BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 CALSCALE:GREGORIAN PRODID:adamgibbons/ics METHOD:PUBLISH X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VEVENT UID:938@cal.gravitons.org SUMMARY:Gleaming World Unit DTSTAMP:20260810T155432Z DTSTART:20260910T183000Z DTEND:20260910T213000Z DESCRIPTION:"this is a vital\, frequently thrilling calling card from an ex plosive quintet\,\nwhose leader serves compelling notice of his credential s as a composer and\nbandleader of some distinction.” — All About Jazz\n\n Belfast-based drummer and improvisor Stephen Davis is one of the most\nsou ght-after musicians and collaborators working today. He is a member of\nAn thony Braxton’s ‘The New Standard’ and the Alexander Hawkins Trio\, and ha s\nworked with Marc Ribot\, Evan Parker\, Kris Davis\, Paul Dunmall\, Djan go Bates\, and\nVan Morrison to name but a few. Davis made his name in the improvising trio\nBourne\, Davis\, Kane\n[https://www.allaboutjazz.com/bo urne-kane-davis-manchester-uk-april-12-2013-matthew-bourne-by-ian-patterso n]\,\nwhose debut album Lost Something\n[https://www.allaboutjazz.com/edit ion-records-a-guide-to-the-first-fifteen-years-chris-potter]\n(Edition Rec ords\n[https://www.jazznearyou.com/cardiff/recordlabel/edition-records]\, 2008)\nprompted The Guardian's John Fordham to acknowledge the trio's "wor ld class\nstatus."\n\nHis new project arrived in the form of ‘Gleaming Wor ld Unit’\, marking a new\nchapter for Davis\, and a first international la bel release (577 Records\, New\nYork City). With a title drawing on sentim ents from a letter written by Seamus\nHeaney\, he was inspired by time spe nt in the Wicklow mountains\, being submerged\nin forests for often hours at a time.\n\nBeing surrounded by offerings of the compositional power of the landscape led to\na brand-new approach to tune-writing\, where improvi sation and composition are\npurposefully blurred\, inviting the listener t o make their own assessment.\nGhosts\, forests\, old photographs and conve rsations with elders all fed into a\nnovel sound blending elements of free jazz\, punk\, contemporary classical\,\nelectronics\, and art-music\n\nTh e star-studded ensemble for this run of shows across Dublin\, Belfast\, an d\nLondon features Davis lining up alongside renowned pianist Alexander Ha wkins\, a\ntour-de-force horn duo with alto saxophonist Angelika Niescier and tenor\nsaxophonist Tom Challenger\, and to top it off\, these shows ar e a first venture\nwith double bassist Michael Formanek. A lineup which\, aside from Formanek on\nbass\, took its explosive live bow at Moving on Mu sic’s Brilliant Corners\n[https://www.allaboutjazz.com/brilliant-corners-2 024-tom-ollendorff] jazz\nfestival in Belfas [https://www.google.com/searc h?as_q=Jazz+in+Belfas]t in 2024.\nThe next step for Gleaming World Unit is to present the show across Europe to\nnew audiences\, and this tour will be a taste of that.\n\nEach of the album’s eight compositions dances with listeners through a range of\nemotions and vibes\, from playful flirtation to thought-provoking auditory art\,\nwildly bold expressions of that feel ing called freedom\, some sultry seductions\,\nand beyond. (577 Records). This is a project that inspires you to move through\nits relentless groove s and melody\, and dig into heavier\, chunkier\,\nbordering-on-hip-hop app roach to percussion. Perhaps best viewed in its dynamic\nlive format\, thi s is all accentuated to another level\, revealing more of Davis\net al’s c reative exploration.\n\nThe music was commissioned by Moving on Music with support from Arts Council of\nNorthern Ireland. URL:https://cal.gravitons.org/event/gleaming-world-unit LOCATION:The Sugar Club - 8 Leeson Street Lower\, Saint Kevin's\, Dublin\, D02 ET97 STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:Ainriail,improvisation,Improvised music,Jazz X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

"this is a vital, frequently th rilling calling card from an explosive quintet, whose leader serves compel ling notice of his credentials as a composer and bandleader of some distin ction.” — All About Jazz

Belfast-based drummer and imp rovisor Stephen Davis is one of the most sought-after musicians and collab orators working today. He is a member of Anthony Braxton’s ‘The New Standa rd’ and the Alexander Hawkins Trio, and has worked with Marc Ribot, Evan P arker, Kris Davis, Paul Dunmall, Django Bates, and Van Morrison to name bu t a few. Davis made his name in the improvising trio Bourne, Davis, Kane, whos e debut album Lost Somethi ng (Edition Records, 2008) prompted The Guardian's John Fordham to acknowledge the trio's "world class status."

His new project arrived in the form of ‘Gleaming World Unit’, marking a new chapter for Davis, and a first international label release (577 Rec ords, New York City). With a title drawing on sentiments from a letter wri tten by Seamus Heaney, he was inspired by time spent in the Wicklow mounta ins, being submerged in forests for often hours at a time.

Being sur rounded by offerings of the compositional power of the landscape led to a brand-new approach to tune-writing, where improvisation and composition ar e purposefully blurred, inviting the listener to make their own assessment . Ghosts, forests, old photographs and conversations with elders all fed i nto a novel sound blending elements of free jazz, punk, contemporary class ical, electronics, and art-music

The star-studded ensemble for this run of shows across Dublin, Belfast, and London features Davis lining up a longside renowned pianist Alexander Hawkins, a tour-de-force horn duo with alto saxophonist Angelika Niescier and tenor saxophonist Tom Challenger, and to top it off, these shows are a first venture with double bassist Mic hael Formanek. A lineup which, aside from Formanek on bass, took its explo sive live bow at Moving on Music’s Brilliant Cor ners jazz festival in Belfast in 2024. The next step for Gleaming World Unit is to present the show across Europe to new a udiences, and this tour will be a taste of that.

Each of the album’s eight compositions dances with listeners through a range of emotions and vibes, from playful flirtation to thought-provoking auditory art, wildly b old expressions of that feeling called freedom, some sultry seductions, an d beyond. (577 Records). This is a project that inspires you to move throu gh its relentless grooves and melody, and dig into heavier, chunkier, bord ering-on-hip-hop approach to percussion. Perhaps best viewed in its dynami c live format, this is all accentuated to another level, revealing more of Davis et al’s creative exploration.

The music was commissioned by M oving on Music with support from Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

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