Ken Field and Karen Aqua: artistic collaborators in life, & beyond that; special tribute performance

BOSTON - Jan. 14, 2019 - PRLog -- .When artists, from what on the surface appear to be practicing in different disciplines, come together, growing older as loving partners, while also evolving as artistic collaborators, does the rich intensity of that creative bond suddenly cease to exist, when one partner moves beyond the physical plane?

For Cambridge-based jazz saxophonist/composer Ken Field the answer is clearly a big no way. World renowned animation artist Karen Aqua, Field's spouse and artistic muse for 36 plus years, may have passed away almost 8 years ago, but her unseen hand continues to tug at his heart strings.

For years while Aqua was still alive, Field had created the soundtracks for Aqua's animated films. Yet even now, she continues to inspire him, catapulting him into new musical realizations to interpret her perpetual motion visuals.

In 2017 Field was invited by the Animator Festival (10th annual, held in Poland), to perform live for a program of Aqua's films. For that occasion, he assembled an unusual instrumentation of four alto saxophones and a drummer. The resultant performance was celebrated as the highlight of the festival, which that year had a theme of "Brothers and Sisters Prepare, the Storm Is Coming," a very appropriate environment to view Aqua's work accompanied by Field's live musical rapport.

The state-side debut of this Field/Aqua collaboration, first realized in Poland, will be presented by World Music/CRASHarts and the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston (ICA) on Friday, March 22nd, at the ICA. The "Animated Films of Karen Aqua" will serve both as a tribute to Aqua and as another opportunity for Field to share with the public his ongoing engagement with her creative spirit. Further details can be found at worldmusic.org.

For this special tribute performance at the ICA, Field, on alto sax, will be joined by alto players Stan Strickland, Lihi Haruvi, and Neil Leonard, with Savannah Marshall on drums. The music generated will convey in fleeting real time Field's interpretations of Aqua's uncanny visuals, animated work that shall always remain timeless. (A clip from the Animator Festival experience can be found at https://youtu.be/cNKDi5QFyhg.)



The full extent of the artists' backgrounds can be found at:
Ken Field (kenfield.org (http://www.kenfield.org/)) and Karen Aqua (1954-2011) (karenaqua.com (http://www.karenaqua.com/))

Basic details on this special tribute performance:

World Music/CRASHarts and the ICA present
Ken Field Alto Sax Quartet + Drums: Animated Films of Karen Aqua
Friday, March 22, 8 pm
$25 general admission
($21 for Word Music/CRASHarts and ICA members)
Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston (ICA), 25 Harbor Shore Drive, Boston 02210.
Advance tickets: worldmusic.org, 617-876-4275.