Grand Performances, 350 S. Grand Ave. in Los Angeles, will present “Mirai no Rekishi (未來の歴史) / History of the Future,” a sonic journey from ancient Japan to today and beyond, on Saturday, Aug. 26, at 8 p.m.
Musical polymath Mark de Clive-Lowe (MdCL) juggles piano, synths and live sampling with effortless fluidity. A Japanese-New Zealander who now calls L.A. home, this major voice in jazz and electronic music premieres a new work drawn from his Japanese roots, fusing the traditional with the sounds of tomorrow. Featuring Shing02, Kaoru Watanabe, Yumi Kurosawa and more.
This performance is supported by Jewel Member Greg Salter. Artist travel is provided by United Airlines. Sponsored by SoCal Honda, Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, and Fusicology. Hospitality partners: Sprinkles Cupcakes and Angel City Brewery.
Free and suitable for all ages. For more information, call (213) 687-2190 or visit http://grandperformances.org/future-history.
MdCL was raised primarily in New Zealand, where he learned piano from a young age, developing an avid passion for jazz through his father’s record collection. In high school, he fell in love with Native Tongues hip-hop and early U.K. jungle, laying the foundation for what was to come next.
During his hugely formative decade at the epicenter of London’s underground music scene, MdCL helped evolve broken beat alongside some of the U.K.’s most forward-thinking trailblazers, establishing himself as a new voice in progressive electronic music and leading global tastemaker DJ Gilles Peterson to designate him “the man behind a million great tunes.”
Since 2008, MdCL has lived in Los Angeles, where his acclaimed nightclub CHURCH has taken his signature sound of technology and beat-infused jazz mash-up from coast to coast and around the globe. Equal parts pianist, composer and live production wizard, MdCL’s sets are a treat for the listeners, the dancers, the progressives and the purists alike, as he casually erases the lines between genres and eras.
Whether he’s remixing classic Blue Note Records in real time, on stage joined by the likes of Kamasi Washington, Nia Andrews or Eric Harland, improvising solo piano or creating live soundtracks to classic film material, MdCL is an artist in constant evolution, reaching for that next level. He has performed with Harvey Mason, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Dwight Trible and Jean Grae; remixed Shirley Horn, Hiatus Kaiyote, Mantombi Matotiyana and Jerry Goldsmith; and recorded as producer and collaborator with artists all over the planet. Having contributed to over 300 releases, to call MdCL prolific is something of an understatement.
MdCL has featured at festivals including Montreal Jazz, North Sea Jazz, Uberjazz, Tokyo Crossover Jazz Festival, and Montreux Jazz Atlanta, and is an established performer globally from South Africa to Japan and across the U.S. and Europe.
For more information, visit www.mdcl.tv.