from NYC:
William Parker (contrabass, winds)
Patricia Nicholson (dance)

with special guests:
Ravi Padmanabha (drums, percussion)
Steve Baczkowski (saxophones, winds)
Amy Taravella & The NEW ALT PERFORMANCE GROUP (dance)

In March 2006, Hallwalls invited NYC master bassist/composer/bandleader William Parker and dancer Patricia Nicholson to spend a week in Buffalo with more than 30 Buffalo musicans, dancers, and performers to form The William Parker Buffalo Orchestra in order to create & perform the original work "Looking for Cookie Gilchrist". The wonderful performances that resulted were truly unforgettable and ALT Theatre, Hallwalls & Buffalo Infringement Festival are pleased to welcome the return of William Parker and Patricia Nicholson in an intimate duo performance setting in the fantastic ALT Theatre. They will be joined in a 2nd set by Buffalo musicians Ravi Padmanabha on percussion and Steve Baczkowski on woodwinds and dancers Amy Taravella & The NEW ALT PERFORMANCE GROUP.

William Parker
As Steve Greenlee of the Boston Globe stated, "William Parker has emerged as the most important leader of the current avant-garde scene in jazz." He is working in many of the strongest groups in this genre, some of the most prestigous being his own, ie. The Curtis Mayfield Project, Little Huey Creative Orchestra, In Order to Survive, William Parker’s Quartet and other groups. He was awarded Jazz Artist of the year in Italy in 2005. Mr. Parker is one of the most important composers in our time period, he is also a poet whose words are beginning to be heard in various media: in print, in song and in his theatre piece, "Music and the Shadow People." He has a history as an arts organizer helping to bring about 2 Sound Unity festivals as well as the Lower East Side Festival and concert series at a small loft in the East Village. www.williamparker.net

Patricia Nicholson Parker
Dance, as an integral element of avantJazz, is the unique focus of Patricia Nicholson’s dance career. She developed what amounts to a new dance genre, working closely with some of the most highly regarded musicians of the avantJazz world. Ms. Nicholson’s work as an arts organizer began in 1981 when Patricia Nicholson Parker directed and helped to organize A Thousand Cranes Peace Opera for the opening of the UN Special Sessions on Disarmament. After working with Peter Kowald and William Parker to help organize two Sound Unity Festivals in '84 and '88, Patricia Nicholson Parker successfully initiated and coordinated the Improvisors Collective, which ran from 1993 till 1995. The success of the Collective suggested the idea for the Vision Festival. In 1995 she founded Arts for Art. This non-profit organization has successfully presented 12 Vision Festivals, a dance/music series, the Vision Collaboration Festival and a weekly Vision Club series. Ms Nicholson received "Producer of the Year" award from the JJA in 2003, was nominated in 2005 and won again in 2007.

Ravi Padmanabha
Ravi Padmanabha (drums, percussion, tabla, moorsing) has performed in a wide variety of musical styles, including jazz, funk, world, and experimental music. From an early age, Ravi was exposed to Indian Classical music and formally trained in tabla. He performs frequently with saxophonist Steve Baczkowski and recently has been working with his two brothers in the psychedelic funk group Family Funktion and the Sitar Jamz. He has performed and/or recorded with many musicians including Daniel Carter, Robert Dick, Peter Kowald, Pauline Oliveros, Tom Chess, Adam Lane, Blaise Siwula, Steve Swell, Bern Nix and many more. www.ravipadman.com

Steve Baczkowski
Steve Baczkowski (baritone/tenor/alto saxophone, bass/alto clarinet, didjeridu, wood flutes, voice, prepared turntable, objects...) Born and raised in Buffalo, N.Y., Baczkowski began studying music playing alto saxophone at age eight, switched to baritone by the time he was twelve, and has remained committed to exploring this oft-overlooked member of the saxophone family ever since. Baczkowski & drummer Ravi Padmanabha have been active as an improvising duo for over ten years. They have released two recordings as a duo and two with the quintet The Buffalo Suicide Prevention Unit. In June '08 they released a limited-edition duo CDR Supplications and in August '08 Important Records will release Doh Tala, a trio with master flute player Robert Dick. Baczkowski / Padmanabha recently performed with saxophonist Paul Flaherty at the Suoni Per Il Popolo festival in Montreal on June 21st. www.myspace.com/stevebaczkowski

Amy Taravella
Amy Taravella is the artistic director of the ALT THEATRE and co-director, choreographer, teacher and founder of Buffalo Contemporary Dance.  She is also a soloist with Sokolow Now!, the Anna Sokolow Archive Company under the direction of Lorry May.  Ms. Taravella has performed a full spectrum of contemporary dance works throughout the last fifteen years.  She has danced and produced work at Jacobs Pillow and Boston, MA;  Florence and Castilioncello, Italy;  New York City, Rochester, Brockport, Saratoga Springs, Chautauqua and Buffalo, New York;  Tallahassee, Jacksonville and Orlando, FL;  Philadelphia and Slippery Rock, PA;   Virginia Beach, VA;  Hartford, CT and Nashville, TN.  Currently Ms. Taravella is one of four co-producers of an international collaboration creating a  remotely connected four-city production of Gerry Trentham’s The Four Mad Humours.  She has taught modern dance and ballet at SUNY College Brockport, the University at Buffalo and the Buffalo Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts.   Ms. Taravella holds an MFA in dance from Florida State University.

The ALT Theatre is an intimate black box theatre nestled into the third floor of The Great Arrow Industrial Park that houses the newly formed NEW ALT PERFORMANCE GROUP—a non-profit performance group for all the arts.  Previously Buffalo Contemporary's Dance Studio, it was renovated and opened in October, 2007.  The theatre is an intimately comfortable haven where one can witness courageous and honest creation in theatre, dance, music, poetry, media and film.   The Alt honors our contemporary culture which offers amazing technology and the experimental fast track.  It also recognizes its most important mission to advocate human contact within theatre.  This is the gathering of people and the resultant community within the theatre's "real space."   The NEW ALT PERFORMANCE GROUP is a vehicle for articulating and extending performance art. The GROUP exists to provide the space, theatrical resources and artistic guidance to excellent 21st century artists who have intrinsic value to our nation and world even if their work is not yet valued monetarily.   Brilliant, driven and passionate artists' who may be under-funded, find a home at The Alt Theatre. Without such a resource, the many great artists of tomorrow may never be realized.

The Alt Theatre created by Amy and Lou Taravella, strives to support itself in the manner of a small family business with an artistically grand service mission. We pride ourselves upon our consistent presentation of  the highest caliber artistic expression possible. 

The Alt Theatre is located in the former Pierce Arrow Factory at 255 Great Arrow Avenue (at Elmwood Ave.), Buffalo, New York 14207.  (Look for the green awnings with the address, 255 Great Arrow), follow the signs to the 3rd floor theatre. Ample free parking available