The Roulette Tapes

The music of Shahzad Ismaily, a multi-instrumentalist widely admired for his mastery of the bass guitar and drum set in solos, collaborations, and groups across genres. The program features the artist's remarks on personal history, spiritual growth, and musical projects alongside excerpts from several performances at Roulette: a duo with guitarist Indigo Street, a vocal duo with Arooj Aftab, and in an ensemble led by composer/percussionist Ches Smith. Shahzad returns to Roulette with Marc Ribot on June 11, 2025.

Swiss-born pianist/composer in commentary and excerpts from four performances at Roulette: A trio with percussionist Kenny Wolleson and bassist Drew Gress (2016, 2020), Amalthea (aka Poppy Seeds) (2024) with Patricia Brennan, vibes; Thomas Morgan, bass, Dan Weiss, drums, and Chimera (2022) with Christian Fennesz, electronics; Nate Wooley, trumpet; plus Wolleson (vibes) and Gress.

The music of Bobby Previte and ensembles recorded between 1987 and 2018 at the Roulette performance spaces in New York. Admired as both a drummer and composer, Previte is also one the great raconteurs of the downtown experimental music scene. We'll hear the 1987 band with Marty Ehrlich (reeds),Tom Varner (horn), Wayne Horvitz (keys), Dave Hofstra (bass); a trio from 1994 with Horvitz (piano & electronic keyboards), and Skerik (tenor sax & electronics); and the Rhapsody Band from 2018 with Nels Cline (acoustic guitars), John Medeski, (piano), Zeena Parkins (harp), Jen Shyu (voice and erhu fiddle), Fabian Rucker (alto sax), and the composer on drums, autoharp, electronics, and percussion.

The Palestinian-born US resident singer Nibal Malshi in excerpts and commentary on selections from the 20th-century classical Arab repertoire of the Levantine – Egyptian region, highlighting songs performed by female singers from Syria, Egypt, and Lebanon. In 2021 Malshi performed at Roulette with an ensemble led by master qanun (zither) player Firas Zreik with Zafer Tawil on oud (lute), John Murchison on bass, Johnny Farraj on riqq (small frame drum), and Gilbert Mansour on tabla. In 2023 the ensemble was again Mansour and Murchison led by master violinist Gabriel Dahrieh with Maurice Chedid (oud) and Eddy Fadel (percussion). Portions of these recordings were co-presented by Roulette, Brooklyn Maqam, and Robert Browning Associates, who have been bringing music of the world to New York venues for decades. Malshi returns to Roulette on March 15, 2025.

The music of composer Shamar Watt (aka BongoWattZ), whose work incorporates everything from techno to gospel, ecstatic movement, and manipulated light, with excerpts from the artist's archive alongside commentary on his Jamaican heritage, spirituality, technology, and noise. Watt performs at Roulette on March 1, 2025 as part of the annual Mixology Festival and again on March 13 with Lester St. Louis.

Composer/performer and instrument maker Ellen Fullman describes the origins and development of her Long Strong Instrument; dozens of strings running 40 feet or more, excited by longitudinal vibration in just intonation. The artist's commentary is illustrated with samples from rare recordings and releases with cellist Theresa Wong, the JACK String Quartet, and others. Fullman and Wong return to Roulette with the full installation on 30-31 Jan. 2025 with a workshop on 29 Jan.

Excerpts from two performances at Roulette by drummer, composer, improviser, activist organizer Lesley Mok with commentary by the artist. "she smashed the enclosure" from 2020 features composer Mok with Charmaine Lee, voice; Maya Keren, piano, voice; Aliya Ultan, cello, voice. "a bird in its chest" from 2022 features Ultan, Joanna Mattrey, viola; Cleek Schrey, violin; David Leon, sax; Yuma Uesaka, reeds. The aerialists! mentioned in the piece are Gabrielle “Teddy” Ment, Eleanor Getz, Georgie Johnson, and Copper Santiago. Mok returns to Roulette on 20 Dec 2024 with “The Living Collection”, a 10-piece band that crosses musical communities.

