Racer Sessions: Jay Rauch / Ryan Carraher
Free
Jay Rauch and Ryan Carraher are musicians and composers who met as grad students at UW's composition department and are still local to Seattle. They plan to share a set that uses their homemade instrument, the Super Snorkel, comprised of a shop vac, electrical tubing, bassoon reeds, and a cornet and trombone from an estranged cousin's estate auction, all run through contact mics and transducers. It's crunchy, noisy, cage-free improv.
About Racer Sessions: At the Racer Sessions, we feature a different artist or group who perform original work and provide a short explanation of their creative process. Afterwards, a jam session takes place, often based on the concepts and approaches outlined in the opening presentation.
The Racer Sessions’ musical focus is primarily centered on improvisation – particularly free or collective improv – and frequently incorporates the aesthetic and techniques of avant-garde jazz and classical music. However, we firmly believe that, as the name suggests, free improvisation should not be limited to any particular style, creed, or approach, and we warmly welcome performers of any persuasion (musicians, visual artists, dancers, etc.) to share their voice.
How to Participate: During the jam session, groups spontaneously form in the room to the side of the stage. There is no sign-up process, though on occasion, the featured artist may take a more active role in organizing groups. If you’d like to play, please make yourself known to a group or to the featured artist (or anyone who looks like they know what’s going on).
To prepare for each session, we recommend that everyone reads our blog, which features a post from the upcoming session’s curated artist, on the process of creating their piece, as well as recommended listening, approaches or meditations to prepare you for the jam session.
Every featured artist’s presentation and jam session is recorded and documented on the Racer Sessions website. To listen back to previous sessions, visit the Artists page.