OCTOBER REVOLUTION IN JAZZ 60TH ANNIVERSARY

The October Revolution in Jazz 60th Anniversary (ORJ 60) is a five-day interdisciplinary event celebrating the transformative power of free improvisation and collectivity. Inspired by the original at New York’s Cellar Club in 1964, ORJ 60 will honor the legacy of musician-composer, artist, and professor Bill Dixon with a diverse program of workshops, symposia, and music performances at CalArts and 2220 Arts + Archives.

ORJ 60’s music director Stanley J. Zappa studied closely with Bill Dixon in the Black Music Division at Bennington College. Zappa will host 40+ improvisors in open rehearsals and performances with multiple crossovers between groups and generations ranging in age from 20-90 years-old, championing inclusion and putting pressure on the limits of disciplines, styles, and traditions.

ORJ 60 is simultaneously a celebration, a call to action, and an imagining of new futures that explores the profound impact of improvisation on culture from the 1960s onward, as well as its influence on various artistic modes beyond music, including visual art, dance, and theater.

ORJ 60 aims to foster a deeper understanding of improvisation as a critical and creative practice.

More information at october-revolution.org