A project launched by Tim Spelios and David Weinstein in the 80s, Impossible Music features cutup, montaged, recycled material, lopsided grooves, appropriated, restored, or reconstituted audio, new and legacy technologies, loops of contrasting and colliding musics, sound effects, disembodied vocal tracks, and noise merged into panoramic constructions. Illustrated with a 2004 performance at Roulette and artist commentary. Photo by Beatriz Cardoso Guimarães.

Composer, harpist, and multi-instrumentalist Zeena Parkins introduces the projects Phantom Orchard with electronic percussion artist Ikue Mori and a duo with electronic sound artist Laetitia Sonami. Alongside excerpts from performances at Roulette, Parkins discuses process, technique, and history. Parkins returns to Roulette on Oct. 24, 2024 with Ikue Mori and their Phantom Orchard project.

Bassist, composer, and activist Luke Stewart is best known as an accomplished  jazz musician, but he is also an innovator of techniques incorporating feedback as an extension of his sound. This edition features Stewart's commentary on his musical trajectory as well as the role of liberation politics in music. With excerpts from the Feedback Ensemble with cellist Leila Bordreuil, and the composition “Assassinations” with ensemble Irreversible Entanglements. Stewart also discusses his Silt Trio with Brian Settles, sax, and drummers Trae Crudup and Chad Taylor. Stewart presents that trio at Roulette as part of an album release concert for "Unknown Rivers" on 12 Sept. 2024.

Improvisers John Zorn (alto sax, game calls) and Michihiro Sato (shamisen, three-stringed banjo-like instrument) in a 1985 performance at Roulette. Rescued from a reel-to-reel tape and documenting an early chapter in the downtown improv scene, the concert came shortly after the release of the duo's album Ganru Island, since re-released on Tzadik Records.

Admired as a bold saxophonist (and also sometimes guitarist, vocalist, pianist), composer Zoh Amba traces a journey from a difficult Tennessee childhood to musical and spiritual revelation. The remarks are coupled with excerpts from two performances at Roulette: the Bhakti project (2022, with Micah Thomas, piano; Thomas Morgan, bass; Marc Edwards, drums; and Matt Hollenberg, guitar) and Sun Quartet (2024, with Lex Korten, piano; Caroline Morton, bass; and Miguel Marcel Russell, drums). The Quartet emerged from a Roulette commission and is built using graphic scores and variations of devotional hymns.

The trombonist Jim Staley traces his path from playing in a Vietnam-era Army band and as an orchestral musician; through encounters with influential mentors and techniques; and musical awakenings that led to a career as a master improviser and Director of Roulette, the New York City concert series. With musical appearances by John Zorn, Ikue Mori, Zeena Parkins, Bill Frisell, Fred Frith, Chris Cochrane, Derek Bailey, Joey Baron, Kyoko Kitamura, and Ciro Baptiste with recordings captured between 1986 and 2015. Staley will be honored with an all-star Gala at Roulette on June 6, 2024.

The cellist/composer/improviser in commentary with excerpts from several performances at Roulette: his own Transfer 01 and Metahaven projects; collaborative works with guitarist Wendy Eisenberg, drummer Ryan Sawyer, vocalist Charmaine Lee, violist Joanna Mattrey; and yuniya edi kwon's Sun Han Guild. St. Louis has also worked with jaimie branch, Isabel Crespo Pardo, the Vision Festival, and for Spectrum, the Manhattan experimental music venue.

Bassist, composer, and improviser Brandon Lopez in solo, duo, and ensemble works recorded at Roulette alongside the artist's commentary on technique, process, influences, and the unexpected. With appearances by collaborators Steve Baczkowski (sax), gabby fluke-mogul and Marina Kifferstein (violins), Nate Wooley (trumpet), Michael Foster (sax), Ben Bennett, (percussion), Gerald Cleaver (drums), and Cecilia Lopez (electronics). The title Lopez refers to looks like this: vilevilevilevilevile...

