How was your summer??

Fun, fruitful, restful and more?  For me it was a working and restful summer.  An amazing residency at MUSIC OMI that I was fortunate to be a part of (JULY 22 – AUGUST 9) was just what the doctor ordered it seemed.  I returned back home refreshed and renewed.  I’m glad I did because the break was wonderful but meant that lots didn’t get done while I was away and this Fall is active to say the least…so without further ado, let me hip everyone to what’s happening and I hope to catch you out sometime in September.

BUT before August skidaddles away, BARE, the debut album of my duo with FVE guitarist Anders Nilsson drops from the sky as a brand new baby.  Save the date for the CD RELEASE for BARE at Barbes on WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 at 8PM and Nate Chinen wrote a wonderful piece in Saturday’s New York Times about Abbey Lincoln’s legacy after her passing on August 14, 2010 and talked about the release of BARE and more in an article you can read here. Wow…Abbey Lincoln.  How does it feel to be included in a piece on one of the most seminal jazz vocalists of the last half century? Just amazing to even be considered for it and what a loss to the music world at large, not just jazz. Hell, what a loss to the spirit world of this realm.  To me, she was such a strong articulator of her ideas and the fact that she wrote many of the words she sang just made her presentation all the more intense.  They were great words coming from a woman who obviously LIVED a full life, observing the ebb and flow and negating none of it.  At least this is what her music said to me. She was one of the last links to the tradition of jazz vocals, coming out of Billie Holiday and I felt a void so big for days after her passing, because history died that day too. I had a gig two days after and I have no songs of hers in my repertoire yet I wanted to honor her in my own way.  During one of the improvs  and I started this pattern on “I said/you said” ending with “you said now that Abbey’s gone, maybe jazz is dead.” The day I found out that she died, I happen to take some photos of clouds (I’m a bit of a cloud fanatic) that were in a configuration that I can NEVER recall seeing.  The wonderful spoken word/song artist Paul Harding thought they were carpets laid for her journey…

It was a sad day indeed but her legacy and lessons lives on.

Before the BARE CD Release though, stop by Evolving Voice and Music on MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 at 8PM for a very special performance of yours truly with the renowned avant-garde group Other Dimensions in Music (trumpeter Roy Campbell, reedist Daniel Carter, bassist William Parker and drummer Charles Downs – WHA??!!) on the series down at the Local and I’m thrilled about this.  Doing a special project called Kaiso Stories based on the texts of Calypsos from Trinidad & Tobago, where my roots are from.  We go into the studio with this project on WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2010 for the Swedish based Silkheart Records!  I’ll keep you posted on the release as  I know more and performance details are in the performance section.  But I can tell you that I am thrilled AND honored to do this project with these gentlemen.

I’ve been wanting to do a music project based on Calypso for a long time yet didn’t have a clear idea of how best to represent the music.  I didn’t want it to sound cliched or that I was informing the world what a ‘calypso’ should sound like.  Calypsos have some of the best lyrics and stories I’ve ever experienced or read and I want to focus on that.  See, calypsos started out as a newspaper for the people of Trinidad and citizens trusted what the calypsonian (calypso singer) had to say than any politician or government official. Because of this, many calypsos have been censored by the Trinidadian government. Yet the best calypsonians find ways of masking their message to officials through the use of double-entendre, using patois and other clever devices to get the news through.   Humourous, politcal, social, sexual – you name it, the subject matter varied widely and the calypsonian needed to keep his audience enraptured by how the story was told because Trinidadians are some of the toughest audiences anywhere you can find. What a gig and I haven’t even begun to talk about how this all relates to Carnival, of which Trinidad & Tobago has the 2nd largest Carnival celebration in the world after Rio de Janiero.  So we’re recording a project that focuses on the lyrics told in these songs..and that’s all I’ll say about it for now.  Stay tuned!

Then join Arts for Art/RUCMA/The Local 269 for a special celebration of Evolving Voice Series turning ONE on MONDAY SEPTEMBER 20! We’re celebrating by having an ALL VOCAL program for the evening with Patricia Nicholson Parker and William Parker, The Fay Victor Ensemble, poets Patricia Spear-Jones and Steve Dalichinsky and  vocalist extraordinaire, Lisa Sokolov!  Sure to be a special night in celebration of a series that has blossomed in this last year and I’m so proud that it’s still going strong.  I will post an piece about this event later in the month but please SAVE THE DATE.

That closes out September for me will also be my last gig in town for a minute. I’m off to Holland at the end of September to perform with reedist Michael Moore’s group and then some, teach some workshops and tour Germany with a blues project towards the end of October into November.  I’m back in NYC in mid-November and hope to meet you then unless some of you are hanging overseas…

Thanks for reading and for your support of the music!

