Jazz Composers Orchestra Institute

I just got back from 5 intensive days at JCOI in Los Angeles, an event run in part by the American Composers Orchestra, and featuring a roster of fantastic faculty-artists such as Alvin Singleton, Anne LeBaron, George Lewis, Anthony Davis, James Newton, Paul Chihara, Nicole Mitchell and Derek Bermel. It was a great experience, and they asked me to report … Read more

Joshua White, Gerry Hemingway and Mark Dresser

Looking forward to 3 upcoming gigs in SoCal in late June: 2 are with Joshua White’s quintet, one at 98 Bottles in San Diego and one at the Blue Whale in LA, and the other is a quartet with Joshua, Mark Dresser and Gerry Hemingway at 98 Bottles. Thanks to the tireless Robert Bush, there are nice preview articles about … Read more

Vision fest and some nice press

I had a fantastic time back east last week playing on the concerts mentioned below, all three of which were deeply satisfying in different ways. It was also a pleasant surprise to see Nate Chinen’s New York Times piece on the opening Vision Festival concert that I played on as part of Mark Dresser’s quintet.

NYC in May and June 2012

I’m looking forward to playing with Mark Dresser’s quintet at Cornelia St. Cafe on May 15, with Rudresh Mahanthappa, Denman Maroney and Tom Rainey. We record an album for Clean Feed the next day. Then I’ll play again at Cornelia with my own trio on June 13 (at 10pm), with the always amazing Chris Tordini and Dan Weiss, and that … Read more

Han Bennink, Mary Oliver and Mark Dresser

I enjoyed starting 2012 with a string of 3 quartet gigs with these amazing musicians. Our San Diego concert was reviewed in the SD Reader, and we also performed to full houses at the Blue Whale in LA and at UC Irvine. Thanks to everyone who came out!

Jeff Gauthier and Motoko Honda

Looking forward to a trio performance with these two musicians at LA’s Beyond Baroque on Saturday, January 28, 2012!

Inspiralings concert review

We had a great time at the Inspiralings concert between San Diego and New York on Nov. 2nd. Thanks to Robert Bush for managing to get a review in the San Diego Reader published the very next day!

Forget The Pixel CD cover

Reviews of Forget the Pixel

It’s gratifying to get reviews that are not only positive but also contain informed, thoughtful insights on the music. My 2011 trio release on Clean Feed Records is getting some quality press, including a Downbeat review by Bill Meyer and a detailed account in All About Jazzby Robert Bush, who also reviewed our live concert last May in Irvine.

November in NYC, virtual and live

These days I’m working on a new composition for a 9-piece band that will perform a networked concert between NYU and UC San Diego on Nov. 2. It’s a privilege to compose for a group that includes some of my longtime musical heroes like Oliver Lake and Ikue Mori, among many others. The following week, my actual body will be … Read more

Video of Telemotions

Mark Dresser, Myra Melford and I collaborated for nearly a year to develop the music for last April’s Telemotions concerts. The performances were networked between San Diego and Irvine, CA and produced with a huge crew of other artists and technicians, including scenic designer Victoria Petrovich and intermedia artist John Crawford. You can now watch the whole concert on YouTube, … Read more

New score videos

I now have 2 score videos on YouTube,- Fossils and Flows and Forget the Pixel, both from my latest trio album featuring Chris Tordini and Dan Weiss.

MD Trio receives CMA grant

I’m honored that my trio was recently awarded a grant from Chamber Music America through their 2011 New Jazz Works program, funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. I’ll be composing a new concert-length piece, featuring Chris Tordini and Dan Weiss. The music is inspired by abstract paintings by a range of contemporary artists, and is titled Resonating Abstractions.