Kerr, Egan, Patterson, Townsend at Viewpoint Gallery
Starting on
April 14, 2023 6:00 pm
Come join us at Viewpoint Gallery the evening of Friday, April 14, 6-8 pm to hear long-time musical collaborators Sean Egan (clarinet), Aaron Kerr (cello), Jonathan Townsend (drums), and Tom Patterson (percussion) create unique collective improvisations inspired by the art of Daniel Kerkhoff. The evening will be highlighted by the presentation of crankies – illuminated story scrolls that are hand-cranked from one side of a viewing box to another – from artist Alisa Mee, accompanied by music from the ensemble.
This performance is in conjunction with Daniel Kerkhoff’a mixed-media art exhibition and residency, Cover-ups and Remnants on view
at Viewpoint Gallery from April 7th-16th. All events during his residency are free and open to the public.
Viewpoint Gallery
591 Hamline Ave. N.
St. Paul, MN 56104
About the artists:
Saint Paul artist Alisa Mee began making crankies in 2020, first creating them for children’s storytimes at the St. Anthony Park Library. Subsequent crankie performances include the first annual Minneapolis Crankie Festival in 2022, the St. Anthony Park Luminary Festival, and the Center for Irish Music’s annual gala. Alisa also plays fiddle and teaches early childhood music classes at the Center for Irish Music in St. Paul, where she collaborated on a newly-published early childhood music curriculum.
Sean Egan is a clarinetist living in Saint Paul’s Midway neighborhood, whose primary musical interests are improvisation and interdisciplinary collaboration. He is a member of the poetry/music group the Sonoglyph Collective, the heavy metal/jazz fusion band Aaron Kerr's Dissonant Creatures, and the conducted improvisation ensemble Not Always So, and he has received grants from Irish Arts Minnesota and MRAC to develop Cumar, a group combining traditional music and dance from West Africa and Ireland.
Aaron Kerr is a cellist and composer from Saint Paul. He studied composition at Loyola University in New Orleans, and his music combines elements of jazz, minimalist classical, and rock. He performs as a soloist and with many artists and ensembles in the Twin Cites including Swallows, The Sonoglyph Collective, JazZen, SingleCell, and his own ensemble, Aaron Kerr's Dissonant Creatures. Aaron's music is on over fifty albums nationally and internationally, including several solo albums.
Jonathan Townsend is a sought-after Twin Cities drummer who works in a wide variety of genres, including jazz, blues, rock, zydeco, and free improv. He has been in musical theater productions at the Fringe Festival and at Patrick’s Cabaret, worked with the Saint Paul Composer's Syndicate, and has been a member of the Barebones Orchestra since 2016. He currently performs with The Stone Arch Jazz Band, The Sonoglyph Collective, Swallows, and Aaron Kerr’s Dissonant Creatures.
Tom Patterson is a Minneapolis-based composer and multi-instrumentalist. He received his PhD in music composition from the University of Minnesota. In addition to concert music, he has written and performed music for film, dance, and video. Tom has also extensively studied and performed East African xylophone and Indonesian gamelan music. He has recorded with the Schubert Club Gamelan Ensemble and International Novelty Gamelan, and has issued two albums of original gamelan music, New Left and David’s Basement.
