DADA

SHOW 2 - Night 1 Daniel Carter (sax, tp), Karen Borca (bassoon), William Parker (bass), Kresten Osgood (drums)

Kresten Osgood is one of these people who at the same time defies and totally owns categories. An extraordinary drummer and improviser who with the fullest respect to tradition, challenges it at any given moment of his creative endeavors. He has about a 100 albums to his credit, toured practically everywhere, has been performing and/or recording with legends like Paul Bley, Lee Scratch Perry, Masabumi Kikuchi, Derek Bailey, Wadada Leo Smith, Justin Vernon, Eugene Chadbourne, Billy Preston, Alan Silva, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Sam Rivers, Henry Grimes, Dr. Yusef Lateef, and many many others. But even that doesn't really cover the full spectrum of this kaleidoscopic renaissance man: A successful rapper (check out Ikscheltaschel), composer, pianist, vocalist, saxophonist and trumpeter- a true multi-instrumentalist. As co‑founder of the ILK Music collective, he helped build one of Denmark’s most adventurous platforms for creative music. Osgood also created the acclaimed 8 part podcast series “Dangerous sounds" which traces 100 years of Danish jazz history. It is available on WRTI https://www.wrti.org/dangerous-sounds.

William Parker is one of the most influential bassists and bandleaders in modern free jazz, celebrated for his powerful sound, prolific output and deep spiritual and political engagement. Rising from New York’s loft‑jazz scene, he spent over a decade as a key member of pianist Cecil Taylor’s ensembles, helping shape the language of high‑energy improvisation. Since the 1980s, Parker has led numerous groups, including his Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra and the William Parker Quartet, releasing an extensive catalog that fuses avant‑garde improvisation with blues, folk and global traditions. The Village Voice has called him “the most consistently brilliant free jazz bassist of all time,” and he is also an author and organizer, contributing essays, poetry and community‑based arts initiatives.

Karen Borca is a pioneering bassoonist and improviser who expanded the instrument’s role far beyond classical orchestras into free jazz and avant‑garde music. After classical training at the University of Wisconsin, she immersed herself in New York’s experimental circles and became closely associated with pianist Cecil Taylor, whose ensembles pushed her bassoon into fiercely expressive, non‑traditional territory. Borca has led her own groups and performed with many cutting‑edge improvisers, bringing a raw, vocal intensity to the double‑reed palette. Her work has been crucial in proving that bassoon can function as a frontline voice in improvised music, inspiring subsequent generations of adventurous woodwind players and helping to broaden the sound world of free jazz.

Daniel Carter is a quietly legendary multi‑instrumentalist and composer, central to New York’s free‑jazz and creative‑music scenes since the 1970s. Known for his work on alto and tenor saxophones, trumpet, flute and clarinet, he is admired for a lyrical, conversational improvising style that balances melodic clarity with openness and risk. Carter is a founding member of cooperative groups such as Test and Other Dimensions In Music, ensembles that emphasize collective improvisation and egalitarian band structures. His long‑running collaborations with William Parker, Matthew Shipp, the 577 Records community and various genre‑crossing projects with DJs and rock musicians have produced a large, varied discography, making him a touchstone figure for musicians seeking a deeply inclusive, community‑oriented approach to improvisation.