The importance of Sam Rivers to the community of musicians who comprise the Vision Festival cannot be overstressed. In addition to being an essential musical inspiration as a composer and improviser, Rivers exerted a profound influence on avantJazz through his role as an artist/organizer in the 1970s. Rivers' loft space Studio RivBea (opened in 1970 with his late wife Beatrice) was one of the primary launching pads for the New York loft scene. Like other lofts such as Studio WE and Studio WIS, RivBea provided an essential meeting point for adventurous musicians. The self-empowered approach towards presenting art and music that arose in this atmosphere continues to inform the work of many musicians to this day. The Vision Festival's salute to Rivers on June 14 will celebrate his life and music through and evening of performances.

In 1991, Rivers relocated to Orlando, Florida in order to pursue a steady working version of his large ensemble called the Rivbea Orchestra. The preponderance of music work in the Orlando theme park industry created a surplus of professional horn players, many of whom thirsted for an opportunity to play music more enriching than the standard Disney fare. Utilizing these musicians, Rivers has forged a new version of the Rivbea Orchestra, performing Rivers' compositions dating back to 1958. The situation is an ideal one for a composer of Rivers' stature. The orchestra rehearses weekly and has become a cohesive unit that truly lives with Rivers' compositions. This contrasts the standard pick-up band approach of most other modern big bands. During this era when jazz has largely abandoned attempts to create regularly working large ensembles, Rivers has found a way to do so. Like Duke Ellington and Count Basie before him, he has assembled a steady unit of top musicians to perform his music on an ongoing basis. The trio format ubiquitous to Rivers' name has existed alongside the Orchestra since its inception, with bassist Doug Mathews and drummer Anthony Cole providing the rhythm section for both groups. Rivers' Orlando groups have recorded albums for a number of labels, including RCA and Rivers' own Rivbea Sound Company. In November 2000, the Rivbea Orchestra performed for two evenings at Lincoln Center in New York and the band currently holds a residency at Will's Pub in Orlando.

For this special tribute, the Vision Festival is proud to present Rivers in his two ideal settings of trio and big band. The big band's performance will be the Rivbea Orchestra's first New York performance since their Lincoln Center concerts of 2000. The evening will also feature ensembles led by two important Rivers associates: Warren Smith and Grachan Moncur III. Smith was an integral member of Rivers' trio in the late '70s, often known as the "Tuba Trio" due to its use of Joe Daley on tuba. Moncur performed on Rivers' mammoth Crystals album in 1974 and owned his own loft space in Harlem called The Space Station.

Vision Festival XI @ Angel Orensanz Foundation for the Arts

Tuesday, June 13
• 06:30 Opening Invocation: David Budbill, William Parker, Joseph Jarman, Hamid Drake, Patricia Nicholson
• 07:00 Raphe Malik Tribute Band: Sabir Mateen (rds), Marshall Allen (rds), Roy Campbell (trpt), Lewis Barnes (trpt), Dave Burrell (pno), William Parker (bs), Warren Smith (dr)
• 08:00 Klaas Hekman Trio: Klaas Hekman (bass sax), Fred Lonberg-Holm (cello), Veryan Weston (pno)
• 09:00 Borah Bergman (pno), William Parker (bs), Rashied Ali (dr)
• 10:00 Dave Burrell (pno), Billy Martin (dr)

Wednesday, June 14 - Sam Rivers Lifetime Achievement
• 07:00 Sam Rivers' Rivbea Orchestra: Sam Rivers (tenor and soprano saxophone, flute, piano, voice, compositions), Doug Mathews (bass), Anthony Cole (drums), Brian Mackie (bari saxophone), Daniel Jordan (alto saxophone), Chris Charles (alto saxophone), Jeff Rupert (tenor saxophone), David Pate (tenor saxophone), Mike Iapichino (trumpet), Tom Parmerter (trumpet), Brian Scanlon (trumpet), Dave Jones (trumpet), Keith Oshiro (trombone), David Sheffield (trombone), Joe King (trombone), Joshua Parsons (tuba)
• 08:30 Grachan Moncur III Quartet: Grachan Moncur III (tmb), Calvin Hill (bs), Noriko Kamo (pno), Richard Pearson (dr); Special Guests: Khan Jamal (vibes) and Byard Lancaster (tnr sax)
• 09:30 Warren Smith Ensemble: Warren Smith (dr) Andrew Lamb (tnr sax, flute), Roy Campbell (trpt), Jaribu Shahid (bs), Howard Johnson (tuba)
• 10:30 Sam Rivers Trio: Sam Rivers (tenor, alto & soprano sax, piano, flute), Doug Mathews (bass, bass clarinet), Anthony Cole (percussion, tenor sax, piano)

Thursday, June 15
• 07:00 Paul Rutherford (tmb), Torsten Muller (bs), Dylan van der Schyff (dr)
• 08:00 Coltrane Tribute Band: Roy Campbell (trpt), Louis Belogenis (rds), Andrew Bemkey (pno), Reggie Workman (bs), Rashied Ali (dr) plus Steve Dalachinsky (poet)
• 09:00 Maria Naidu (dance), Dennis Gonzalez (trumpet)
• 09:30 Day & Taxi: Christoph Gallio (sop sax), Christian Weber (bs), Michael Griener (dr)
• 10:30 Bill Dixon (trpt), George Lewis (tmb, elec): Videosonic Projections

