Gravitas Quartet at Big Ears (Knoxville)

Wayne Horvitz, a “defiant cross-breeder of genres,” came to prominence in the downtown scene of 80s and 90s New York City. A member of John Zorn’s Go for the Throat as well as Naked City, he has led a variety of ensembles over the years, including his Gravitas Quartet. Bringing together four uniquely defined voices of new music, jazz, and improvised composition, Gravitas Quartet explores the depths of texture, sonority, rhythm, and ensemble fluidity available to masters with a broad palette. Together, Horvitz (piano), Peggy Lee (cello), Sara Schoenbeck (bassoon), and a rotating trumpet player (as their former member Ron Miles recently passed) have been hailed as forerunners of modern music — each journeying from their vast musical backgrounds to redefine the sonic landscape. Gravitas Quartet has two releases on the Songlines label, Way Out East (2006) and One Dance Alone (2008).