William Winant


William Winant


William Winant, "one of the best avant-garde percussionists working today" according to Mark Swed of The Los Angeles Times, has collaborated with some of the most innovative and creative musicians of our time, including John Cage, Iannis Xenakis, Keith Jarrett, Anthony Braxton, James Tenney, Cecil Taylor, Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, Steve Reich and Musicians, Jean-Philippe Collard, Frederic Rzewski, Ursula Oppens, Joan LaBarbara, the Kronos String Quartet,and Frank Zappa. He is principal percussionist with the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players and the John Zorn Chamber Ensemble. Since 1995 he has been the percussionist with the avant-rock band Mr Bungle, has made two recordings (Disco Volante and California on Warner Brothers), and has toured throughout the world with the group. He is also a regular participant in various solo and side projects with members of the group. In March of 1997, he participated in the world premiere of Lou Harrison's "Rhymes with Silver" with cellist Yo-Yo Ma and the Mark Morris Dance Group, and subsequently, has toured the piece throughout the United States, Great Britain, and Japan with that group. He has made over 100 recordings, covering a wide variety of genres, including music from Earle Brown, John Zorn, Pauline Oliveros, Luc Ferrari, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Danny Elfman (Batman Returns), Siouxie and the Banshees, and the Thurston Moore Trio. His recording of Lou Harrison's "La Koro Sutro" (New Albion) was the New York Times Critic's Choice for best contemporary recording of 1988. His recent recording of 20th-century avant-garde composers with the influential rock band Sonic Youth (Goodbye 20th-Century SYR4) was hailed by both The Los Angeles Times and New York's Village Voice as "one of the best compendiums of this type of music ever recorded."

Many important composers have written works for him, including John Cage, Lou Harrison, John Zorn, Peter Garland, Alvin Curran, Chris Brown, Gordon Mumma, Alvin Lucier, Terry Riley, Fred Frith, Somei Satoh, and Leo Wadada Smith. Mr Winant has performed as a guest artist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the direction of Pierre Boulez; the San Francisco Symphony Mavericks; the Berkeley Symphony; the Cabrillo Festival; the Ravinia Music Festival, Lincoln Center, Salzburg Festival, Interlink Festival (Japan), Bell Atlantic Jazz Festival (NYC), Victoriaville Festival (Canada), Berliner Festival, Angelica Festival (Italy), as well as at many other major festivals and recitals throughout the world. For ten years he was principal percussionist with the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra (Dennis Russell Davies, director), and timpanist with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, 1985-1989, (Nicholas McGegan, director). He teaches at the University of California at Berkeley and Santa Cruz, and is Artist-in-Residence at Mills College with the internationally recognized Abel-Steinberg-Winant Trio, which has commissioned over twenty-five new works for violin, piano, and percussion.


WILLIAM WINANT RELATED DISCOGRAPHY

ALBUMS

John Zorn - Elegy (CD) 1992
Bob Ostertag - Fear No Love (CD) 1994
Mr Bungle - Disco Volante (CD, LP, CS) 1995
Mike Patton - Pranzo Oltranzista (CD) 1997
Weird Little Boy - Weird Little Boy (CD) 1998
Secret Chiefs 3 - Second Grand Constitution and Bylaws: Hurqalaya (CD) 1998
Melt Banana - Charlie (CD) 1998
Granfaloon Bus - Good Funeral Weather (CD) 1999
Dieselhead - Elephant Rest Home (CD) 1999
Mr Bungle - California (CD) 1999
Secret Chiefs 3 - Book M (CD) 2001
Granfaloon Bus - Exploded View (CD) 2002
Virgil Shaw - Still Falling (CD) 2003
Secret Chiefs 3 - Book Of Horizons 2004 (CD) 2004

7"

Crafty Ladies - A Crafty Ladies Christmas (7") 1994
Secret Chiefs 3 - Zulfikar II/Zulfikar III (7") 1998

COMPILATIONS

(Y)EARBOOK Volume 2: Compilation Of Improvisation (CD) 1992
The Christmas Album (CD) 1996
Great Jewish Music: Burt Bacharach (CD) 1997
Smiling Pets (CD) 1998
Masada Anniversary Edition Vol. 2: Voices in the Wilderness (CD) 2003
Mimicry Sampler 2004 (CD) 2004