The Fred Tompkins Trio specializes in the art of free improvisation. However, being keenly aware of overall form, this group makes a conscious effort, from one improv to another, to vary its formats, moods and tempos. When the mood of the moment demands a shift in direction, however, they will be more than ready to take off and create a new form.

The individual musicians in this endeavor each have so much to offer: Fred Tompkins with his broad range of sounds, styles and effects, covering the full spectrum of flutes, from C flute to alto flute and down to bass flute; pianist Greg Mills (doubling on melodica) with his ability to play in all styles of music and to react so perfectly in the moment, and percussionist Glen ‘Papa’ Wright, Jr. who can drive hard, play with a light touch, and of course tap on his immense variety of percussion sounds.

Joel Frahm: Saxophone
Dan Loomis: Bass
Ernesto Cervini: Drums

Sarah Hanahan: Saxophone
Caelan Cardello: Piano
Matt Dwonszyk: Bass
Samuel Bolduc: Drums

A Left Field Fundraiser with Dismal Niche

Matt Wilson: Drums

Jeff Lederer: Saxophone

Paul Sikivie: Bass

The band's artifice may be a bit hokey, but its musicianship isn't. There's a deep grounding in jazz for this — for taking threadbare or overplayed melodies and transforming them into creative art of the highest order — as well as long-standing precedents of outgoing, personable showmen. Matt Wilson's Christmas Tree-O is an inspired and creative effort that balances a cheerful, festive vibe with progressive, avant-garde flair. For collectors searching for holiday albums that are left of center and for hardcore jazz aficionados, Matt Wilson's Christmas Tree-O is a welcome stocking stuffer.

Blacks’ Myths is a duo from Washington DC, based in New York City, featuring Luke Stewart on bass and Warren G. “Trae” Crudup III on drums. Their unique sound is one of avant-garde intensity, poetic lyricism, and cataclysmic noise. At the intersection of cosmic jazz and DC punk, Blacks’ Myths construct monumental and hypnotic rhythmic structures drawing from Black American history, memory, and lived experience to tell stories and create new mythologies in sound.

Mary Halvorson: Guitar

Dave Adewumi: Trumpet

Henry Fraser: Bass

Tomas Fujiwara: Drums

Amina Figarova: Piano
Matsiko World Orphan Choir: Choir
Skylar Tang: Trumpet
Wayne Escoffery: Tenor Saxophone
Bart Platteau: Flute
Luques Curtis: Bass
Rudy Royston: Drums

Dawn Clemen: Piano / Vocals
Steve Kovalcheck: Guitar
John Clayton: Bass
Jeff Hamilton: Drums

David Berkman: Piano
Chris Cheek: Saxophone
Chris Lightcap: Bass
Allan Mednard: Drums

Phillip Golub and Lesley Mok are brilliant improvisers who have, as individuals, created their own highly developed languages and approaches to their respective instruments, and possess a depth of knowledge and experience that defies their years. In dialogue, they find synergetic meeting points, rhythmic synchronicities and counterpoint, one filling gaps left by the other, one supporting the other. Each musician is porous, enveloping and absorbing the other, listening more than they play, demonstrating great patience, restraint, quietude, reflection, and stillness.
 On the self-titled debut the duo break away from the rigorously composed constructions of their recent individual projects to allow their voices as improvisers and instrumentalists to speak for themselves. The music that results from this process is at once tightly constructed, deliberate, and careful, but also playful, dynamic, and spontaneous. With both a subtly of touch and grandness of gesture, Mok and Golub create a color palette as rich as that of a full orchestra with their duo. Their music seizes the singularity of the moment as a site of expression. With economy and brevity, their real-time compositions show how a moment can have luster—as in a dream.

Get your GA pass to all four concerts!
Left Field is co-presented by Dismale Niche and "We Always Swing" Jazz Series

Fred Tompkins Trio - October 16, 2026 @ Whitmore

Blacks’ Myths - January 22, 2027 @ Café Berlin

Mary Halvorson: Canis Major - February 12, 2027 @ Blue Note

Dream Brigade - April 9, 2027 @ Whitmore

Tim Armacost: Tenor Saxophone

Steve Wilson: Alto Saxophone

Scott Wendholt: Trumpet

Bruce Barth: Piano

Ugonna Okegwo: Bass

Adam Cruz: Drums

Edward Simon: Piano
Reuben Rogers: Bass
Adam Cruz: Drums

Jane Bunnett: Soprano saxophone & Flute

Joanna Tendai Majoko: Vocals

Mary Paz: Congas & Vocals

Dánae Olano: Piano

Tailin Marrero: Bass

Yissy García: Drums