“Weaving Strands of Sound from Addis to Chicago” is a collaborative project between the Ethiopia-based QWANQWA and Hear in Now Expanded (Tomeka Reid, cello; Silvia Bolognesi,bass; yuniya edi kwon,violin; Chad Taylor, drums). Upon meeting in Addis Ababa, Tomeka Reid and QWANQWA violinist Kaethe Hostetter conspired to combine their worlds of tradition and experimentalism. The Hear in Now ensemble shares their experience with downtown improvisation (Butch Morris, Anthony Braxton) while the Ethiopian group adds scales and rhythms from their traditions with swirling masinko (one-stringed fiddle), wah-wah violin, bass krar grooves, the heavy riffs of goat skin kebero beats, and powerful melismatic lead African diva vocals (Selamnesh Zemene Taye). Presented at Roulette in April 2024.

"Tracking The Odds: The Roulette Concert Archive" is a monthly hour-long radio special produced by Roulette Intermedium (roulette.org) and broadcast in partnership with Wave Farm’s WGXC 90.7-FM and Standing Wave Radio. The broadcasts feature selected highlights from Roulette’s New York experimental music space dating from the early 1980s to the present. Thousands of rare, formative, and often unheard recordings by innovators and adventurous musicians populate the archive. "Tracking The Odds" airs the fourth Monday of the month from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. and is archived at wavefarm.org.

Founded in 1978, Roulette operates a 400-seat concert hall on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn with a focus on experimental and unorthodox music and performance across all genres and media. Its archive of thousands of audio and video recordings is currently being restored.

Pictured: A screening, reading, and performance for Henry Hills' film "Money" at Roulette (1985) with dancer Pooh Kaye surrounded by (L-R) John Zorn, Tom Cora, Ciro Baptiste, (obstructed, possibly Sally Silvers), Abigail Child, Diane Ward, Susie Timmons, Alan Davies, Bruce Andrews, Ikue Mori, Jim Staley, Butch Morris. Photo: Lona Foote.