A masterful tap dancer, a vanguard violinist, and a composer who infuses classical sounds into an electronic live score created scintillating improvisational moments on Thursday at the Walker Art Center. Gary, Ind.-based music producer Jlin (Jerrilynn Patton) collaborated with violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain of Skokie, Ill., and tapper Leonardo Sandoval of São Paolo, Brazil — mesmerizing the audience with their agile ingenuity.

The Walker co-presented the evening with Northrop and Liquid Music. Liquid Music originated as a program of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra in 2012, so the concert’s use of SPCO musicians made for a nice callback to that fruitful partnership (it’s operated as its own nonprofit since 2020).

Titled “n! = 3! (Permutation of 3),” the program riffed on a mathematical concept to explore the interconnection of sound, rhythm and motion. It marked Jlin’s first live performance in the Twin Cities, though the composer previously featured work at Northrop and the Walker. Standing at a table with a laptop and an assemblage of production devices she treated like instruments, Jlin smiled throughout the concert, taking pleasure in moments of synergy with her collaborators.

Roumain’s violin playing startled in its creativity. He performed on an acoustic violin, but through different effects made it sound electric. At times he played lyrically, evoking a classical sound; at others, he held his bow between his teeth and strummed his violin like an electric guitar — making it sound like one as well.

When Roumain and Sandoval performed together, sparks flew. The two master improvisers showed wonderful rapport, demonstrating deep listening and playfulness. They also each improvised with Jlin, and the three performed as a group. Roumain and Sandoval’s most exhilarating exchange came at the end of the show: a lighting operator may have thought their improv set was over and killed the lights, but the two weren’t finished. They continued their back-and-forth of tap and violin in the dark, to the audience’s delight, until the lights came up for their finale.

The SPCO musicians (Eunice Kim, Cameron Alan-Lee, Daniel Orsen and Richard Belcher) performed just one piece, Jlin’s “Little Black Book.” The intense work, weaving four strings with a sporadic drumbeat, created frantic rhythms and shifting textures. Second violinist Cameron Alan-Lee delivered an urgent frenzy, while first violinist Eunice Kim played fluttery notes using the wood of her bow. The music’s repeated pulses and slippery pathways made for a stunning journey. The acoustic chamber sounds echoed the electronic layers Jlin conjured, amplifying the fast-moving rhythms and percussive quality.

Another standout was “Precision of Infinity,” a collaboration between Jlin and Philip Glass. Jlin wove in piano recordings Glass had made during his morning rehearsals into her electronic soundscape. The Glass interludes carried a celestial quality, contrasted with Jlin’s propulsive beats. Sandoval danced to the piece, shifting between expansive gestures — knees and elbows flailing — and intricate footwork that seemed to suspend him in a controlled fall.

By the end of the night, risk, play and porousness between forms lingered. Credit goes to the artists for their vulnerability, but also to the presenters (Walker, Northrop and Liquid Music, in association with Pomegranate Arts in New York). If you missed this concert, another Walker/Liquid Music partnership is coming up, this time with the Schubert Club, on Nov. 8 for an “An Evening with Gabriella Smith & yMusic.”

Next Up

Who: Gabriella Smith & yMusic

What: Eco-composer Gabriella Smith performs “Aquatic Ecology” with yMusic plus a duo with Gabriel Cabezas.

When: 7:30 p.m. Sat., Nov. 8

Where: Walker Art Center, 725 Vineland Pl, Minneapolis.

Tickets: $30-$50 at walkerart.org.

Accessibility: walkerart.org/visit/accessibility/ 

Capsule: After an improvisation-infused mash-up of electronic and classical music, another Liquid Music/Walker Art Center collaboration brings together a new groundbreaking work, this time with the Schubert Club.

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