The Roulette Tapes

The cellist/composer/improviser in commentary with excerpts from several performances at Roulette: his own Transfer 01 and Metahaven projects; collaborative works with guitarist Wendy Eisenberg, drummer Ryan Sawyer, vocalist Charmaine Lee, violist Joanna Mattrey; and yuniya edi kwon's Sun Han Guild. St. Louis has also worked with jaimie branch, Isabel Crespo Pardo, Ka Baird, the Vision Festival, a...

Bassist, composer, and improviser Brandon Lopez in solo, duo, and ensemble works recorded at Roulette alongside the artist's commentary on technique, process, influences, and the unexpected. With appearances by collaborators Steve Baczkowski (sax), gabby fluke-mogul and Marina Kifferstein (violins), Nate Wooley (trumpet), Michael Foster (sax), Ben Bennett, (percussion), Gerald Cleaver (drums), and...

The composer Ches Smith in a collection of excerpts from performances at Roulette featuring Smith on drums, percussion, vibraphone, drum machine, and electronics. The artist provides background on his wide-ranging band projects including a Haitian ceremonial concert with drummer Daniel Brevil plus ensembles with Bill Frisell, guitar; Craig Taborn, piano; Matt Maneri, viola; Mary Halvorson, guitar;...

Vocalist, composer, and electronic musician Charmaine Lee with commentary on and excerpts from four performances at the Roulette concert hall in Brooklyn from 2017-2021 with bits of the works Ceremony and Papillae, an appearance at the Resonant Bodies Festival, plus solos and collaborations with violist Joanna Mattrey, cellist Lester St. Louis, trumpeter Nate Wooley, and electronics with Conrad Ta...

Composer, pianist, educator Angelica Sanchez in commentary alongside excerpts from performances with bassist Michael Formanek, drummers Billy Hart and Hamid Drake, composer/percussionist Susie Ibarra with violinist Jennifer Choi, and a solo at the tribute to jaimie branch. Sanchez returns to Roulette in a new trio with guitarist Brandon Ross and drummer Chad Taylor on 16 January 2024.

Composer and multi-instrumentalist John King (viola, guitar, electronics) in excerpts and commentary from six appearances at Roulette where his solo, small and large ensemble, and "politically tinged" works have appeared since the mid-1980s. This program features performances with collaborators including vocalist Gelsey Bell, bassist William Parker, violist Joanna Mattrey, Crucible String Quartet,...

The cross-genre and multidisciplinary Czech composer/performer (accordion, hichiriki, synthesizer, harmonica, voice, dance) walks us through three performances commissioned through Roulette: Opera, a multimedia piece; a solo performance, Spectacle; and the installation/performance, Pieces from Darkness. Vítková returns to Roulette 16 Nov 2023 to revisit their Opera concept.

Composer/trombonist Peter Zummo in remembrances of longtime collaborator composer/cellist Arthur Russell (1951-92) illustrated with excerpts from a musically ethereal and emotionally charged 1985 concert at Roulette. Produced by Beck Zegans, this special edition is a major contribution to the legacy of the unpredictable, calculated, and disciplined work of a treasured artist and the complex, emerg...

Composer, trumpet and synth player, vocalist, and activist jaimie branch (1983–2022) in remembrances from bandmates bassist Jason Ajemian, drummer Jason Nazary, bassist Luke Stewart, cellist Lester St. Louis, and sister Kate Branch alongside excerpts from Roulette performances by projects Fly or Die, jaimie branch trio, C'est Trois, and Anteloper including appearances by drummers Mike Pride and Ch...

Composer and multi-instrumentalist Doug Wieselman, whose work on the clarinet, bass clarinet, sax, and guitar has led to projects with his Kamikaze Ground Crew, with Gina Leishman and Stephen Bernstein, to The Lounge Lizards with John Lurie, and major collaborations with The Flying Karamazov Brothers, Wayne Horvitz, Anthony Coleman, Laurie Anderson, Evan Lurie, Antony & The Johnsons, Coco Rosie, R...

The Iranian-American composer, vocalist, performance artist, and activist in a conversation illustrated with a 1986 formative performance at Roulette with longtime partner, multi-instrumentalist Richard Horowitz. Deyhim's journey from an early passion for Persian dance and music to a globally recognized concert performer and associations with artists from Arto Lindsay and Shirin Neshat to Ornette...

Composer, musician, bandleader, and Hollywood extra Simon Hanes tells the story of his upbringing in an extended family of California musicians, metal bands, music school in Boston, and projects with Guerilla Toss, JG Thirlwell, and his own genre-busting ensemble, Tredici Bacci, a swirling reflection on Italian soundtracks, Zappa, Bacharach, and delicious chaos, all through the lens of "downtown e...

