Events

SATURDAY MAY 16th.. TODD HARPER AND THE SEEKERS OF BEAUTY !!!! 7:30 pm at

THE metroNOME BREWERY. 385 Broadway Street, St. Paul, MN 55101
Entrance on Broadway.

Tickets: $20.( before May 16th) day of concert $25. tickets are limited. get them here: https://metronomebrewery.com/live-music/todd-harper-and-the-seekers-of-beauty/

The Seekers of Beauty was an unusual cooperative exploratory Jazz bassed combo started in around 1988 by Todd Harper & ( DR) Mark Zanter on guitar. Our peak was the school year of 1990-91 . Our rhythm section was Todd Harper, composer and pianist, the young Ian Rashkin ,acoustic bass, and Eric Coursen was our elder, drummer/conguero/timbalist. We clicked and held down the living foundation of the music. Mark played guitar, in more of a front capacity, with the inventive Kevin Schmidt on bass trombone, and a variety of flutists- Juliann Ferdek, Kay Nygaard, and..

The Seekers of Beauty lasted for a while after Mark ,Juliann, and Ian split town, but we all moved on to things. Todd kept playing with Kevin until he split town around the 00’s, and with Eric with several combos.

NOW, FOR THE SECOND TIME THIS YEAR, IAN RASHKIN,(bass) ERIC COURSEN(drums) and TODD HARPER(piano) are holding the “rhythm section” Standing in front we have BOB OCKENDEN on guitar, friend NATHAN HANSON (*2026 McKnight Fellow in Composition!) on soprano and tenor saxophone, and KEVIN SCHMIDT, on bass trombone. It will be a joy to have two horns in front!

What we will play? Of OF COURSE we will play Ian Rashkin’s timely dirge calypso ” Principal of the World” ( now, with contemporary oration !) Also, (DR) Mark Zanter’s timeless study ” Nach Wien”.. this pairs well with ” Genghis Khan in Vienna !” . For sure we will perform the amazing ballad of Kevin’s” The Silence of the Tense”, the tango/swing ” a dog of Flanders”, and the gentle ” Monstrosity”. Oh, and at least two boleros, and something ” evil through and though”

But this is not going to be just a nostalgic show… we have all expanded in the past…(almost 30 years?) into more things than we can count. Ian has created two ” Musical Cartographies”,– Todd put an oration to one back in February. Todd has spent a chunk of time, brainstorming, “unbrainstoring”, and rehearsing. And we have a whole book to draw from of Carei Thomas’s works. It’s going to be a memorable show! Be sure to get your tickets ahead of time.

And most of all THANK YOU !!!

SUNDAY APRIL 19th. The return of FULL MOON RABBIT !

at the BLACK FOREST INN PARTY HOUSE. from 3:30 to 5:00 that’s 26th and Nicollet, Mpls. They have a parking lot just off of Nicollet Avenue, to the south.

Admission…. How much do you care about supporting local musicians?

“What is this FUll MOON RABBIT?” Todd had an idea ( really?) about having an improvisational combo that was pan-folkloric in approach, kind of chamber but not black tied. He got David Edminster to play bassoon, Laura Harada on violin, Douglas Ewart on reeds… and… some other folks later on.- like Pat and Tim O’Keefe. This was post -” Unsound Trio” and “Pre- Libby”. Heck it was fun ! FMR returns this time with odds and ends, and a quartet unlike any other! Again, this is a combo which had never performed together before ! We will present some of our more obscure works.

Aaron Kerr: intrepid samurai man of the cello

David Edminster: the solid tenor sax man with a secret, mysterious passion – Bassoon !

Bob Ockenden: the cat who couldn’t stay away, returns with a new classical GUITAR

Todd Harper? the open ended man of accidental decisiveness. Compositional seeds. melodica. piano. orations. maybe a tin whistle or two, small instruments.

