Derek Keller: Impositions and Consequences CD Release

DEREK KELLER www. derekkeller.com
P.O. BOX 19976 858.337.6190
SACRAMENTO, CA  95819-0976 derek@derekkeller.com
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
 
DATE:  April 14, 2007
 
MEDIA CONTACT:  Hellen Lee-Keller (916) 456-1276
 hellen@derekkeller.com
 
WHO: Derek Keller Ensemble
 
WHAT:  Impositions and Consequences CD Release Concert
 “etcetera,”  2007 UCSD Festival of New Music
 
WHEN: Thursday, May 10, 2007, 9pm.
 
WHERE: Kava Gallery
 2804 Kettner Blvd., San Diego, CA  92103
 (619) 543-0933
 http://www.kavalounge.com
 
TICKETS:  $10 General Admission at the Gallery
 $5 Students w/ valid student ID
 
Impositions and Consequences at the Kava Gallery  
[478 words]
 April 14, 2007, Sacramento, California − Kicking off the launch of a new CD,
Impositions and Consequences (Tzadik Records), Derek Keller and his ensemble will play
an exciting and powerful concert downtown at the Kava Gallery on Thursday, May 10th.
The Derek Keller Ensemble will be performing all original compositions that
dynamically explore the intersections of avant-garde, classical, and popular music. In
additions to works from the new CD, the set will include the west coast premier of a
new piece, “Flight, Revelation, and Transformation.” Following in the footsteps of
innovative composers like John Zorn, Steve Mackey, and Frank Zappa, Keller bridges
the popular and the classical with wit, talent, and passion.  2006 MacArthur Genius
Award recipient John Zorn says that Keller “is a versatile young musician who is not
afraid to take chances.”  
 —MORE—  
Impositions and Consequences at the Kava Gallery  (858) 337-6190
 
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Avant-garde music is sometimes considered too elitist or rarified for most
listeners, and Keller understands this concern. “But I think my music is for everyone. At
my last concert, I had a teenager and a woman who had to be in her 70s both tell me that
they enjoyed my music, both intellectually and emotionally.”  
 “Growing up I listened to Bach and Bartok, Led Zeppelin and Ligeti, Miles Davis
and Mahler,” says Keller. “I wanted to hear music that brings these influences together
but I couldn’t find enough of it. So, I began writing the music that I wanted to hear and I
figured other people want to hear music that bridges these worlds, too.”  
 It seems he was right. Soon after finishing a Ph.D. in music composition from
University of California, San Diego in 2004, Keller signed on with Tzadik Records as
part of the Composer Series. The Series features notable artists such as Morton Feldman,
Scott Johnson, Charles Wourinen, and University of San Diego professor of music,
Christopher Adler.  
Keller’s ensemble consists of major players from the San Diego avant-garde and
improvisational music scene, including Scott Walton (bass), Nathan Hubbard (drums),
and Jason Robinson (sax); and exciting new talent from UCSD, such as Anne-Marie
Dicce (voice), Jeffrey Trevino (keys), and Fabio Oliveira (conductor/percussion).  Keller
rounds out the group on guitar. “It is important to me to play the music that I write. It
allows me to collaborate with other musicians and to communicate directly with my
listeners,” he says.  
 The concert will also launch “etcetera,” the UCSD 2007 Spring Festival of New
Music. Keller is excited to return to San Diego and to his alma mater. “It is great to come
back and perform as part of the festival,” Keller says.  
The Derek Keller Ensemble will be performing at Kava Gallery on Thursday,
May 10.  Tickets are $10 ($5 for students with a valid ID).  Impositions and Consequences is
available at online and local stores. For more information, contact Keller at (858) 337-
6190 or at derek@derekkeller.com or visit www.derekkeller.com.   
 
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