Violinist/violist, vocalist, composer, improviser, and interdisciplinary Brooklyn-based performing artist yuniya edi kwon in excerpts from three appearances at Roulette: the solo UMMA-YA; JUNI ONE SET: Boy mother/faceless bloom (with Senga Nengudi, Crow Nishimura, Joshua Kohl); and tombstar (with Isabel Crespo Pardo, Zekkereya El-magharbel, Lesley Mok). The artist provides commentary on the influe...

Composer, violinist, vocalist, poet, visual artist, and educator Terry Jenoure traces the arc of a spiritual, artistic, and ancestral journey across nearly four decades of performances at Roulette. From an early fascination with folk music, to the church, to working alongside Leroy Jenkins, to exploring a Puerto Rican, Jamaican, and African heritage, Jenoure's musical explorations and creations ar...

The guitarist, singer, improviser, and songwriter introduces excerpts from Roulette performances with the project Eye Music and collaborations with Ryan Sawyer, Lester St. Louis, Luisa Muir, Carla Kihlstedt’s Necessary Monsters, Booker Stardrum, Andrew Links… plus ruminations on vibraphone, Lasik surgery, vivid dreams, and more.

Composer/curator Matt Mehlan shares his history and vision for Roulette's annual Mixology Festival (returning 4-5 Feb, 2023), music technology, and the future of the concert hall. Illustrated with clips from Festival performances since 1991: Zeena Parkins, DeForrest Brown, Jr., Carl Stone, Bruce Gremo/Rene Beekman, Val Jeanty, Ron Kuivila, Marcia Bassett/Ted Gordon, Long Distance Poison, and David...

Excerpts from Roulette concerts by improvising activist guitarist Derek Bailey, with commentary by musician/professor/author David Grubbs (Records Ruin The Landscape). Emerging from the London free improv scene, between 1986-99 Bailey tapped New York musicians to engage in his wildly diverse Company Weeks, in groupings and pairings with John Zorn (sax), Carlos Zingaro (violin), Ikue Mori (electron...

Composer/guitarist Mario Diaz de Leon, whose influences range from hardcore punk to Xenakis, and whose masterful integration of electronics with classical instruments is documented here in concerts recorded at Roulette between 2009-22 in solo works and with the Talea and TAK ensembles, International Contemporary Ensemble, and flutist Laura Cocks. Photo: Ebru Yildiz

The composer/drummer and activist/chronicler for creative social action, in excerpts from epic performances at Roulette from 1988-2021, with personal and generational tales from James Baldwin to COVID. Hooker returns to Roulette Nov. 13, 2022.

Composer and musician Yuka C. Honda reflects on a remarkable musical trajectory, serendipity, and new directions. Widely known for the project Cibo Matto, this program is illustrated with excerpts from a 2016 performance at the Roulette Concert Hall in NYC with drummer Susie Ibarra and electronic percussionist Ikue Mori. Photo: Sophie Caby.

Composer and trumpet player Adam O’Farrill, discusses his illustrious jazz and classical lineage, projects with Mary Halvorson and Jen Shyu, and many of the players who inspired and influenced his work, all illustrated with recent performances recorded at Roulette.

The atmospheric sounds of composer, drummer, electronic percussionist, and media artist Ikue Mori, an innovative and influential figure in the global experimental music scene, in solo and collaborative works, compositions based on fairy tales, and stories of an adventurous career from NoWave punk drummer with legendary band DNA, projects with John Zorn, puppetry and technology, and more. Featuring...

The composer/guitarist in several projects with commentary from the artist on guitar tech, collaboration, and tradition. Excerpts include the duo For Living Lovers with Stomu Takeishi, bass; duos with Zeena Parkins, electric harp and Terry Jenoure, voice; and two iterations of his band, Blazing Beauty with Stomu, JT Lewis, and alternately Steph Richards and Graham Haynes. Recorded at Roulette betw...

Composer Matthew Ostrowski on his origin story and an analysis of the 2021 piece, Monograph, which is a not entirely dour, often humorous, reflection on the acceptance of death and misfortune, anchored by the song, Streets of Laredo (but is it?). A master of electronic processing, video manipulation, unconventional installation, and alternative technologies, Ostrowski’s passion for history and fer...

Distinguished composer, multi-instrumentalist, and bandleader Henry Threadgill discusses the making of a new orchestral multimedia work and all the history that played into it. With musical examples from his bands Zooid and Double Up including excerpts from a premiere at Roulette that earned him a 2016 Pulitzer Prize. The new piece unfolds at Roulette May 20-21, 2022.