Nu Mu festival brings experimental music back to Brattleboro

BRATTLEBORO — For three weekends in August, musicians, artists, students and audience members will converge on 118 Elliot in downtown Brattleboro for a festival where the boundary between watching art and participating in it is intentionally blurred. Nu Mu, Brattleboro's annual festival of new and experimental music and art, returns for its fifth year Aug. 7 through 21 with "Nu Mu 5: Minding a New Way," a series of performances, exhibitions and participatory events built around collaboration and improvisation. Directed by 118 Elliot's John Loggia, painter and musician, and New York City-based musician and educator Jeff Lederer, the festival brings together established jazz musicians and sound artists with local performers, students and community members. This year's theme takes its name in part from an interactive artwork by Liza Cassidy that will be displayed at 118 Elliot alongside paintings by Cassidy and Loggia. "Minding a New Way is inspired by the community participation artwork of Liza Cassidy that will be on display," Loggia said. "The piece allows for people to write down thoughts and attach them to a wall. The show also includes other interactive art that allows the public to share positive ideas about the future." That emphasis on participation extends beyond the gallery and into the festival's musical programming. Rather than presenting a conventional lineup in which performers take the stage and audiences simply listen, Nu Mu is designed to create opportunities for musicians with different backgrounds and levels of experience to experiment together. In some cases, audience members will be invited into the process as well. "Nu Mu is a community-oriented music and art festival," Loggia said. "It brings together jazz musicians, sound artists, local talent, and experimental performers for weeks of collaborative events, gallery receptions, and live performances." Loggia said the degree of collaboration varies from one event to another. Some nights more closely resemble traditional performances, while others are structured specifically to encourage musicians to respond to one another and create something collectively. The festival continues this week with programming that puts collaboration even more directly at the center. A Thursday, Aug. 13 event, "In Community," will use graphic scores and conduction — approaches that can give musicians visual cues or real-time direction while still leaving room for individual interpretation and improvisation. The festival will also feature Southern Vermont's Anarchoharmonia musicians alongside 10 visiting students from Long Island University's Post Modern Ensemble. This marks the third year that Long Island University students have participated in Nu Mu. For Lederer, who spends summers in Guilford, bringing students into the festival provides an opportunity to experience not only live performance but the collaborative work surrounding an arts festival. "Participating in the Nu Mu festival is an incredible opportunity for my students from Long Island University to collaborate with diverse musicians while learning all aspects of what it takes to put on a festival," Lederer said in information provided by organizers. "They are excited to work and play together with the many talented and passionate individuals the festival gathers." The students will also get their own opportunity in the spotlight. "The show on the 14th is more performance oriented, showcasing new music by Julian Gerstin and two sets by students from Long Island University," Loggia said. Percussionist and composer Julian Gerstin's appearance will feature his original jazz compositions, adding another approach to a festival whose programming stretches across styles rather than adhering to a single definition of experimental music. On Aug. 15, the scale expands further, with a large ensemble of musicians coming together in what Loggia described as a "free jazz big band." The approach fits with a broader idea behind this year's festival: the relationship between individual expression and collective action. For audiences who have little experience with free jazz or experimental music, terms such as "graphic scores," "conduction" and "large format improvisation" could make Nu Mu sound like a festival primarily intended for seasoned musicians. "Nu Mu showcases new and experimental music but much of it is very accessible to the average listener and encourages everyone to play without regard to training," he said. Organizers recently added an Aug. 19 community sing led by a student of Bobby McFerrin and Rhiannon that invites participants of all experience levels to join in simple vocalizations, Loggia said. Other programming during the festival includes New York City-based emo-gaze band Cannon Fodder and the Turbulence Orchestra, a large-format improvisation ensemble. A Sunday morning meditation session will also be open to participants. The three-weekend festival ultimately builds toward a finale centered on what organizers describe as "Sonic Liberation," bringing musicians and audiences together for a final celebration of the experimentation and collaboration that run throughout Nu Mu. For more information, visit 118elliot.com.