SAT 8 & 9:30 - ContraPunctus w/Mike McGinnis, Carmen Staaf, Gui Duvignau, Hamir Atwal
About This Event
ContraPunctus, a New York ensemble that works at the edges of jazz and free improvisation, plays Bar Bayeux with reed player Mike McGinnis, pianist-composer Carmen Staaf, bassist Gui Duvignau and drummer Hamir Atwal. The group's sets pair composed frameworks with open-ended exchanges, favoring close listening, incremental shifts and careful pacing. Staaf's composition and cross-cultural arranging, Duvignau's Brazilian-tinged open-form sense, and McGinnis and Atwal's responsive interplay shape the evening's focus on ensemble blend rather than solo display.
About the Artists
ContraPunctus
ContraPunctus is a New York City–based group working at the edges of jazz and free improvisation, with regular appearances at Brooklyn’s Bar Bayeux. Their sets often pair composed frameworks with open-ended exchanges, bringing in guests such as saxophonist and clarinetist Mike McGinnis alongside Carmen Staaf, Gui Duvignau, and Hamir Atwal.
Mike McGinnis
Mike McGinnis is a New York–based reed player and composer, working across jazz and free improvisation on saxophone and clarinet. His projects move between written structures and open forms, often emphasizing conversational interplay over solo display.
Carmen Staaf
“Carmen Staaf is a consummate jazz pianist with equal talent in composition, orchestration and arranging. I [am] impressed by her consciousness of blending instruments and musical elements from various cultures.
Gui Duvignau
Gui Duvignau is a New York–based jazz musician whose work sits between modern jazz language and open-form improvisation, with a thread of Brazilian jazz in his listening and repertoire. He appears at Brooklyn’s Bar Bayeux in settings that emphasize close ensemble dialogue, including performances with ContraPunctus alongside saxophonist and clarinetist Mike McGinnis, pianist Carmen Staaf, and drummer Hamir Atwal.
Hamir Atwal
Hamir Atwal is a New York City–based improvising musician working in jazz and free music contexts. He appears at Bar Bayeux with ContraPunctus alongside saxophonist and clarinetist Mike McGinnis, pianist Carmen Staaf, bassist Gui Duvignau, and others.