Do you notice how many of these instruments actively LIVE in the bass clef? This is a lot of fun to write for. Yes. We will invent. and eat cake, pie, or cookies. and maybe a fresh fruit to finish it off.

Come on down. It’s going to be fun.

–

With all that has been happening here in the world ( especially Minnesota, ESPECIALLY MINNEAPOLIS!) We need to catch a some moments of calm, laughter, quizzicality, and even joy. Here is what we are going to do.

BRIEF REALITIES*

Concepts and Compositions by Ian Rashkin, Carei Thomas, & Todd Harper.

Curated by Todd Harper, performed by a large ensemble of Carei’s friends.

Saturday, February 7th,4:30 to 5:30 (open rehearsal/workshop).   Concert, 7-8:30 pm

Black Forest Inn (in their party room, with it’s own separate entrance) 26th & Nicollet, Minneapolis.

Email todd@troutsongs.com

Website: https://troutsongs.com/

This event will have two parts: the afternoon session will be studying and workshopping works of Ian Rashkin, Todd Harper, and Carei Thomas.   The more formal concert will be from 7-8:35 pm. 

Carei Thomas (1938-2020) composed, performed, invented music for over 60 years, in a wide variety of contexts. Not simply a jazz musician, Carei juxtaposed folkloric, visual arts, new classical, poetry, theatrical aspects and more into a delightful, unmistakable approach.  Many of these works are found in his book “Compositions and Concepts”.

Ian will be presenting a body of his quirky jazz works, and a new concept called “Musical Cartography”. Mr. Rashkin is a composer and bassist ,now living in LA.

Todd will present a collection of his” Visual Intuitive Scores”, which emerged after studying the graphic scores of Carei. He will also lead new “simple songs”.

Ian and Todd had the great experience of playing together in early 90’s, in a combo called “The Seekers of Beauty”, with Eric Coursen, Dr. Mark Zanter,(guitar)  Kevin Schmidt( bass trombone) and several flautists.

We are fortunate to have a large gathering of Carei’s musical friends join us!     Gary Schulte ,(violin) Douglas Ewart, (reeds) Eric Coursen,(drums) George Cartwright, (reeds) Steve Sandberg, (low brass) Paul Cantrell, (piano) Bob Ockenden, (guitar) Nathan Hanson, (reeds) Matty Harris ,(reeds) Spencer Roth, (trumpet) Todd Harper, (piano, oration,conductifying,etc.)

General admission is 10—20$.  This will be an alcohol free event.

Thank you for coming out !

  • BRIEF REALITIES are the name of one Carei Thomas’s musical concepts. Here is his explanation.
  • ” Brief Realities became a foundational concept of much that has followed in my composing career. They are ever-changing series of purely invented music often spiced with cells or fragments of written material acting like a connective tissue. I feel this improvisational concept gives performers a structure that defines and focuses content while offering a broad choice of source material. Within this tonal order, invention/improvisation ignites the developmental process that creates the true composition and allows it to remain everchangingly fresh. My Brief Reality compositions seek out and call for exemplary instrumentalists to infuse or accommodate fabric that organically develops out of inclusion.“…. Carei F. Thomas, pp 6, COMPOSITIONS and CONCEPTS Cajole Productions, Minneapolis. @2010

  • TWENTY FIVE. was JIVE. I can leave it behind.
  • What is going to happen next, is not clear. The “Sparrow Tarot” says. ” the bird feeder is empty, and it’s snowing. Go away for a while”

The transition point. / from old to new/ but we can only live in the moment..

This summer, I got to hang out, and play music with my buddy Severin Behnen. You can see him with the accordion, in Minneapolis, sometime in the 90’s. Kevin Schmidt has the trombone. We were Unsound. The Unsound Trio.

Expect more from us.

and from Ian Rashkin. And all my buddies. Not sure which forms it will take, but it will. take form !

No New Year’s Eve gig this year.

stay posted! as the Dude said ” New Shit is about to come to life !” All the love, Todd

Be safe this evening, whatever you are doing.