For the inaugural concert of its new digs in the Church of DiFranco, Hallwalls presents free jazz cult icon Arthur Doyle, an artist whose reputation as an “outsider” (even among free jazz enthusiasts, themselves considered left of field by the jazz mainstream) has endeared him to improv and experimental rock fans who abandoned labels long ago. A veteran of the 1970s New York City loft scene, where he played with the likes of Sun Ra, Doyle eventually gravitated toward No Wave and noise punk, embracing a palette of sonic possibilities not typically associated with free jazz. Combining the two streams in his own highly unique approach, Doyle released a series of lo-fi recordings on labels like Thurston Moore’s Ecstatic Peace that revealed his uniquely conceived “free jazz soul music.” Employing tenor sax, recorder, flute and vocals to explore a mix of African folk song, free jazz bluster and rough tape cuts and hiss, Doyle’s approach endeared him to a new generation of fans looking for sonic individuality outside jazz (and rock) orthodoxies. For Friday’s concert, Doyle performs with his electro-acoustic ensemble, consisting of veterans of Rochester’s own highly idiosyncratic experimental free sound scene.

Friday, January 20 at 8pm. Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, 341 Delaware Ave. (854-1694).

$10 general, $8 members, students, seniors.