phillip greenlief - tenor saxophone, Bb clarinet

claudia la rocco - voice, text

with rotating multi-disciplinary collaborators

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phillip greenlief and claudia la rocco met during an artist residency at headlands center for the arts in 2013. greenlief asked la rocco to provide text for his map score QUARTET, and the work was performed at the center for new music on their best coast composer's series in september 2013. this initial collaboration inspired them to form the project animals & giraffes, an ever-changing ensemble exploring improvisation with artists from different disciplines.​

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animals & giraffes was ensemble in residence at the center for new music (SF) from october 2017 - october 2018, where they performed two interdisciplinary concerts and engaged in monthly "improv happy hour" sessions with various bay area improvisers from music, dance, literature, and the visual arts.

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animals & giraffes have performed at pieter (los angeles), the scottsdale museum of contemporary art, the lab (SF), the outsound new music summit, and reed college (portland). they have produced two CDs - JULY, released on the edgetone records label (bay area) and LANDLOCKED BEACH on creative sources (portugal). 

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look for animals & giraffes newest release - LIVE AT MEDICINE FOR NIGHTMARES - featuring kyle bruckmann (oboe, english horn, electronics), alexandra buschman (voice, electronics) and adriana camacho torres (contrabass). recorded by phil perkins, artwork by teresa baker, design by sally gates.