Resonant Threads - Jazz and Improv

Our first Resonant Threads event features two separate sets by local improvisers. If you haven’t seen musicians improvise and interact with their instruments in the moment, come experience it live. It’s a sound exploration—watching players respond to one another in real time is something special. Bring friends who are curious about something enigmatic, intriguing, and different.

Showcase performances:

7:00 pm — Alan Ernst (Keyboard) & Chris Hall (Flute & Sax) - Free Improv

8:00 pm — Mark Collins & Ludic Gal - Prepared Upright Bass and SP404, Improvisatory Sound Exploration

Alan Ernst & Chris Hall

Alan Ernst is a 21st‑century modern music artist and jazz pianist who also works as a visual artist (see @bardotransitauthority on Instagram). Best known for his avant‑garde free‑improv work, he has performed at venues across the U.S. and abroad. Tonight, he’s joined by flutist/saxophonist Chris Hall for a rare and compelling set.

Mark Collins & Ludic Gal

Mark Collins is an upright bassist who stretches the instrument’s vocabulary, drawing sound from the whole body of the bass as readily as from its strings. After decades in Seattle’s experimental scene—appearing at festivals and in countless collaborations—he brings a practiced, attentive approach to improvisation. Ludic Gal is an experimental sound collage artist, creating textured performances that have become part of Sacramento’s adventurous music spaces and festivals. Together they explore timbre, surprise, and the quiet architecture of listening.

Resonant Threads is a monthly series presenting jazz and other improvisational music in an intentional listening environment. We cultivate a space where audiences can engage deeply with sound, and performers can truly hear one another, allowing nuanced, real-time responses—unlike loud venues where conversation and distractions drown out the music. The series resembles an art exhibition: instead of works on a wall, pieces are presented as sonic installations, inviting listeners to appreciate texture, timbre, form, and the visual presence of performance.

The event takes place at Signa Rare Plants in Sacramento on the fourth Thursday of every month. Tickets are $10–$15 on a sliding scale. Help spread the word!

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