April 11, 2025
Doors : 7:00 / Concert : 7:30
Second Fridays @ CMC: Kurt Newman, K2, & Chris, Mack and Julian
Join us for an exciting evening of music at the Second Fridays @ CMC concert on April 11, 2025!
1st set – Chris, Mack and Julian have been playing music together for well over ten years, and in their collaborative trio they rest at the edge of expectation and preconception. They play each other’s compositions, often weaving and layering pieces together, asking how they can transform and evolve each moment within and outside of the structures provided on the page.
2nd set – K2
K2 is an improvising duo spearheaded by Kayla Milmine (soprano sax and a varied trove of sound-making curiosities) and Jonathan Kay (soprano & tenor sax, esraj, shakuhachi, Tibetan horn, and an arsenal of sonic artifacts). Their union delves into the raw, transformative powers of music, conjuring sound-rituals as sites fueled by indeterminacy, where boundaries are not just crossed but obliterated through transcultural improvisation and an unapologetically nomadic approach to sound.
The duo birthed their project after a shared performance in April 2024 at the Aga Khan Museum as part of Adam Rudolph’s Go Organic Orchestra. Since then, Kayla and Jonathan have been regularly cultivating an organic approach to improvisation, aspiring to create music that feels untamed, unfiltered, and alive—music without preservatives, brimming with the influences of Don Cherry’s fearless experimentation and William Parker’s deep, ritualistic resonance.
3rd set – Kurt Newman is a guitarist, composer, and writer who lives in Toronto. Beginning in the late 1990s, Kurt has immersed himself in the practice of free improvisation, while also spending time in the worlds of rock, jazz, new music, noise, bluegrass, country, and metal. He currently plays in Eucalyptus and Dun Dun Band, runs the weekly bluegrass jam at the Tranzac Club, and maintains a busy teaching schedule. April 11 will see the debut of Kurt’s Discount Quartet, an ensemble that explores dissonant counterpoint and features Brodie West (alto sax), Andrew Furlong (bass) and Blake Howard (drums).
