This spring, the Walker Art Center is commissioning, developing, and presenting landmark collaborations between leading-edge national jazz figures and important dance innovators. A new performance series--titled Common Time: New Collaborations in Dance and Jazz--reestablishes the link between vanguard choreographers and composers that was prevalent in past generations when dance presentations almost always included a live musical component. Due to the cost of touring and the elusive balance between collaboration and improvisation, the vital link between contemporary dance and live jazz music was severed. This was a particular loss in the fields of jazz and black modern dance--a loss for dance artists, for jazz musicians, and perhaps most of all, for audiences.

The Common Time series, presented March 6-May 8, features the world premiere of Invincible Flower, by influential choreographer Dianne McIntyre and "avant-pop" composer-trumpeter Lester Bowie (and his Brass Fantasy); the multipart Soul Deep, by saxophonist David Murray (and his Octet) and acclaimed choreographer Jawole Willa Jo Zollar and her Urban Bush Women; and a series of new musical dialogues between emerging percussionist and firebrand Leon Parker and choreographer-dancer Maia Claire Garrison. These artists have been selected not just for the power and artistry of their work, but also for the way they are re-fusing creative movement and live music.

A complete series listing follows.

DIANNE McINTYRE AND LESTER BOWIE'S BRASS FANTASY

Saturday, March 6, 8 pm
$21 ($16 Walker members and O'Shaughnessy Auditorium subscribers) 612.375.7622 for tickets
O'Shaughnessy Auditorium
College of St. Catherine, 2004 Randolph Ave., St. Paul

The world premiere of the Invincible Flower, co-commissioned by the Walker and Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, unites award-winning choreographer Dianne McIntyre and her six-member company with vanguard jazz trumpeter-composer Lester Bowie and his irrepressible 10-member Brass Fantasy. This exhilarating evening of brass-based new-jazz and contemporary dance draws on the rich spectrum of African-American cultural traditions. For more than 25 years McIntyre has melded structured dance and improvised music like no other, consistently working with the most innovative voices in jazz. A consummate showman and "avant-pop" creator, Bowie has long been at the forefront of jazz exploration and is a founding member of the Art Ensemble of Chicago. The evening includes a solo by McIntyre, a joyously explosive set of music by Bowie and Brass Fantasy, and concludes with the 45-minute suite Invincible Flower. Copresented with O'Shaughnessy Auditorium.

LEON PARKER AND FRIENDS WITH MAIA CLAIRE GARRISON

Saturday, April 3, 8 pm
$15 ($12 Walker members)
612.375.7622 for tickets
Walker Auditorium

Multi-percussionist, composer, and band leader Leon Parker, recently hailed by the New York Times as "one of the finest jazz musicians of his generation," has carved out a place for himself where the past and future of jazz, hip-hop, African, Caribbean, and Middle Eastern influences converge. Using an array of hand drums and other percussion instruments, he creates a richly imaginative aural tapestry. The performance opens with Parker's mesmerizing drum, voice, and body-percussion solo and evolves into an unforgettable rhythmic landscape. For this special Common Time series event, he has invited vibrant New York City-based choreographer-dancer Maia Claire Garrison (ex-Urban Bush Women member) to join him in a series of thoughtfully crafted yet red-hot duets. Parker's new collective includes vocalist Elisabeth Kontomanou and percussionists Kazi Oliver and Alonzo Undly.

URBAN BUSH WOMEN AND THE DAVID MURRAY OCTET

Tuesday, May 11, 7:30 pm
$19 ($15 Walker members)
612.375.7622 for tickets
Ted Mann Concert Hall
2128 4th St. S., University of Minnesota, West Bank, Minneapolis

The Urban Bush Women return to the Twin Cities with a range of new works that showcase the remarkable talent of this African-American dance-theater company. The Urban Bush Women, led by choreographer Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, create a powerful sense of community on stage yet speak to a broad audience. The group's work is deeply rooted in African-American folklore and spiritual traditions. This evening of jubilant music, dance, and spoken word also features a new collaboration with David Murray and his Octet titled Soul Deep. Co-commissioned by the Walker, this stirring, multipart work includes structured and improvised movement and music as well as text from influential poets such as Langston Hughes and Ntozake Shange.

DAVID MURRAY OCTET IN CONCERT

Saturday, May 8, 8 pm
$15 ($12 Walker members)
612.375.7622 for tickets
Walker Auditorium

David Murray and his all-star Octet perform a special concert as part of their weeklong residency with the Urban Bush Women. The Octet features Ravi Best, trumpet; Craig Harris, trombone; Mark Johnson, drums; Wilbur Morris, bass; Jermaine Nelson, piano; Hugh Ragin, trumpet; and James Spaulding, alto saxophone. Murray, an internationally acclaimed, multi-award-winning composer-musician (tenor saxophonist and bass clarinetist), blends the legacies of the 1970s free-jazz movement, gospel, the New Orleans sound, and African roots. He is a co-founder of the World Saxophone Quartet, has recorded and performed with the key players in the new-jazz field, and has released more than 200 recordings, including Dark Star, an album of Grateful Dead songs.

The Common Time series is made possible with funds from the Dayton Hudson Foundation on behalf of Dayton's, Mervyn's, and Target Stores; the Doris Duke Fund for Jazz and Dance; the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund as part of the Walker's "New Definitions/New Audiences" initiative; the McKnight Foundation; the National Dance Project of the New England Foundation for the Arts; the National Endowment for the Arts; and the Pew Charitable Trusts.