The composer Ches Smith in a collection of excerpts from performances at Roulette featuring Smith on drums, percussion, vibraphone, drum machine, and electronics. The artist provides background on his wide-ranging band projects including a Haitian ceremonial concert with drummer Daniel Brevil plus ensembles with Bill Frisell, guitar; Craig Taborn, piano; Matt Maneri, viola; Mary Halvorson, guitar; Devin Hoff, bass, and many more stellar players. Smith's 2024 album, Laugh Ash, will be celebrated in a release concert at Roulette on March 20, 2024.

Vocalist, composer, and electronic musician Charmaine Lee with commentary on and excerpts from four performances at the Roulette concert hall in Brooklyn from 2017-2021 with bits of the works Ceremony and Papillae, an appearance at the Resonant Bodies Festival, plus solos and collaborations with violist Joanna Mattrey, cellist Lester St. Louis, trumpeter Nate Wooley, and electronics with Conrad Tao. Raised by Hong Kong émigrés in Australia, educated at Princeton and New England Conservatory, Charmaine Lee is now a major contributor to the New York experimental music scene. A recipient of Roulette's Van Lier Fellowship, Lee returns to Roulette as part of the Mixology Festival on 10 Feb. 2024.

Composer, pianist, educator Angelica Sanchez in commentary alongside excerpts from performances with bassist Michael Formanek, drummers Billy Hart and Hamid Drake, composer/percussionist Susie Ibarra with violinist Jennifer Choi, and a solo at the tribute to jaimie branch. Sanchez returns to Roulette in a new trio with guitarist Brandon Ross and drummer Chad Taylor on 16 January 2024.

Composer and multi-instrumentalist John King (viola, guitar, electronics) in excerpts and commentary from six appearances at Roulette where his solo, small and large ensemble, and "politically tinged" works have appeared since the mid-1980s. This program features performances with collaborators including vocalist Gelsey Bell, bassist William Parker, violist Joanna Mattrey, Crucible String Quartet, TILT Brass, Cornelius Dufallo's Secret Quartet, The String Orchestra of Brooklyn, Brooklyn Youth Chorus, and one of his scores for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company.

The cross-genre and multidisciplinary Czech composer/performer (accordion, hichiriki, synthesizer, harmonica, voice, dance) walks us through three performances commissioned through Roulette: Opera, a multimedia piece; a solo performance, Spectacle; and the installation/performance, Pieces from Darkness. Vítková returns to Roulette 16 Nov 2023 to revisit their Opera concept.

Composer/trombonist Peter Zummo in remembrances of longtime collaborator composer/cellist Arthur Russell (1951-92) illustrated with excerpts from a musically ethereal and emotionally charged 1985 concert at Roulette. Produced by Beck Zegans, this special edition is a major contribution to the legacy of the unpredictable, calculated, and disciplined work of a treasured artist and the complex, emergent scene that both misunderstood and nurtured the work. Listen to the full, unedited performance at roulette.org/event/arthur-russell. Photo: Tom Lee.

Composer, trumpet and synth player, vocalist, and activist jaimie branch (1983–2022) in remembrances from bandmates bassist Jason Ajemian, drummer Jason Nazary, bassist Luke Stewart, cellist Lester St. Louis, and sister Kate Branch alongside excerpts from Roulette performances by projects Fly or Die, jaimie branch trio, C'est Trois, and Anteloper including appearances by drummers Mike Pride and Chad Taylor. jaimie branch was a compelling presence, a fiercely creative soul, and an unapologetic speaker of truth. Roulette hosts a tribute and record release celebration of the final album on October 2, 2023. Photo: Ben Semisch, Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts.

Composer and multi-instrumentalist Doug Wieselman, whose work on the clarinet, bass clarinet, sax, and guitar has led to projects with his Kamikaze Ground Crew, with Gina Leishman and Stephen Bernstein, to The Lounge Lizards with John Lurie, and major collaborations with The Flying Karamazov Brothers, Wayne Horvitz, Anthony Coleman, Laurie Anderson, Evan Lurie, Antony & The Johnsons, Coco Rosie, Robert Wilson, and many more. Wieselman traces the journey, illustrated with music by the Kamikaze Ground Crew and projects with Wayne Horvitz and Kato Hideki, all from the Roulette Archive.

