NY Times Review
NY Phil Press Release
Monday, 14 October 2013
NY Philharmonic 2013 Gala
NY Times Review
NY Phil Press Release
Thursday, 10 January 2013
GIG 365 : MJWB Recording Release
I am pleased to announce the release of my GIG 365 : MJWB recording. In 2011 I performed at least one gig on each day of the year in a wide range of venues.
I performed extensively throughout North America, and also in Europe and Venezuela. The songs on this recording represent music that was meaningful to me during the journey, interspersed with a few conversations I had along the way.
The material is rooted in New Orleans and the Greater Mississippi Delta region. The culture, history, music and people of this region left a profound impact on me during my GIG 365 travels.
The recordings took place in Bucharest, Romania and Cleveland, OH in 2012. I was blessed to have my friend Ionita Manole organize some of the finest Roma Gypsy musicians in the world to record three tracks with me. The remaining musical tracks were recorded with drummer Jamey Haddad. I studied hand percussion at the feet of Jamey while I was attending Berklee College of Music. We found ourselves on some of the same gigs after I graduated and became great friends. I was also backed up on two tracks by a trio of fine, delightful vocalists from Gainesville, FL directed by Timothy Mulberry, Jr : Ryoanne McKnight, Cedrica M. Daniels and Shalita "Shae" Colbert. I can't thank all of these musicians enough for giving themselves so completely to the music.
The conversation tracks are from videos that were taken during the year of GIG 365. They represent some of the memorable people I was fortunate enough to meet and speak with.
The quite stunning GIG 365 drawing was done by Kate Cragoe Mayfield. I met Kate during GIG 365 and she offered to do a drawing for me. She asked me for a list of some of the more memorable gigs I had done and picked the six which adorn the cover. They are clockwise from top right:
GIG #99/100 & #316/317 Square and Compass, Worth Matravers, UK w/Groanbox
GIG #124 @ St. Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and Peace, London, UK
GIG #43 @ Floyd's Country Store, Floyd, VA
GIG #151 Delgadillo's Snow Cap Drive-In, Seligman, AZ
GIG #68 @ Jackson Square, New Orleans, LA with fiddle player Joseph McGinty
GIG #149 @ Old Town Square, Albuquerque, NM with Disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ Franciscan Charismatic Religious Community
You can listen to excerpts from the recording at CD BABY. You can buy a CD or download tracks from there, or on Itunes, Amazon, and other online music retailers. If you dig it, please spread the word and like my GIG 365 page and leave some feedback. I will be posting concert appearances, reviews, interviews and more there and on the GIG 365 blog.
I performed extensively throughout North America, and also in Europe and Venezuela. The songs on this recording represent music that was meaningful to me during the journey, interspersed with a few conversations I had along the way.
The material is rooted in New Orleans and the Greater Mississippi Delta region. The culture, history, music and people of this region left a profound impact on me during my GIG 365 travels.
The recordings took place in Bucharest, Romania and Cleveland, OH in 2012. I was blessed to have my friend Ionita Manole organize some of the finest Roma Gypsy musicians in the world to record three tracks with me. The remaining musical tracks were recorded with drummer Jamey Haddad. I studied hand percussion at the feet of Jamey while I was attending Berklee College of Music. We found ourselves on some of the same gigs after I graduated and became great friends. I was also backed up on two tracks by a trio of fine, delightful vocalists from Gainesville, FL directed by Timothy Mulberry, Jr : Ryoanne McKnight, Cedrica M. Daniels and Shalita "Shae" Colbert. I can't thank all of these musicians enough for giving themselves so completely to the music.
The conversation tracks are from videos that were taken during the year of GIG 365. They represent some of the memorable people I was fortunate enough to meet and speak with.
The quite stunning GIG 365 drawing was done by Kate Cragoe Mayfield. I met Kate during GIG 365 and she offered to do a drawing for me. She asked me for a list of some of the more memorable gigs I had done and picked the six which adorn the cover. They are clockwise from top right:
GIG #99/100 & #316/317 Square and Compass, Worth Matravers, UK w/Groanbox
GIG #124 @ St. Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and Peace, London, UK
GIG #43 @ Floyd's Country Store, Floyd, VA
GIG #151 Delgadillo's Snow Cap Drive-In, Seligman, AZ
GIG #68 @ Jackson Square, New Orleans, LA with fiddle player Joseph McGinty
GIG #149 @ Old Town Square, Albuquerque, NM with Disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ Franciscan Charismatic Religious Community
You can listen to excerpts from the recording at CD BABY. You can buy a CD or download tracks from there, or on Itunes, Amazon, and other online music retailers. If you dig it, please spread the word and like my GIG 365 page and leave some feedback. I will be posting concert appearances, reviews, interviews and more there and on the GIG 365 blog.
