KRAFT
KRAFT (Baltimore, Kuhl/Dierker/Ballou/Stewart) w/ Kuhl/Hopkins/Jones (Richmond)
7:30pm doors, 8:00pm concert, $20 admission
Cash Bar (beer/wine available)
We are thrilled to welcome the improvising quartet KRAFT, featuring Mike Kuhl - drums, Dave Ballou - trumpet, John Dierker - reeds, and Luke Stewart - bass, to Richmond for a performance at Artspace Gallery on July 14. Mike Kuhl, Baltimore-based drummer and brother of Richmond's own JC Kuhl, formed this band in 2018, and released their debut album on Out Of Your Head Records in 2022 to international acclaim.
"KRAFT is heavy on chemistry and light on filler, and on their debut they deliver animated and commiserate formations of sound that span a wide range of dynamics and intensities." — Free Jazz Collective
KRAFT (Kuhl/Dierker/Ballou/Stewart): Kraft is a German word that means energy, strength, force. KRAFT is a Baltimore-based improvising quartet formed by drummer Mike Kuhl in 2018. Joining Kuhl are longtime collaborators and some of the most stalwart improvisers on the scene today, Dave Ballou (trumpet), John Dierker (reeds), and Luke Stewart (bass). In the creative music community neither Ballou nor Stewart require an introduction – both are world-renowned as two of the finest improvisers on their respective instruments. While Mike Kuhl and John Dierker are locally revered by the Baltimore music community, a bit of background is warranted. John Dierker is the godfather of the Baltimore improvised music scene. Having started his career in the early 90s, he’s gained legendary status in underground improv circles internationally. Mike Kuhl is one of the finest jazz drummers on the East Coast, and has gained recognition touring with Beach House and Tom Tom Club, as well as in BeepHonk with Ballou, Anthony Pirog, and Adam Hopkins, who released The Windup on Clean Feed in 2018. We at OOYH feel that their performances on KRAFT will show both Dierker and Kuhl to be musicians deserving much wider attention.
For 10 years Kuhl hosted a weekly gig at Bertha’s Mussels in Baltimore, and often used it as an opportunity to try out new projects as well as host musicians from out of town. During that time Dave Liebman, Tim Berne, Michael Formanek, Tony Malaby, Drew Gress, and Mark Giuliana performed with him. In the summer of 2018, Kuhl took the opportunity to showcase a group he had long hoped to assemble, the band later to be known as KRAFT. There was an instant, beautiful, and natural chemistry to the quartet. On February 19, 2021 KRAFT was invited to perform and record a livestream concert at An Die Musik in Baltimore. Immediately the group realized they had captured something special. Bassist Luke Stewart, who holds a degree in audio production, offered to mix the recording during his week-long residency at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn NY. Upon hearing the final mixes, their intuitions were confirmed. The recording is completely unedited, and is presented exactly as it was performed that evening. OOYH Records has firm roots in the city of Baltimore, and KRAFT is fully a Baltimore band (Stewart is from DC, and a frequent collaborator on the Baltimore scene). We are thrilled to be releasing this stellar recording to show what a truly unique city Baltimore is in the creative and improvised music community.
Kuhl/Hopkins/Jones: Opening the show will be a trio of Richmond-based musicians JC Kuhl - tenor saxophone, Adam Hopkins - bass, and Brian Jones - drums. This is a rare chance to hear two brothers of the Kuhl family in one room! The trio will be playing compositions by each of the band members, and maybe a few of their musical heroes as well. We'll see what happens!
JC Kuhl. Photo credit: Peter McElhinney