After six years, Avant Coast makes a comeback
Artistic collaborations are not without their challenges. It’s something musicians Thom Keith and Tim Webb learned after launching Avant Coast, a collaborative music series, in 2007. The “creative music series” encouraged musicians to work together and push boundaries at monthly shows in Rollinsford. But, after two years, they found that maintaining momentum was difficult.
“There was too much in-fighting between those who wanted to play ‘in the tradition’ and those who wanted to press the boundaries a bit,” Keith said.
But now, Avant Coast is making a comeback. Keith, a saxophonist, and Webb, a bassist, are re-launching the series on March 21 at The Dance Hall in Kittery, Maine, with performances by two jazz bands: the Luther Gray Trio and Webb and Keith’s band Equal Time. They’re also recommitting to the series; along with regular shows featuring bands from around the region, they have plans for Avant Coast albums and maybe even a festival.
“It took awhile for batteries to recharge, but when Tim fired the engine again, I was all in,” Keith said.
The series was inspired by the RPM Challenge and born out of collaboration. During the challenge’s first year in 2006, Webb heard Keith’s submission and was “blown away.”
“I had never heard of him and he was speaking my language,” Webb said.
The two became friends and discovered they shared a lot of the same musical influences — Henry Threadgill, Stanley Cowell, The Art Ensemble of Chicago, and Sun Ra, to name a few.
They soon formed Equal Time with drummer Mike Walsh, and Avant Coast quickly followed. The series is meant to embody the free-jazz spirit, according to Webb. The musicians are improvising in a jazz idiom, but without chord changes or a set structure.
“One of our primary goals is to engage in a dialog with the audience and present creative music in a friendly, open
kind of way.” — Tim Webb
The free-jazz label can have negative connotations — Webb said it’s often thought of as having a lot of dissonance and cacophony. But Avant Coast’s goal is to connect audiences with a genre that might seem intimidating but is actually playful and fun.
“We are always trying to make it accessible to the listener,” Webb said. “One of our primary goals is to engage in a dialog with the audience and present creative music in a friendly, open kind of way.”
Each Avant Coast show will feature two bands. The bands will each perform a set on their own and then take the stage together for a joint third set.
“It ends up being a lot of fun for all the musicians involved because not only do we get to hear each other play, we all get to collaborate at the end of the show, starting with a blank slate and not knowing where we’ll end up!” Webb said. “That’s really exciting to me. It’s truly an ‘in the moment’ kind of music making.”
So what defines the new and improved Avant Coast? Mostly, it’s about bringing diverse musicians together in front of a receptive audience. Instead of monthly shows, Webb said he’s aiming to put on four or five “big shows” a year.
“We plan to rotate the schedule, to involve some projects that Thom and I are working on, with some of our local cohorts, as well as people we have never worked with before,” Webb said. “We want to offer a mix of local musicians as well as folks from the Boston and Portland areas, or even beyond that.”
“Having 20 or more musicians improvising creatively in one setting is very appealing.”
— Thom Keith
Along with live shows, Avant Coast also doubles as a record label.
“It really bugged me that we couldn’t get our stuff recorded without paying a ton in studio fees, and I finally decided to just bite the bullet and buy a disc copier,” Keith said. The two recorded past Avant Coast shows. The participating musicians retain control of the records — if they want to release a recording, they pay for the cost of production.
“This way, we, the musicians, control what is recorded and released. We also have the responsibility of distribution, but it’s still worth it,” Keith said. “While the main focus is performing live and making that connection, it’s also important to get your music out there as much as possible.”
Webb and Keith also see a festival in Avant Coast’s future. “Having 20 or more musicians improvising creatively in one setting is very appealing,” Keith said. But, he added, the ultimate goal is to grow the series into something of a collective, with other musicians taking charge — booking shows under the Avant Coast umbrella, expanding the series outside of the Seacoast, and continuing to collaborate and break boundaries.
“Music was intended to be a creative outlet,” Keith said. “If you’re not creating, why are you bothering?”
The Avant Coast Creative Music Series returns with a performance by the Luther Gray Trio and Equal Time on Saturday, March 21 at 7:30 p.m. at The Dance Hall, 7 Walker St., Kittery, Maine. Tickets are $12, available at thedancehallkittery.org.