Lisa Mezzacappa - Bruce Ackley Duo

Lisa Mezzacappa and Bruce Ackley are long time collaborators and no strangers to spontaneously conceived soundscapes. Lisa on double bass and Bruce on soprano sax and clarinet will offer a set of compelling improvised music that will explore the timbres and sonic qualities of two extremely different instruments. This concert will be an intimate opportunity to experience their intuitive connection.

Artist Biographies

Bruce Ackley

Largely self-taught, Bruce studied saxophone briefly with Lee Hester and Noel Jewkes, and clarinet with Beth Custer and Ben Goldberg. Throughout the 1970s he was involved with the emerging free improvisation scene in San Francisco, and formed Sound Clinic with Lewis Jordan and George Sams in 1975. He began playing with Larry Ochs in 1973 and Jon Raskin in 1975, which led to the formation of Rova in the fall of 1977. Since that time Ackley has mainly devoted his musical life to his work with Rova, with some notable side projects.

Lisa Mezzacappa

Lisa Mezzacappa is a San Francisco Bay Area-based composer, bassist, bandleader, and producer. Called “one of the most imaginative figures on the Bay Area creative jazz scene” by The Mercury News and “a Bay Area treasure” by KQED public radio, she has been an active part of California’s vibrant music community for nearly 20 years. Mezzacappa’s activities as a composer and bandleader include ethereal chamber music, electro-acoustic works, avant-garde jazz, music for groups from duo to large ensemble, and collaborations with film, dance and visual art.