Nonsequitur has long been a sponsor of what is believed to be the longest running festival of freely improvised music in North America. This year, we take on more of an organizational role. We have been awarded a generous grant from 4Culture to help fund an expanded version of the festival, which will take place over eight days in seven different venues: Gallery 1412, Hollow Earth Radio, the Royal Room, Spite House, Vermillion, Cornish, and the Good Shepherd Center Chapel.

Likewise, we’ve grown our organizing team this year from three to five people, representing multiple generations and segments of the improvised music community: along with myself (Steve Peters), the team includes Amy Denio (long-time Seattle multi-instrumentalist, veteran of many past SIMFs), James Falzone (clarinetist, recent Chicago transplant, and head of Cornish Music Dept.), Haley Freedlund (trombonist and Racer Sessions curator), and Chris Icasiano (drummer in Bad Luck and Table & Chairs co-founder).

This year’s visiting guest artists include saxophonist Logan Hone (LA), bassist Evan Lipson (Philadelphia), cellist Tomeka Reid (Chicago/NYC), flutist Jane Rigler (LA/Colorado Springs), bassist Carmen Rothwell (Seattle/NYC), and two icons of American free improvisation – guitarist Davey Williams (Birmingham, AL) and saxophonist Jack Wright (Philadelphia). They will be joined by a stellar line-up of local musicians and dancers, most of whom have never performed at SIMF before.

Please check the full festival schedule for details and updates, and follow us on Facebook, Tumblr, and Instagram.