ABOUT ULTRA WORLD X-TET
ULTRA WORLD X-TET: BAND ORIGIN
San Francisco is a city famous for many things including artistic freedom, alternative lifestyles, expanding consciousness, multi-culturalism and musical innovations. It’s the perfect incubator for a band like Ultra World X-Tet. The group began as a musical experiment in a small jazz club in the city on the edge of Chinatown. Western trained jazz musicians and traditionally trained Asian musicians began to explore new possibilities, new sonic vistas. A core group of personnel formed around this synthesis of styles and eventually the band outgrew their small club of origin and graduated to larger venues in the SF Bay Area. Herbst Theater, Asian Art Museum, De Young Museum, SF City Hall, SF Conservatory of Music, Yoshi’s Jazz Club, Oakland Asian Cultural Center, San Francisco Chinese Culture Center, Autumn Moon Festival, and many other venues and events. Three time recipient of Zellerbach grants to present new works, the band has released two albums "Moon and Legend" , and "Wise Dreams and Fables of the Sky," which was a DownBeat Editors' pick for June 2019. The band has also released a live concert DVD "Night Market."
San Francisco is a city famous for many things including artistic freedom, alternative lifestyles, expanding consciousness, multi-culturalism and musical innovations. It’s the perfect incubator for a band like Ultra World X-Tet. The group began as a musical experiment in a small jazz club in the city on the edge of Chinatown. Western trained jazz musicians and traditionally trained Asian musicians began to explore new possibilities, new sonic vistas. A core group of personnel formed around this synthesis of styles and eventually the band outgrew their small club of origin and graduated to larger venues in the SF Bay Area. Herbst Theater, Asian Art Museum, De Young Museum, SF City Hall, SF Conservatory of Music, Yoshi’s Jazz Club, Oakland Asian Cultural Center, San Francisco Chinese Culture Center, Autumn Moon Festival, and many other venues and events. Three time recipient of Zellerbach grants to present new works, the band has released two albums "Moon and Legend" , and "Wise Dreams and Fables of the Sky," which was a DownBeat Editors' pick for June 2019. The band has also released a live concert DVD "Night Market."
ARTIST BIOS
Gary Schwantes (sax, bamboo flutes) is founder and Artistic Director of ULTRA WORLD X-TET and produced the group's albums Wise Dreams and Fables of the Sky, Moon and Legend , and Night Market which feature his sax, bamboo flute and guitar work as well as many of his compositions . He has toured, recorded and produced 3 albums (Threedom, 4, Moose Lodge Sessions) with the North Carolina based jazz-funk trio Hip Bones which feature his sax and bamboo flute work and many of his compositions. He has performed with SF based Klezmania! and played on the Sanctuary Grooves album. Other gigs include sax and flute work with Melody of China, Pam Tillis, Swapan Chaudhuri, Weishan Liu, Lou Harrison, Zeke Nealy and Veve Vodou, Allen Ginsberg, John Cipolina, Hank Ballard, and many more. He co-composed and released the Dynasties album with Gang Situ, and played on Metal Guitarist Jason Becker's Warner Bros. release Perspective. He has composed music and done sound design for many organizations including Lily Cai Chinese Dance Company, Mickey Hart's Planet Drum, Craig Baldwin, Dimensions Dance Theater, ACT, and S.F. Legion of Honor Museum. He has received commissions and grants from Meet the Composer, ACT, S.F. Legion of Honor Museum, the Zellerbach Family Foundation, Opera Piccola and Chinese Cultural Productions and studied composition at Mills College with Lou Harrison and Anthony Braxton. http://www.garyschwantes.com
Winnie Wong (guzheng) has performed extensively in the U.S. including venues such as San Francisco Asian Art Museum, SF Conservatory of Music, Herbst Theater, deYoung Museum, and Ford Ampitheatre in Hollywood. She has appeared in theatrical productions, recorded on CDs and has been featured on SF Bay Area KRON 4 Evening Magazine and KTSF Channel 26. Ms. Wong is Director of China's Spirit Music Ensemble (CSME). CSME is an organization dedicated to teaching and performing Traditional Chinese Music. CSME produces numerous concerts and provides many music educational opportunities in the SF Chinese community.
Doug Ebert (bass) studied at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and for over ten years he was a fixture in Milwaukee's jazz community, appearing regularly at clubs such as the Jazz Estate and venues such as Summerfest and Jazz In The Park. In 2007, he released his first album, "Times Change", and relocated to San Francisco. He soon began playing with guitarist Terrence Brewer, vibraphonist Gerry Grosz, saxophonist Jim Grantham, guitarist Calvin Keys, Iranian percussionist Pezhham Akhavass, and ULTRA WORLD X-TET. He has released two more albums "Poor Dog" ( 2011) and “Trials & Tribulations” (2013), a musical tribute to his wife based on her successful battle against leukemia.
Nick Sager (drums) is an avid drummer and percussionist, and music therapist, And expert on activity therapies in senior care. He has enjoyed working with bay area bands such as Bobbie Webb, Rob Bayne and Mike Saliani and Home, a funk/soul band.
Yangqin Zhao (yangqin) named after the instrument she has become famous for playing, has established herself as one of the foremost yangqin (Chinese dulcimer) performers in the world. Ms. Zhao has recorded widely and been invited to perform in many countries, including Australia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Singapore, Hong Kong, Mexico and Germany, where she has lectured at universities, conservatories and music schools. She has performed with the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, Woman’s Philharmonic and the San Francisco Symphony.
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A pioneering mix...ULTRA WORLD X-TET has performed at many venues in the San Francisco Bay Area including: Yoshi's, Herbst Theater, SF Asian Art Museum, SF City Hall , de Young Museum, SF Conservatory of Music, Old First Concerts, Berkeley World Music Festival, SF Autumn Moon Festival, most of the large Hotels in SF, Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco, Oakland Asian Cultural Center, People in Plazas, events for the San Francisco Symphony, and numerous private and corporate events.
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