Friday, June 16
• 05:00 PANEL DISCUSSION - NYC Community Based Organizing: What's Wrong in Gotham?
• 07:00 Donald Byrd Spectrum Dance Theater featuring Danielle Wilkins and Julia Wilkins dance and Hamid Drake percussion
• 07:30 Bindu: Hamid Drake (dr), Sabir Mateen (rds), Daniel Carter (rds, trpt), Greg Ward (alto sax), Ernest Dawkins (tnr sax)
• 08:30 Rob Brown Quartet: Rob Brown (alto sax), Craig Taborn (pno), William Parker (bs), Gerald Cleaver (dr)
• 09:30 Billy Bang Quintet: Billy Bang (vln), James Zollar (trpt), Andrew Bemkey (pno), Todd Nicholson (bs), Newman Taylor Baker (dr)
• 10:30 Henry Grimes (bs), Sekou Sundiata (poet)
• 12:00 Vision Festival / JazzCorner.com present: VISION FESTIVAL XI AFTERPARTY at Mo Pitkins House of Satisfaction (34 Avenue A btwn 2nd & 3rd Streets) Featuring a performance by Dennis Gonzalez' Yells At Eels: Dennis Gonzalez (tpt), Aaron Gonzalez (bs), Stefan Gonzalez (dr) + many special Vision guests. $5 with Friday night Vision Festival hand stamp, $10 all others

Saturday Afternoon, June 17 - The New Generation
• 01:00 Ras And The Music Now Unit: Ras Moshe (rds), Matt Lavelle (trpt, bs clarinet), Tor Yochai Snyder (gtr), Matt Heyner (bs), Todd Nicholson (bs), Jackson Krall (dr)
• 02:00 Yusuke Yamamoto Duo with Ben Monder: Yusuke Yamamoto (vibes, perc, electronics), Ben Monder (gtr)
• 03:00 Matana Roberts' Mississippi Moonchile: Matana Roberts (rds), Matt Bauder (tnr sax), Thomson Kneeland (bs), Tomas Fujiwara (dr), Tyshawn Sorey (pno)
• 04:00 Lafayette Gilchrist (pno) / Hamid Drake (dr)

Saturday Evening, June 17
• 05:00 PANEL DISCUSSION - New Orleans 2006: Understanding and responding
• 07:00 Slammin' The Infinite: Steve Swell (tmb), Sabir Mateen (rds), Matthew Heyner (bs), Klaus Kugel (dr), John Blum (pno)
• 08:00 Roscoe Mitchell Quartet: Roscoe Mitchell (rds), Corey Wilkes (trpt), Harrison Bankhead (bs), Vincent Davis (dr)
• 09:00 Joe Morris (gtr), Barre Phillips (bs)
• 10:00 Jason Kao Hwang's Edge: Jason Kao Hwang (vln), Taylor Ho Bynum (cornet), Ken Filiano (bs), Andrew Drury (dr)
• 11:00 By Any Means: Charles Gayle (tnr sax), William Parker (bs), Rashied Ali (dr)

Sunday Early Evening, June 18
• 03:00 PANEL DISCUSSION - Artist-Organized Presentations in Jazz: 1970 to 2006 and Beyond
• 05:00 Miya Masaoka (koto, electronics), Silvie Courvoisier (pno), Peggy Lee (cello)
• 06:00 Kidd Jordan (tnr sax), Joel Futterman (pno), William Parker (bs), Alvin Fielder (dr)
• 07:00 Patricia Nicholson (dance), Hamid Drake (perc), William Parker (bs and sintir), Jo Wood Brown (visual artist)
• 08:00 Whit Dickey Trio: Whit Dickey (dr), Daniel Levin (cello), Matt Moran (vibes)
• 09:00 David S. Ware Quartet (Final US Performance): David S. Ware (tnr sax), Matthew Shipp (pno), William Parker (bs), Guillermo E.Brown (dr)

Visual Art @ VISION FESTIVAL XI

Vision Festival Film Series 2006 @ Anthology Film Archives (32 2nd Ave @ 2nd St)

Monday, June 12
• 07:00 Session #1: musicWitness®: GENESIS & TESTIMONY (2006 - on the work of Jeff Schlanger) Directed by Robert O'Haire. Edited by Jeff Burns (30 min); DAVID S. WARE: A PORTRAIT (2000) Directed by Arthur Cemin & Romain Wentzo (53 min); RAPHE MALIK: REFLECTIONS (2006) Directed by Michael Lucio Sternbach (15 min)
• 09:00 Session #2: SAM RIVERS RETROSPECTIVE - Films celebrating the life and work of saxophonist Sam Rivers, Concert footage and interviews from throughout his 40yr career (approx. 105 min)
• Tickets at the door: $8, $6 students & seniors (not included in festival pass)

ARTS FOR ART
Devoted to the arts as a borderless, multi-disciplinary terrain where all things are possible, Arts for Art is a non-profit organization that seeks to provide a platform where all kinds of can not only present their work but experience fruitful contact with fellow artists and their audiences in a mutually sympathetic environment. Operating outside the realm of corporate-stamped New York art and music festivals. Arts for Art has focused its efforts on a kind of annual summit meeting called the Vision Festival.

For complete information, visit www.visionfestival.org