The Iranian-American composer, vocalist, performance artist, and activist in a conversation illustrated with a 1986 formative performance at Roulette with longtime partner, multi-instrumentalist Richard Horowitz. Deyhim's journey from an early passion for Persian dance and music to a globally recognized concert performer and associations with artists from Arto Lindsay and Shirin Neshat to Ornette Coleman and U2 is a remarkable story. The work--including recordings, film scores, installations, opera, performance art, and collaborations--is faithful to her fertile, evolving cross-cultural roots.

Composer, musician, bandleader, and Hollywood extra Simon Hanes tells the story of his upbringing in an extended family of California musicians, metal bands, music school in Boston, and projects with Guerilla Toss, JG Thirlwell, and his own genre-busting ensemble, Tredici Bacci, a swirling reflection on Italian soundtracks, Zappa, Bacharach, and delicious chaos, all through the lens of "downtown ethos". Illustrated with audio clips from the band's shows at Roulette in 2017 and 2021.

Violinist/violist, vocalist, composer, improviser, and interdisciplinary Brooklyn-based performing artist eddy kwon in excerpts from three appearances at Roulette: the solo UMMA-YA; JUNI ONE SET: Boy mother/faceless bloom (with Senga Nengudi, Crow Nishimura, Joshua Kohl); and tombstar (with Isabel Crespo Pardo, Zekkereya El-magharbel, Lesley Mok). The artist provides commentary on the influence and embrace of ritual, ceremony, Butoh, queer and trans Korean shamans, and cultural traditions and challenges. eddy kwon returns to Roulette with a new project on 19 May 2023.

Composer, violinist, vocalist, poet, visual artist, and educator Terry Jenoure traces the arc of a spiritual, artistic, and ancestral journey across nearly four decades of performances at Roulette. From an early fascination with folk music, to the church, to working alongside Leroy Jenkins, to exploring a Puerto Rican, Jamaican, and African heritage, Jenoure's musical explorations and creations are a testament to tradition and imagination. We hear stories and excerpts from collaborative projects with Brandon Ross, James Kamal Jones aka Kamal Sabir, Pheroan Ak Laff, Gene Torres, Maria Mitchell, and others in this compelling musical tale. Jenoure returns to Roulette April 16, 2023, livestreamed and archived.

The guitarist, singer, improviser, and songwriter introduces excerpts from Roulette performances with the project Eye Music and collaborations with Ryan Sawyer, Lester St. Louis, Luisa Muir, Carla Kihlstedt's Necessary Monsters, Booker Stardrum, Andrew Links… plus ruminations on vibraphone, Lasik surgery, vivid dreams, and more.

Composer/curator Matt Mehlan shares his history and vision for Roulette's annual Mixology Festival (returning 4-5 Feb, 2023), music technology, and the future of the concert hall. Illustrated with clips from Festival performances since 1991: Zeena Parkins, DeForrest Brown, Jr., Carl Stone, Bruce Gremo/Rene Beekman, Val Jeanty, Ron Kuivila, Marcia Bassett/Ted Gordon, Long Distance Poison, and David Linton/Chiaki Watanabe.

Excerpts from Roulette concerts by improvising activist guitarist Derek Bailey, with commentary by musician/professor/author David Grubbs (Records Ruin The Landscape). Emerging from the London free improv scene, between 1986-99 Bailey tapped New York musicians to engage in his wildly diverse Company Weeks, in groupings and pairings with John Zorn (sax), Carlos Zingaro (violin), Ikue Mori (electronic percussion), Jim Staley (trombone), Ciro Baptiste (percussion), Jamaladeen Tacuma (bass), Calvin Weston (drums), Susie Ibarra (percussion), Richard Teitelbaum (electronics), and Greg Bendian (percussion). John Zorn is honoring Derek Bailey with three Nights of Improvisation at Roulette, Jan. 19-21, 2023.

Composer/guitarist Mario Diaz de Leon, whose influences range from hardcore punk to Xenakis, and whose masterful integration of electronics with classical instruments is documented here in concerts recorded at Roulette between 2009-22 in solo works and with the Talea and TAK ensembles, International Contemporary Ensemble, and flutist Laura Cocks. Photo: Ebru Yildiz

The composer/drummer and activist/chronicler for creative social action, in excerpts from epic performances at Roulette from 1988-2021, with personal and generational tales from James Baldwin to COVID. Hooker returns to Roulette Nov. 13, 2022.

