NEWS RELEASE
SILENCE
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Acclaimed avant-garde saxophonists Darren Williams and Connor Bennett will be performing Nov. 8 at Silence in Guelph.
Williams has toured across Canada, having performed with many internationally celebrated musicians including Juno award winning guitarist Gordon Grdina (Canada), Chris Corsano (U.S.A.), Mats Gustafsson (Sweden), and Han Bennink (Netherlands.) For over two decades Williams has enjoyed a semi-regular collaboration with guitarist/banjoist Eugene Chadbourne (U.S.A.), being featured on Chadbourne’s 2011 album Stop Snoring.
Based in Kelowna, Williams is involved in many other projects, notably as one third of the Branchroot Ensemble which released their debut album Far From the Tree in 2023.
This concert performance is in support of his new album Musical Idiot, a collection of original compositions for solo tenor saxophone using extended instrumental techniques, released this year on The Infidels Jazz label. Williams plays a series of compositions for solo tenor that have all of the spiritual gravity of an Albert Ayler or a David S. Ware while spinning and extrapolating his thought into endless circular breathing routines that give the nod to Evan Parker or Joe McPhee but that somehow sound like no one else. … (David Keenan of Volcanic Tongue, The Wire).
Connor Bennett is a musician, craftsperson, and arts organizer in Hamilton. They play saxophone in a variety of musical contexts (Beverly Glenn-Copeland, Blue Moss, Ylang Ylang, NPNP, Eschaton, Tidal Pool, Lee/Palmer/Bennett, and Ghost Variables). Their craft is in custom mouthpiece making for woodwinds (CJBennett Mouthpieces), which informs their approach to the saxophone and its sonic potential. Connor is also a founding member of the Hamilton Audio Visual Node (HAVN) and has worked there in collaboration with many other artists in the curation and organization of concerts, art shows, events, and series.
Darren Williams and Connor Bennett perform at Silence on Nov. 8. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the concert will begin at 8 p.m. Silence is located at 46 Essex Street in Guelph. Admission at the door is a suggested $15 contribution.
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