Jalisco Jazz Festival
Sound Underground is very excited to be off to the Jalisco International Jazz Festival next month! We can't wait to see our old friends and make new ones.
Movement and sound
One of the most inspiring things about being in New York has been a deepening involvement with the dance community. Insprired by improvising with dancers at the Banff Centre this summer, I began hosting monthly movement and sound improvisation sessions in October to explore the shared language of our mediums. In January we had the incredible fortune to present one such improvisation at the Triskelion Arts "Never Before, Never Again" improvised dance festival, and even convinced them to let us seat some of the audience on the stage with us. Check out some highlights below!
New places with Sound Underground
Winter tour! Short and sweet, excited to explore new places and share bills with some really great bands!
A new trio
I recently acquired a beautiful restored 1936 National Duolian resonator guitar, which has fast become an obsession of mine. I've put together a new band to explore its sound, with fellow Brooklynites Brian Krock on woodwinds (saxophone, bass clarinet and oboe) and Jake Shandling on drums. We're debuting at the Bar Next Door this Thursday 12/28 at 6:30pm! More to come soon!
At the Kennedy Center with Sound Underground
Pinching myself a little... Just got to play at the nation's performing arts center in Washington D.C. with two of my favorite musicians! Here's a new piece of mine we played there:
Brooklyn bound!
After a transformative three weeks in the mountains of Alberta, at the Banff Centre's Jazz and Creative Music workshop under the guidance of Vijay Iyer, I am incredibly excited to be starting a new chapter in Brooklyn, New York. See you in the city that never sleeps!
West Coast, again!
I'm a little late on the uptake once again, but Sound Underground is halfway through a fantastic third trip up and down the West Coast. We're honored by the warm welcomes!
Next month, I head to the Banff Centre in Alberta, Canada for the Banff Creative Music and Jazz Workshop. Can't wait to work with some fantastic musicians before landing in NYC in September!
New music for Quartet
While in New York in September, on the top of my to-do list was a visit to MOMA. That wound up being an entire day, 8 hours in the museum, 5 of which I spent in the 1880-1950 permanent collection on the fifth floor. Call me a painting fanatic convert. I was deeply fascinated by how the striking aesthetic techniques of these works could be translated to music, not so much to try to recreate the same mood but to actually do the same thing. These ideas finally took form in a new book of music for a band I call the New Eyes Quartet. Here's a piece based on Man Ray's epinomous painting, an exploration of negative space in movement:
Tours and a new record with Sound Underground
Pre-order Sound Underground's new album here!
I spent the last month travelling up and down the West Coast with two of the best musicians I know, David and Alec of Sound Underground (www.soundundergroundtrio.com). We played 20 shows in 4 states and covered 4000 miles. A huge thanks to all the incredible people along the way who made our experience a fantastic one - fans, venues and supporters of the arts who believe so strongly in the power of music to transform. I am very inspired by you all!
Next, we're headed to New York for our album release show at Shapeshifter Lab in Brooklyn on September 21st 8:15pm. See you there!
A Big Band and a Music Video
I am very excited to announce the release of a music video collaboration with multi-talented San Francisco-based singer-songwriter and a dear friend of mine, Madame Z (aka Justine Lucas). I had a blast writing and recording the arrangement for "Don't You Make Me Mad" and I'm blown away by the videography and choreography her fantastic Bay Area team put together for this, check it out!
Look out for the full collaboration record coming out soon!