Chattanooga Times Free Press - ChattanoogaNow
A Figment of Ben Van Winkle’s imagination
Chamber ensemble’s debut one of three nights of shows at Barking Legs Theater
Three consecutive nights of performances at Barking Legs Theater, 1307 Dodds Ave., will include a documentary screening, the debut of a chamber music ensemble and a bluegrass duo that includes a Grammy Award winner.
TONIGHT, OCT. 18
CoPAC and the Shaking Ray Levi Society present an entertaining and enlightening evening with David Greenberger at 7:30 p. m. The free program will include a screening of the 30-minute documentary “A King in Milwaukee,” followed by a talk by Greenberger on his current and future work, which includes a new project featuring participants at Signal Centers and the Prime Lens ensemble.
Gre e n b e r g e r has focused on making the ignored voices of people living on the fringes of society, such as the elderly, be heard through conversations with him since 1979. His books, recordings and performances underscore the dignity in what can be ordinary or even fragmented stories and anecdotes.
He is a commentator for National Public Radio, gave a TEDx talk in 2010 on “A Quarter- Million Forgotten Conversations,” is creator of long- running publication The Duplex Planet, author of four books, contributing writer for Rolling Stone and Spin magazines, and has released more than 20 CDS.
FRIDAY, OCT. 19
Contemporary, Collaborative, Community Musical Arts Project presents a concert of new music from Ben Van Winkle and the Figment Chamber Ensemble at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15. The concert marks the debut of this new chamber ensemble.
“Ben Van Winkle and the Figment Chamber Ensemble features the highest- caliber classical musicians in our area playing the delightful contemporary compositions of Ben Van Winkle,” says Bryony Stroud-Watson, CoMAP artistic director.
A Chattanooga native, Van Winkle has performed with the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera and as frontman of the popular local band Masseuse. He is a cellist, singer, beat boxer and composer.
In his solo shows he uses power looping— recording short sequences onstage and then playing live while these recordings play back — to layer elements into a sound that ranges from upbeat, feel-good music to serene, heartfelt and moving.
For this show, Van Winkle has arranged his layered, solo compositions as chamber music for a bespoke chamber ensemble.
Performing in t he new Figment ensemble are Sheri Peck and Tom Morley, violins; Bryony Stroud-Watson, viola; Given Arnold, double bass; Hayley Miller, flute; David Dunn, clarinet; Charlie Edholm, classical guitar; and Konstantine Vlasis, vibraphone and percussion.
SATURDAY, OCT. 20
Mike Compton and Barking Legs Theater have a l ong history together. Compton — the world’s top exponent of the Bill Monroe mandolin style — performed solo as part of Barking Legs’ first season of shows in 1997. He has since returned to play with a number of musicians. Saturday night, he’ll join singer/ songwriter/guitarist/ banjo master Joe Newberry for a show at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15.
Compton is a Grammy Award winner, IBMA Mandolin Player of the Year nominee and mandolinist for the Nashville Bluegrass Band. He was a sideman for John Hartford from 1994 until Hartford’s death in 2001.
Newberry is a prize-winning guitarist, songwriter and known for his powerful banjo playing. He was a frequent guest on Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion.”
Tickets to each show may be bought at the door. For more information: 423-624-5347.