Featuring works from his CDs Blood Orange and the recent Tiny Resistors, Todd Sickafoose offers grand melodies, shifting textures, and thick rhythms in a rich, dreamy free-jazz concoction. An upright bassist, pianist, and composer, Todd has made a name for himself working with the likes of Laurie Lewis, Darol Anger, and Ani DiFranco. Called "a captivating improviser, imaginative composer, and master of collaboration" by the San Francisco Chronicle, Todd is joined tonight by old and new collaborators to make a special night of music that is not to be missed. Joining the rhythm section of guitarist Mike Gamble and hot New Orleans drummer Simon Lott will be Berkeley gem Myra Melford on piano, fellow Brooklynite Jenny Scheinman on violin, Ara Anderson on trumpet, and trombonist Alan Ferber. Expect hummable melodies, muscular musicianship, and acoustic grace.

Iron & the Albatross is a San Francisco-based ensemble that performs original music composed by its founder Ara Anderson. Ara's whimsical, melancholic tunes—"haunting old-world music" and "junky circus music" to one review—conjure tiny clocks, Scandinavian seascapes, The Great Tricycle Race of 1910, Chinese Operas, Blackbeard's drunken ramblings, handle-bar mustached acrobats thrown and airborne, and love poems discovered in dusty attics. Ara leads the group on trumpet, pump organ, and toy piano, joined by Marguerite Ostro (violin), Kymry Esainko (piano), Todd Sickfoose (bass), and Dave Mihaly (percussion).

This  show is part of the Hornucopia Festival.