Fay

PS: Purchase BARE at AMAZON.COM and CDBABY…Print copies available on AUGUST 31st!

On the last day of this August month, Anders Nilsson and myself (as the ExPosed Blues Duo) release our debut recording, BARE, on Greene Avenue Music.  I’m so excited about this project being released and we’re looking forward to hearing the feedback that’s bound to come – one way or the other.  Preparing for the release also bought me back in touch with why I love the blues so much and how that came to be.  I’d like to share some of that with you…

A couple years after I moved to The Netherlands in the 90′s, I got asked to sub for an American soul singer at a festival in Cologne, Germany. We performed a mishmash set including jazz standards, blues, R&B and soul tunes we threw together to make the show. When the set was finished, a guitarist came up to me and asked if I’d ever performed blues before and if I’d be interested in performing a complete blues gig at a monthly series he fronted the house band for in Muenster, Germany. I told him I knew a couple blues tunes but was certainly no blues singer and doing a gig like that was out of my league. He said he thought I could become a great blues singer and it’s worth a try. What did I have to lose he said. On a Monday night, decently paid, room, board and travel thrown in. I agreed to give it a shot.

For the show in Muenster, a great German college town about 3 hours from Amsterdam, I pulled together a set of tunes based on the few bluesI knew and some jazzy-blues numbers by Stanley Turrentine and that ilk. When the Theater Café filled to capacity that night, it was no time to be tentative. I did the best I could and surprisingly folks really enjoyed it. Now, I figured one-half of the reason they liked it so much is because I looked the part.  Being African-American gives me all sorts of rights to sing this music, despite the fact that in that moment, I knew almost nothing about it.

You see, the truth of the matter is when I started out and heard the blues sung by Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington and Bessie Smith,I thought that was the real thing – or should I say the only thing. I learned some blues when I started performing because that’s what I was told to do plus they were ‘fun’ and ‘crowd-pleasing’ as opposed to a serious ballad or navigating a bebop tune. A jazz vocalist’s repertoire is incomplete without blues in the repertoire, just as it would be if one sang no bossa novas.

So this opportunity in Germany to put the blues out front made me look at that music differently for the first time. I began to see that it was an art in and of itself. Much older than jazz, simpler, clearer in expression, individual, ornery, dirty. I began to listen to Robert Johnson, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Blind Lemmon Jefferson, Memphis Slim, Willie Dixon, Howlin’ Wolf, T-Bone Walker, Lonnie Johnson, Elmer Snowden, Skip James, John Lee Hooker, Son House, Charles Brown and so much more. That band leader in Muenster asked me to front his band, which I did for three years as well as work with other blues groups in Germany. At the same time, I began to appreciate and know how much the blues profoundly influenced the best part the soul and R&B music I loved and grew up with.

Gigging with the blues and the study that happened alongside it laid the foundation for a journey of learning to express myself through this substantial medium and I ‘got’ it early on that it’s not a music to hide behind.  It’s a music to deepen my understanding of myself because it won’t tolerate a facade.  At least it didn’t for me. And all those gigs (100′s) performing this music made it clearer still. The blues has helped me be a more colorful and storytelling vocalist and deeply informs the compositions Jochem and I write.  It’s a fundamental part of my expression.

So why a blues record now?

In 2007, I was asked to perform a blues-based program at the WinterNights Jazz Festival in Marseille, France. Myself and Fay Victor Ensemble guitarist Anders Nilsson came up with an approach and used some material I performed when I lived in Europe, added new tunes and re-wrote the script for that event. We thought we’d open up the forms and tunes, leaving BARE the possibility for free improvisation to emerge, just like those singular Delta blues guitarists, we said. It worked, the audience told us. It felt good to connect with an audience that way again! So we went on to develop what started in Marseille and formed the ExPosed Blues Duo, melding blues forms and free improvisation.  As we gigged around town, the music got more organic, pure, languid and visceral. We felt that some strong music may come out of this. Let’s record this happening and take it from there.

Here we are.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

More info:
Greene Ave Music
Improvised Communications
Media Contact: Scott Menhinick

BARE is available for download at CDBABY and I-Tunes.
The Street date for the physical CD is August 31, 2010

CD RELEASE FIESTA
BARBES
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2010

8PM

So before I disappear for a little while, I wanted to say THANK YOU to all the friends, old and new that came out to the Fay Victor Ensemble Set at the Vision Festival!  We had a blast although our set was cut rather short.  And the feedback was pretty amazing too.  Also seeing and hearing Jayne Cortez that night has filled me enough inspiration to last me through the end of the year.  At least.  I’ve heard some great music this year at the Vision, even MC’d two evenings and it’s just great to hang with people I don’t get to see often enough.  If you haven’t checked it out and want to know more check the website out here.

