Noted for his accomplishments in jazz, spontaneous improvisation, classical, and inter-disciplinary performance with dance and spoken word, Ken Filiano fuses the rich traditions of the double bass with his own seemingly limitless, often astonishing, inventiveness.
Ken's solo bass CD, Subvenire (NineWinds), received unanimous critical praise, and a first place mention in Cadence Magazine's poll of top releases of 2003. For this and numerous other recordings, critics have called Ken a "creative virtuoso," a "master of technique" . . . "a paradigm of that type of artist. . . who can play anything in any context and make it work, simply because he puts the music first and leaves peripheral considerations behind."
Ken leads two groups for which he also composes: a quartet with Michael Attias, Tony Malaby, and Michael T.A. Thomspon, and a quintet with Attias, Jackson Krall, Steve Swell, and Tomas Ulrich. His prolific output also includes performances and/or recordings with Bonnie Barnett, Rob Blakeslee, Bobby Bradford, Roy Campbell, Nels Cline, Alex Cline, Eric von Essen, Ted Dunbar, Giora Feidman, Bob Feldman, Georgian Chamber Orchestra, Dennis Gonzalez, Vinny Golia, Lou Grassi, Francois Grillot, Hayes Greenfield, Phil Haynes, Fred Hess, Jason Hwang, Joseph Jarman, Sheila Jordan (with the Aardvark Orchestra), Raul Juarena, Joe Labarbera, Joelle Leandre, Frank London, Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, Tina Marsh, Warne Marsh, Bob Meyer, Dom Minasi, Hafez Modirzadeh, Butch Morris, Barre Phillips, Roberta Piket, Don Preston, Bob Rodriguez, Roswell Rudd, ROVA Saxophone Quartet, Ursel Schlicht, Paul Smoker, Chris Sullivan, Peeter Uuskyla, Fay Victor, Biggi Vinkeloe, Kenny Wessel, Andrea Wolper, Pablo Ziegler.
Ken tours widely, playing across the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and South America. He has appeared at numerous festivals including the Charles Ives Festival, Summerfest (chamber and orchestra; Rutgers University), Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival (Finland), Cascade Festival of Music (principal bass, Bend, OR), Jazz em Agosto (Lisbon), Seixal Jazz Festival, Jazz Ao Centro (Coimbra, Portugal), Fundacio Joan Miro (Barcelona), DuMaurier International Jazz Festival (Vancouver, BC), Jazzin' Tondela, Bergamo Jazz Festival, Banlieues Bleues Festival (Paris), Tampere International Jazz Festival (Tampere, Finland), Bumbershoot Festival, Texaco New York Jazz Festival, Bell Atlantic Jazz Festival, NY JVC Jazz Festival; and on concert stages worldwide, including Carnegie Hall, Berlin Philharmonie, and Philharmonie am Gasteig (Munich).
Along with new music concerts and solo excursions with poets and dancers, Ken has been a guest lecturer, performer, and workshop leader at institutions across the country and beyond, including the Actor's Institute of New York, San Francisco State University, UCLA, Centro de Arte Moderna (Lisbon), and at Rutgers University, where he received his Master's Degree.
Discography
NW0117 The Vinny Golia Quintet - Going Ahead
NW0118 John Rapson - Bu-Wah
NW0121 Steve Adams/Ken Filiano Duo - Hiding Out
NW0125 The Kim Richmond Ensemble - Looking In Looking Out
NW0127 The Vinny Golia Quintet - Out For Blood
NW0128 The Steve Adams/Ken Filiano Quartet - Anacrusis
NWCD0130 The Vinny Golia Large Ensemble - Pilgrimage to Obscurity
NWCD0134 The Richard Grossman Trio - Trio Live In Real Time
NWCD0136 Joey Sellers' Jazz Agregation - Something for Nothing
NWCD0140 The Vinny Golia Large Ensemble - Decennium Dans Axlan
NWCD0145 The Dick Berk Jazz Adoption Agency - Bouncin with Berk
NWCD0146 Richard Grossman - In the Air
NWCD0147 Rob Blakeslee - Lifeline
NWCD0148 Tad Weed Solo Piano and Piano Trio - Soloing
NWCD0150/60 The Vinny Golia Large Ensemble - Commemoration (2cd)
NWCD0156 Steve Adams/Ken Filiano Duo - In Out Side
NWCD0159 The Vinny Golia Quintet - Against the Grain
NWCD0177 The Bob Rodriquez Trio - Mist
NWCD0207 Paul Smoker/Vinny Golia Quartet - Halloween, The Sequel
NWCD0210/220 The Vinny Golia Large Ensemble - The Other Bridge (Oakland 1999) (2cd)
NWCD0214 Vinny Golia, Bobby Bradford, Ken Filiano, Alex Cline - Lineage
NWCD0223 Ken Filiano - Subvenire (solo bass)
