“Outside in Music Live at Pinch Recording Volume 2” provides nine original compositions from ten bandleader/composers on the Outside in Music roster, recorded live at Long Island City recording studio Pinch Recording. The project is a collaboration between OiM and Pinch to feature the artistry of the composers and feature new additions to the studio’s arsenal of equipment to be able to capture acoustic jazz at its best.
"Outside in Music Live at Pinch Recording Volume 2", "Look" by Nick Grinder - composition/trombone, Caleb Curtis - alto sax, Jason Yeager - piano, André Carvalho - bass, Michel Maurer - drums
Michel Maurer Meridian: The Shape of Noon
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I am proud to present my new project
MERIDIAN
Origin
Not so long ago, a meeting with guitarist Alex Levine, saxophonist Peyton Pleninger and bassist Ben Rolston initiated the desire to create a new project with them. Drawing inspiration from their strong musical personalities, I wrote pieces of different formats, using multiple musical concepts, mixing and matching them. A few months later a repertoire of ten compositions was born.
Development
The conventional jazz quartet format I chose, as well as the forms of the compositions I wrote, represent the tradition. The not so conventional side of this project resides in the approach of the written material and the learning path we consciously took to transform the notes into music. Alex, Ben, Peyton and I met regularly, we memorized each parts of the compositions, we developed improvisational group strategies and challenged each other through musical games elaborated from the repertoire. That work was enjoyable and formative, it allowed us to build confidence while taking risks and to create a unique musical language and a singular way to interpret the scores.
Time : “The Shape of Noon”
The music we play has a fragile and ephemeral quality echoing the minutes and seconds flowing throughout our lives. The shape of noon is a collection of pieces that exposes the particular mind-set Alex, Peyton, Ben and I had this day of May 13th 2018 when we recorded seven songs at Figure 8 recording studio in Brooklyn. In a few hours sound engineer Michael Coleman beautifully captured the essence of what we had developed during months, like a great photograph immortalizing a movement for eternity.
The shape of noon was mixed and mastered by Eivind Opsvik at Greenwood Underground during November and December 2018 and was released on October 4th 2019, by Outside In Music’s Next Level.
Alex Levine / guitar
Peyton Pleninger / saxophone
Ben Rolson / double bass
Michel Maurer / drums and composition