And in other music news, BARE, my upcoming release with Anders Nilsson  (as the ExPosed Blues Duo) will be released on August 31, 2010 on the Greene Avenue Music! I’m also happy to report that the record is already available for download at CDBABY and I-Tunes. Check it out and I’ll shortly reveal CD release plans for the record as well.  We’re really excited about this project and hope you’ll have a listen.

And as luck would have it, this Friday you can join Anders and myself as we spar with cellist Tomas Ulrich once again at the 55Bar this Friday for the Early Set working, twisting and stretching the blues. This will be my last performance until later this August so I hope to see you.

The ExPosed Blues Duo Meet Tomas Ulrich
FRIDAY, JULY 2, 2010
6-9PM – EARLY SET
FV-voice
Anders Nilsson-guitar
Tomas Ulrich – cello
@ THE 55BAR
55 Christopher Street
New York, NY
A/C/E to West 4th
1 to Sheridan Square

Have a great summer, friends!

Fay

After living abroad and settling back in New York in 2003, I came to town with a fresh recording of the two final concerts I had in the Netherlands. After a couple setbacks, my husband and writing partner, Jochem van Dijk and I got the project that became Lazy Old Sun released in 2004.  One issue was the matter of a Jimi Hendrix tune I wrote lyrics for and recorded for release.  We got through to the publishing company for Jimi’s estate and the woman who took calls said it would never be approved because “If Jimi wanted lyrics, he would have written them himself” and that was that. In response I said, “But don’t you want to listen to the piece before making that decision?”  She said no. I was livid. I was hurt.  Not so much because she said no but because the company didn’t even want to hear it.  I thought how close-minded an approach for such an inspirational spirit. Can’t blame Jimi though; it’s the gatekeepers.

We took Hendrix’ Third Stone From the Sun off of the record, bummed, but what could we do?  There was something else too – because Lazy Old Sun was primarily an album of pop covers and jazz  compositions (there are 4 originals on the record), the licensing costs for all this music was a hefty fee for a little label like us, especially since I’m not good at keeping pieces short.  These factors made Jochem and I say – Screw this!  Let’s write our own damn tunes for an entire album.  We’d been including originals in the last two records I released, so the leap was to making an all original music project was taken.  We can say what we want and no licensing fees and we’d start with the lyrics meant for the Hendrix tune.  Only thing: who’s gonna play it and what is the ‘sound’ gonna be?  The sound had precedent with the group I’d started in the Netherlands plus I’d been busy with sound within a band concept for a long time.  I’d try to pick up from there with a quintet of trombone, guitar, bass & drums.  And I needed the group to respond and react to me, not accompany me, I wanted to be a full member of the group but I was still figuring out that role.

Just being back in New York and voraciously checking out the scene, I made it a top priority to form a band to do just that and other things I couldn’t articulate so clearly.  I got a group going a little under a year later, but it didn’t work out.  I wasn’t sure what I wanted yet but I knew that improvisation and musicians with an ease of playing inside and out would be essential.  So the first group was a way for me to find out what mindset best suited what I was going for.

I heard bassist Ken Filiano many times since I’d returned to NYC and loved his playing. I wasn’t sure if he’d be interested in playing with me and actually felt he may be out of my reach at that time.  After having a discussion with trombonist Steve Swell, who gave me some of the best advice I’ve had since I returned to New York.  He said,

“Don’t be a afraid to reach out to anyone you’re interested in working with because you never know where people are, and musicians are always looking for interesting projects.”

He also mentioned guitarist Anders Nilsson, because  I was looking for a “European” approach and sound on guitar. To be more specific, ECM or Terje Rypdal-esque. I reached out to Ken and Anders  who both and expressed interest but I needed to hear Anders live.  So Anders invited me to a duo gig of his with bassist Ken Filiano.  Neither had known I had called the other and I didn’t know that they were getting together for close to 4 years privately and that this was their first public gig! I was sold on both of them after that gig and it was no question that they vibed with each other.  Now for a drummer.

I had a drummer in mind for the group and was close to contacting him when Ken recommended Michael TA Thompson.  I couldn’t find anything online for Michael so I called him up and left a message saying who I was, what I was interested in and directed him to go to my website to check out my music so he can hear what I do. When we spoke a few days later, he commented at length how much he liked the message I left – that I didn’t want him to call back unless he liked the music and wanted to talk, that I didn’t want to waste his (or my) time.  He liked the music too.  I heard him a week later on a gig with vocalist Barbara Sfraga at the 55Bar and  loved his sound on drums and how he swung.  He could also groove and take it way out. That made the group.

So on April 30, 2005, after one rehearsal – we played our first gig at the 55BAR.  Mostly tunes from Lazy Old Sun and it was…magical. I can’t really explain it.  It worked and felt good for me.  I could tell they liked the music by they way they played and the questions they asked.  I knew these were the musicians to develop Jochem’s and my original music.

