Sleeping Beast is free jazz/improvisation trio from 3 of Texas’ finest. A versatile mix of US influenced free jazz and European influenced free improvisation from some of Texas’ finest improvisers. They released their self-titled debut album on March 24, 2026, via Musical Eschatology.
Credits:Danny Kamins- Alto Saxophone, Contra Alto Clarinet
Thomas Helton- Double Bass, Bass Recorder
Lisa Cameron- Drums, Percussion
Danny Kamins is an improvising saxophonist based out of Houston, TX. Musicians he has performed/recorded with include Vinny Golia, Jeb Bishop, Sandy Ewen, Paulina Owczarek, Motoko Honda, Damon Smith, Luke Stewart, Taylor Rouss, Alvin Fielder, Ra Kalam Bob Moses and NewMusic groups Relative Dissonance, Le Train Bleu, Loop 38 and Transitory Sound and Movement Collective.
Houston bassist and composer Thomas Helton is a multifaceted improviser and skilled interpreter of contemporary bass repertoire. Equally adept at playing jazz, classical, experimental and avant-garde music, Helton continues to push and redefine the possibilities of his instrument by embracing extended performance techniques and new compositional forms.
Lisa Cameron (aka Venison Whirled) is from Austin, Tx. Using amplified/acoustic percussion and strings, she locates resonant frequencies in space to create oscillating overtones, which are then employed as sound sources for live improvisation. She has improvised live with Jandek, Mani Neumier, Eugene Chadbourne, Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten, Mike Watt, Jaap Blonk, Faust, Ernesto Diaz-Infante, Claire Rousay, Alex Cunningham, Damon Smith, Jessica Ackerley, Eli Wallace, Sandy Ewen, Raquel Bell,Tom Carter, Nathan Bowles, Fritz Welch, Sandy Ewen, Thor Harris, Jonathan Horne, and others.
Catch a performance by Sleeping Beast at
8:40pm on Friday – September 25, 2026 inside Cherrywood Center.