Emotions through Sound

Music speaks louder than words.

I decided to record a freely improvised piece this morning. I just pressed "record" and started to play the sax without any prior preconception or warm up. Here it is, "Passive Aggressor":

Five on Twelve: Dance meets Avante-Garde

"Ghosts" by Albert Ayler, a cornerstone of free jazz:

Feeling a bit freaked out? Now imagine watching a choreographed dance to a live performance of this music:

This, along with music by Charles Mingus and Sun Ra, will be premiered by Theo Boguszewski on February 26-27th at the Dance Conservatory at Purchase College. It is being held in the Dance Theatre Lab and starts at 8:00 pm.

I will be playing tenor saxophone and will be joined by Reed Stewart (drums), Spencer Murphy (bass), Alex Eckstein (alto sax), Andy Roninson (piano), and Tristan Napoli (trumpet). For more information, check out the facebook link:

Five on Twelve

zaDaza

The feature of this week is a mysterious power trio that goes by the name of zaDaza. The group is comprised of David Cutler on bass, Zach Marks on drums, and yours truly on saxophone and effects. While focusing mainly on creative improvisation and groove, the group never takes themselves that seriously and there is always a sense of humor present. The music style ranges from party-driven music to catchy indie hooks, and can stretch all the way into doom metal and noise territory.

The band will be performing Friday night at the Humanities theater in conjunction with WA(i)STED, which has been described as "a violent, multi-media solo performance by Constance Tarbox focused on American consumption and self-destruction." Rumors are floating around about the intensity of this show (as well as the free beer policy once one pays for entrance). If you find yourself complaining that there is never anything weird enough on campus, this may be your night.

You can listen to zaDaza at their myspace:

zaDaza music

R8MSR8JB7C9M

Mokaad and the Flexpoints: Funkify Your Life

The first post on this blog will be dedicated to the funkier side of things.

If you are a SUNY Purchase student, there's a good chance you have consciously or subconsciously heard the barrage of funk coming from the Stood or the Hub walkway at some time. This experience has been brought to you by none other than Mokaad and the Flexpoints, a 9-piece outfit dedicated to bringing the funk back into your life.

They're just starting up again for the semester, but get ready for some extremely high-energy gigs in the next few months. This Saturday, Mokaad will be gracing the stage of NYC's own Crash Mansion. The one-hour set will start at 12:30 AM; this is one you don't want to miss!

For evidence, check out the 10-minute whirlwind funk tease from Saturday's Haiti Benefit:

Mokaad and the Flexpoints live at the Stood 2-8-10 from Aural Material on Vimeo.