), The Thin Red Line (UK/NO) and Kitchen Orchestra (NO). Dominique Brackeva (trombone)  Brackeva is a Belgian trombonist/composer/singer who studied jazz in the Netherlands and worked extensively as freelance musician while living in Amsterdam between 2000 and 2009. Living in Norway since 2009, Brackeva has been involved in a variety of projects in many styles, ranging from jazz, to salsa, balkan music, hip hop, and chanson française. He has performed in many countries and is also active as jazz trombone teacher at the University of Stavanger Vidar K. Schanche (guitar)  Vidar was born in 1978 in Sandnes, Norway. After playing in various rock bands he moved to Leeds (UK) in 2000 to study jazz at Leeds College of Music. He later returned to Stavanger, Norway with a Masters in Jazz and quickly became part of the music scene. He is involved in the music collective Kitchen Orchestra where he has worked with Alexander von Schlippenbach, Keith Tippet, Evan Parker and many more. His own band, EGG3, released their debut album in 2009 and will release their sequel in 2013. He is also involved with Pocket Corner, Extended Corner, Robblerobble, Gunhild Seims «Story Water», Athana/Schance, Morten Abel and many more. Schanche is known for his mix of rock sound, electronic effects and improvised music. www.egg3.no Ståle Birkeland (drums)  Born in Voss, Norway in 1981. He currently lives in Stavanger, working in a variety of bands such as The Geordie Approach, Kitchen Orchestra, EGG3, Pocket Corner, and Maschinenfestung. He has toured extensively in Norway and Europe, and has also performed the solo piece "La Rage" at The Institute for Contemporary Art in London. Michiyo Yagi Trio Michiyo Yagi (electric 21-string koto, 17-string bass koto, voice)  Michiyo Yagi studied koto under the late Tadao Sawai and Kazue Sawai, and graduated from the NHK Professional Training School for Traditional Musicians. During her subsequent tenure as Visiting Professor of Music at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, U.S.A., she premiered numerous modern compositions for koto and came under the influence of maverick American composers such as John Cage, Christian Wolff, Conlon Nancarrow, and John Zorn. Yagi’s debut CD Shizuku was produced by Zorn and released on his Tzadik label in 1999. In 2001 she recorded Yural (BAJ/ewe) with her six-koto ensemble Paulownia Crush; this group toured Russia under the auspices of the Japan Foundation in the fall of 2004. In 2005 Yagi released Seventeen (Zipangu), entirely performed on the giant 17-string bass koto. Live! at SuperDeluxe (Idiolect), a trio performance with Norwegians Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (contrabass) and Paal Nilssen-Love (drums), followed a year later. In 2008 Rikskonsertene, the national concert institute of Norway, sponsored a ten-city tour by the trio of Michiyo Yagi, the German saxophonist Peter Brötzmann, and Paal Nilssen-Love, a group that has been touring internationally since 2006. Head On (Idiolect, 2008) and Volda (Idiolect, 2010) both featured this trio. Yagi’s most recent release is Reflexions (Idiolect/Bomba 2010), a duo album with guitarist Elliott Sharp. Forthcoming CD releases include an ambient album co-produced by Eivind Aarset, a trio work with Lasse Marhaug and Paal Nilssen-Love, and a classical/contemporary recording. An eclectic performer who continually challenges conventions, Michiyo Yagi has performed at the Moers, Kongsberg Jazz, Punkt, Újbuda Jazz, Musique Actuel Victoriaville, Archipel, Bang on a Can, Tokyo Summer, Vision, Instal, and Music Unlimited festivals. Her collaborators have included Mark Dresser, Jim O’Rourke, Akira Sakata, Sidsel Endresen, Han Bennink, Eivind Aarset, Alan Silva, Kazutoki Umezu, Omoto Yoshihide, Ned Rothenberg, Knut Buen, Bugge Wesseltoft, Satoko Fujii, Joëlle Leandre, Håkon Kornstad, Tatsuya Yoshida (Ruins), Masahiko Sato, Carl Stone, Billy Bang, Keiji Haino, Mats Gustafsson, and Sachiko M. Her koto has been featured in ex-Judy & Mary guitarist/singer Takuya's band, and she has recorded with neo- prog rocker Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree), pop idol Ayumi Hamasaki, and singer-songwriter Angela Aki. Michiyo Yagi currently leads the Michiyo Yagi Double Trio and the Michiyo Yagi Trio, and also perfon her original compositions. Takashi Sugawa (contrabass, cello)  Nori Tanaka (drums)  Robblerobble Japan Your 2013 9/18 Nagoya [TOKUZO](http://www.tokuzo.com) 9/19 Kobe [BIG APPLE](http://www.bekkoame.ne.jp/i/big-apple) with GTSVL 9/20 Oita [AT HALL](http://www.athall.com) with Nene Cart, hugh 9/22 Kumamoto [NAVARO](http://www.bloc.jp/navaro/) at Art Blakey Festival 9/23 Fukuoka [UTERO](www.utero.jp) 9/26 Tokyo SUPER-DELUXE with Michiyo Yagi Trio Supported by Music Norway, Norsk jazzforum and the city of Stavanger.