Coming to The Dance Hall from NYC, ContraPunctus features four distinct voices in contemporary music, including Maine's own Mike McGinnis.

The group takes its name and inspiration from counterpoint, musical lines interwoven in conversation, while embracing the full breadth of their collective experience across jazz, free improvisation, rock, and folk traditions. Their repertoire moves fluidly between original compositions, reimaginings of Carla Bley, Baden Powell, and Billy Strayhorn, and spontaneous improvisations. At once rooted and exploratory, ContraPunctus invites listeners into music that is alive in the moment; polyphonic, adventurous, joyful and generous.

Meet the band:

Mike McGinnis (Alice Coltrane, Anthony Braxton, Yo La Tengo): saxophone/clarinet

Carmen Staaf (Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jenny Scheinman): pianist

Gui Duvignau (Michael Wolff, Sofia Ribeiro) : bassist

Hamir Atwal (Tune-Yards, Myra Melford, Ben Goldberg): drummer

"The foursome of clarinetist Mike McGinnis, bassist Gui Duvignau, drummer Hamir Atwal, and pianist Staaf has been uniting with intermittent regularity for a minute now, and I’m betting dollars to donuts that their chemistry is cohering while their book is expanding. A lot of the attraction the keyboardist generates is due to touch. She’s expert at weighing the value of each new phrase and implementing them with a judicious delivery. She’s also got mucho skills when it comes to making the outside seem in."

"They’ve hit the studio since the last time I heard ’em, and I can’t wait to check it because their book teems with melodies, always a plus compared to the mildly predictable riff tunes that occasionally show up on stages these days. Plus, they’re a band, with a handful of writers and broader persona because of it. The three or four times I’ve caught ’em, Carmen Staaf, Mike McGinnis, Gui Duvignau, and Hamir Atwal have tickled me immensely by continuously passing the ball around. A romantic tune from the bassist, an introspective piece from the pianist, and a flight of fancy from the reed player – their directions are many. Not to mention that Carla Bley update. And the solos – Staaf’s a fire starter, pure and simple. Variety is you know what, so get ready to be tickled yourself."

$20 advance | $25 day-of | $12 student
*fees not included ($3 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)