Tuesday, 15 May 2012
Groanbox Rides Again
Groanbox has announced its first UK Tour of 2012. Date and venue information can be found here:
Groanbox 2012 Spring UK Tour
Groanbox 2012 Spring UK Tour
Wednesday, 9 May 2012
Joey's Confession Returns to Cleveland
Michael is back in Cleveland with cellist Alisa Weilerstein and percussionists Jamey Haddad, Keita Ogawa and Marcus Santos for another Friday's at Seven on May 11 at the glorious Severance Hall. An interview with Mike Telin is -here-, and info about another Cleveland gig earlier in the day at the Happy Dog is -here-.
Monday, 17 October 2011
Calling All Cultural Entrepreneurs
On an average day at noon, Spangler Center at the Harvard Business School draws small groups for lunch and quiet study. But on Monday, September 26, a surprise performance by the Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma packed the lounge. The sounds of bird whistles and the gaita drifting through the hallways drew such an overflow crowd that even HBS Dean Nitin Nohria had to find space sitting on the floor.
The audience had gathered for more than a concert. The message behind the music was an invitation for the arts and business communities to collaborate.
In town to workshop a new piece with the Silk Road Ensemble, Michael Ward-Bergeman (interviewed in our September issue) joined in the flash concert at HBS on his accordion. This video above appeared on his Gig 365 blog.
Read the rest at the October 2011 Silk Road Ensemble Newsletter - here -
The audience had gathered for more than a concert. The message behind the music was an invitation for the arts and business communities to collaborate.
In town to workshop a new piece with the Silk Road Ensemble, Michael Ward-Bergeman (interviewed in our September issue) joined in the flash concert at HBS on his accordion. This video above appeared on his Gig 365 blog.
Read the rest at the October 2011 Silk Road Ensemble Newsletter - here -
Sunday, 9 October 2011
GIG 365 in The Concord Journal
Concord — When Susan Ehrreich-Sisak went to Verrill Farm in Concord last week to pick up some corn for her grandchildren, she didn’t imagine she would be dancing the polka on the farm’s patio, too.
Read more: Accordion player brings year long gig tour to Concord - Concord, MA - The Concord Journal
Read more: Accordion player brings year long gig tour to Concord - Concord, MA - The Concord Journal
Tuesday, 4 October 2011
New Release from Groanbox
Groanbox, the North American world roots trio, are releasing their fifth album on October 31, 2011, to be launched at King's Place, London on October 28th.
The band wrote, rehearsed, and recorded all of the material for their latest release, Guts, Lungs & Bones in a cottage perched at the bottom of a green, sheep-flecked and brook-bordered hill in the Scottish Lowlands over a period of ten days in August 2011.
Recorded live with producer/engineer Oscar Cainer at the helm, the album features ten original compositions and one traditional number, Death Don’t Have No Mercy.
Supporting the King's Place gig is John Ellis, mostly known for his work as a guitarist with major UK acts such as Peter Gabriel, The Stranglers, Peter Hammill and many more. He is also a songwriter and composer of electronic music. He has released 6 albums of instrumental music written for installations. His current song-based project is called THE PINCH. It consists of songs and instrumentals mostly played on acoustic guitar.
The band wrote, rehearsed, and recorded all of the material for their latest release, Guts, Lungs & Bones in a cottage perched at the bottom of a green, sheep-flecked and brook-bordered hill in the Scottish Lowlands over a period of ten days in August 2011.
Recorded live with producer/engineer Oscar Cainer at the helm, the album features ten original compositions and one traditional number, Death Don’t Have No Mercy.
Supporting the King's Place gig is John Ellis, mostly known for his work as a guitarist with major UK acts such as Peter Gabriel, The Stranglers, Peter Hammill and many more. He is also a songwriter and composer of electronic music. He has released 6 albums of instrumental music written for installations. His current song-based project is called THE PINCH. It consists of songs and instrumentals mostly played on acoustic guitar.
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