Composer and musician Yuka C. Honda reflects on a remarkable musical trajectory, serendipity, and new directions. Widely known for the project Cibo Matto, this program is illustrated with excerpts from a 2016 performance at the Roulette Concert Hall in NYC with drummer Susie Ibarra and electronic percussionist Ikue Mori. Photo: Sophie Caby.

Composer and trumpet player Adam O'Farrill, discusses his illustrious jazz and classical lineage, projects with Mary Halvorson and Jen Shyu, and many of the players who inspired and influenced his work, all illustrated with recent performances recorded at Roulette.

The atmospheric sounds of composer, drummer, electronic percussionist, and media artist Ikue Mori, an innovative and influential figure in the global experimental music scene, in solo and collaborative works, compositions based on fairy tales, and stories of an adventurous career from NoWave punk drummer with legendary band DNA, projects with John Zorn, puppetry and technology, and more. Featuring collaborators Zeena Parkins, Tania Caroline Chen, Okkyung Lee, Sylvie Courvoisier, Jim Black, Arto Lindsay, and Yoshimio. All recorded at Roulette between 1997-2019.

The composer/guitarist in several projects with commentary from the artist on guitar tech, collaboration, and tradition. Excerpts include the duo For Living Lovers with Stomu Takeishi, bass; duos with Zeena Parkins, electric harp and Terry Jenoure, voice; and two iterations of his band, Blazing Beauty with Stomu, JT Lewis, and alternately Steph Richards and Graham Haynes. Recorded at Roulette between 1989 and 2021.

Composer Matthew Ostrowski on his origin story and an analysis of the 2021 piece, Monograph, which is a not entirely dour, often humorous, reflection on the acceptance of death and misfortune, anchored by the song, Streets of Laredo (but is it?). A master of electronic processing, video manipulation, unconventional installation, and alternative technologies, Ostrowski's passion for history and fertile correlations drives this piece to highs of both musical and narrative poetry. Peppered with excerpts from Monograph and earlier (2009) performance at Roulette.

Distinguished composer, multi-instrumentalist, and bandleader Henry Threadgill discusses the making of a new orchestral multimedia work and all the history that played into it. With musical examples from his bands Zooid and Double Up including excerpts from a premiere at Roulette that earned him a 2016 Pulitzer Prize. The new piece unfolds at Roulette May 20-21, 2022.

Composer Lea Bertucci's collaborative works and solos for saxophone and bass clarinet are often layered and processed through unusual methods, including archaic tape recorders and multichannel configurations. Fascinated by acoustic phenomenon, Bertucci is as likely to perform in a club as in a cave or handball court. Solo and ensemble works are explored in this program, with comments from the artist on technique, technology, and adventurism. Bertucci's 2022 album, Murmurations, is on Bandcamp.

Composer, multi-instrumentalist, visual artist, and bandleader Golia on the challenges and pleasures of mastering the entire woodwind family of instruments, navigating between written music and improvisation, illustrated with his many gigs at Roulette over the years with appearances by collaborators including Nels Cline, Rob Blakeslee, Ken Filiano, Billy Mintz, Tim Berne, Michael T.A. Thompson, Tom Rainey, his trio with Scott Fields and Toshi Makihara, and more.

The music, sounds, and stories of composer Miguel Frasconi, known for work with instruments made from glass and also a master of analog electronic sound. Here are solos for glass, mbira, and a piece for the Jack String Quartet, all recorded in concert at Roulette, plus a 1995 electronic trio with J.A. Deane and Bob Ostertag recorded at the Hotel Utah in San Francisco.

The saxophonist and composer in several settings: his quartet with Micah Thomas on piano, Daryl Johns on bass, and Kweku Sumbry on drums; his trio with pianist David Virelles and drummer Mike Mitchell; and in a quartet led by vibraphonist Joel Ross, plus observations on collaboration, community, justice, and memory. Wilkins is a 2021-22 Roulette Resident Artist.

