The Ulysses Project W/ Xists

$7 | 9:00pm | 18+ The Ulysses Project is a suite dedicated to exploring the themes and the evolution of the characters in James Joyce’s modernist classic Ulysses. The Project consists of ten songs arising from a variety of stylistic influences, from Ornette Coleman to rock to funk to taize hymns. The music is characterized, however, by an emphasis on free improvisation within constraints, in an attempt to create a musical interpretation of Joyce’s meticulously chaotic prose. The plot of the Ulysses Project is somewhat different from the that of Ulysses itself. The Ulysses Project is both a celebration of Bloom and a jest at his expense. As the music journeys with Bloom through his day, it juxtaposes the ways he sees himself (or tries to see himself) against the cruel mockery others regard him with. There is also at least one song devoted to the remorse and unfulfilled desires of each main character (“Dedalus,” “Rudy” / “Laughinglike,” “O”). I tried to get inside Joyce’s delicate balance of humor and mockery, lighthearted curiosity and solemnity. The conflict between the many different tones and voices in Ulysses is perhaps one of its most remarkable qualities, along with its notorious association with stream of consciousness writing – which is where improvisation comes in. Watch a trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL-24fT-XW4