Cultural Studies, Humanities, and Social Studies

Ars Nova Workshop presents the blistering Mendoza Hoff Revels, co-led by guitarist Ava Mendoza and bassist Devra Hoff, at Solar Myth on Thursday, December 19.

Exploding into the avant-jazz consciousness with their astonishing 2023 debut Echolocation, Mendoza Hoff Revels is an electric and formidable unit led by guitarist Ava Mendoza and bassist Devra Hoff and featuring tenor saxophonist James Brandon Lewis and drummer Ches Smith. While Mendoza and Hoff have floated around each other’s musical orbits as individuals for decades, the original impetus of this group was Mendoza’s, based on the love she and Hoff shared for aggressive and polyglot electric avant-garde ensembles – artists like mid-80’s Black Flag and Ornette Coleman’s Prime Time bands. The result is remarkable – 21st Century progressive rock played by punk rockers with serious improv skills and a deep jazz feel. And, vitally, non-stop wicked catchy tunes, riffs and grooves.

Ava Mendoza is a singular guitarist/composer/songwriter best known for her solo performances and as leader of experimental rock band Unnatural Ways. Over the past decade, her prodigious & long-honed six-string skills have illuminated numerous projects including Bill Orcutt’s Guitar Quartet and William Parker’s Mayan Space Station. Devra Hoff is a bassist–composer–arranger who has worked extensively with creative musicians and bands spanning genres and generations, including Sharon Van Etten, Julia Holter, Nels Cline and Yoko Ono.