Composer/keyboardist Anthony Coleman with stories and samples of his bands, solo work from improv to stride piano, projects for large and small ensembles, the Downtown and Radical Jewish Music movements, and an embrace of musical culture from Harlem to Herzegovina, Korea to Vienna, with appearances by Roy Nathanson, Charles K. Noyes, Jim Pugliese, Don Byron, and many more, all recorded at Roulette between 1986-2016.

The composer and violist in conversation with examples from a variety of projects recorded at Roulette including string and orchestral ensembles. As a performer and composer, Pavone is interested in repetition, song form, sympathetic vibration, and the physicality of her instrument utilizing both traditional notation and improvisatory techniques. Her association with musical masters including Anthony Braxton, Mary Halvorson and others has amplified her musical voice and vocabulary in recent years. Her newest piece, Lull, for string octet and soloists, will debut at Roulette on 19 November 2021.

Composer J.G. Thirlwell aka Foetus, Clint Ruin, Manorexia, Steroid Maximus, and Xordox, walks us thought his musical journey from experimental rocker to the concert stage and soundtrack work for animated TV shows (Venture Bros, Archer) and films. We'll hear examples from these projects alongside excerpts from his 2017 solo concert at Roulette, entitled Cholera Nocebo. Thirlwell returns to Roulette with new material on Dec. 7, 2021.

The composer/guitarist and MacArthur “genius” awardee discusses everything from guitar tech to string quartets, illustrated with musical excerpts from Roulette Archive concerts including the projects Code Girl, Thumbscrew, a duo with Deerhhoof's John Dietrich, and collaborators Ches Smith, Jonathan Finlayson, Amirtha Kidambi, John Hébert, Michael Formanek, Tomas Fujiwara, Adam O'Farrill, and Jon Irabagon. Halvorson's latest projects debut at Roulette Sept. 8-9, 2021.

Saxophonist Lenny Pickett discusses his career straddling popular culture and the avant-garde, from his work with David Bowie and Saturday Night Live to his own ensemble work for dance, film, and the concert hall, illustrated with examples from 1984-2018 including the Borneo Horns, his score for choreographer Bebe Miller, and plenty of gospel and R&B influenced pyrotechnics. With appearances by Jack Bashkow and Stan Harrison on saxes; a quartet with Michael Wolff, piano, James Genus, bass, John Hadfield, percussion; and a duo with Cheryl Hardwick, piano.

The composer and clarinettist discusses his fascination, influences, and obstacles to film scoring and re-imagining 20th Century classics, illustrated with excerpts including his projects ranging from Messiaen to Warner Bros. cartoons and inspiration from Lalo Schifrin to Jean Michel Basquiat.

Equal parts composer, vocalist, and storyteller Shelley Hirsch is universally admired for an astounding gift firing off free association between words and sounds, which is our focus in this edition. Here with collaborators keyboardist/arranger Simon Ho, turntablist Christian Marclay, guitarist Kazuhisa Uchihashi, pipa master Min Xiao Fen, electronic percussionists Ikue Mori & Samm Bennett, cellist Okkyung Lee, keyboardist David Weinstein, and Horst Rickels' Mercurius Wagen.

The drummer discusses origins, influences, and compositions with excerpts from his always collaborative projects: 7 Poets Trio (with Patricia Brennan, vibraphone and Tomeka Reid, cello), Thumbscrew (with Michael Formanek, bass and guitarist Mary Halvorson), a duo with bassist Meshell Ndegeocello, and Triple Double for Fujiwara and Gerald Cleaver, drums; Halvorson and Brandon Seabrook, guitars; and Ralph Alessi, Adam O'Farrill, trumpets.

The mysteriously named composer/sound artist investigates sonic properties of traditional drums and percussion “objects” including discarded industrial materials, toys, and even food, plus a fascination with the Trinidadian steel pan. From the Roulette Archive dating 1984-2017, solos, duo projects with Takehisa Kosugi and Yves Musard, a trio (The Chutneys) with Gelsey Bell & Chris Cochrane, some conversation, and more.