In the meantime, Jochem and I were writing lots of material for some future recording and I started a monthly residency at Freddy’s Backroom in Brooklyn, NY.  At Freddy’s (and at the 55BAR) the FVE regularly worked out the music and the ideas that became Cartwheels Through the Cosmos (ArtistShare 2007). It  was a tough process in some ways too.  I wasn’t always sure of what I wanted or how to explain it, that always causes frustrations.  I needed to train them not to treat me like a “singer” or accompany me in that way.  I wanted each voice to be equal in the group – an integrated sound with voice and lyrics, which was sometimes difficult to balance alongside free-wheeling improvisational excursions. We had to develop the dynamic responses necessary to move in all directions and keep the clarity of the music.  I improvised much less than I do now and only in specific places/pieces.  A trombonist didn’t work out for the group so I decided it being a quartet was enough.  We now have moved on to a place where form and free are so blurred at times that it makes my heart smile inside.

Through all this time we have organically developed as a band.  The first 2-3 years of our existence we played a lot around the city, developing the music, playing for empty rooms sometimes but getting to that  sound I was looking for. We are also a distinct group of folks:  Michael and I are of Caribbean extraction, Anders is a Swede and Ken is the only true American in the bunch but he’ll say he’s Sicilian first.  We’re all very proud folk in our own ways – all of us want our voices heard.  It works so well because I want to hear those voices and react to them in real time.  They couldn’t contain themselves if they wanted to and this has made me a stronger and more confident vocalist because I enjoy and delight in the chaos that ensues and what that opens up musically for me and for the group. It is such a joy not to KNOW for sure what is going to happen.

How thrilling is it to put a group together to tell my tales in a different soundtrack and have it garner so much attention as our sophomore and current release, The FreeSong Suite (GAM 2009) has done.  So many people have reached out publicly and privately to express their feelings on the project and how refreshing it has been to hear it – you can read more about that here. I also want to thanks all the friends, family and more that have hung out with us, checked out the music and gave much needed feedback.  Good or bad, I needed to hear both sides. We wouldn’t be where we are as a group without being open to hearing it ALL. And now we’re performing on the Vision Festival on next week, after receiving a wonderful write-up in the New York Times Festival Preview, where Ben Ratliff recommends our set at the Vision Festival alongside performances by Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Anthony Braxton, Steve Coleman, Mike Reed and more!!!

I’m so excited, I can barely sit still and we’re moving forward. Already busy with the next project (expect to hear some of it at the Vision Festival XV) and expect to see us out in the city a bit more this year as we’ll develop the music through performance, as we always have.  With plans to head in to the studio next year for the first of a two-part release, projected for Fall 2011. Jochem and I still have more we want to say and I’m blessed with one of the best group to say it and share it with. Thank you and see you for more!

-Fay

I’m really enjoying seeing lots of sunlight and feeling its warmth and I hope you are too.  It’s such a good feeling and now is a good time for me to take a small step back and chill for a moment after the whirlwind month of May and get recharged for the fun later on in this month of June.  I’ve got a SAVE the DATE in this post too because the Fay Victor Ensemble is included in The Vision Festival XV line-up this year!  On a night that is just to die for.  But more on that in a minute, I’d like to share what went down in May…

May 2010 was a pretty life-changing and life-affirming month.

The month got off to a running start with the ExPosed Blues Duo meets Thomas Ulrich double bill with stellar vocalist Kyoko Kitamura & dancer Mark Lamb (SATURDAY, MAY 1st).  We took over 5C Cafe in the LES and the cozy space could barely accommodate the folks who came out to support and listen.  Not only did we have a great time but an old friend from the Netherlands came to hang with us on her first visit to New York.  A week later I appeared in Mark Lamb Dance Second Saturday Sanctuary Salon Series at Seven (SATURDAY, MAY 8th) where I sang an a capella piece and improvised piece with Mark Lamb himself.  That was a wonderful experience because I not only sang, I dance along with Mark and it was improvised.  The words, the movement, the music –  it was exhilarating and I think I want to dance more. This great monthly event also included an entire set by Kyoko Kitamura and Mark Lamb as well as performances by vocalists Kendra Shank, Terre Roche and the Mark Lamb Dancers.  Learn more about the Salon Series and Mark Lamb here.

The next day, I boarded a plane to Europe to start a three gig run with the venerable ICP Orchestra (I explain how venerable in an earlier post here) in Germany and The Netherlands (MAY 12-14, 2010).  I arranged to get there a full day ahead to chill with friends before I rehearsed with the group because I was very nervous. Almost scared to death. This was a big deal. I knew the music and played with some members of the group before.  Yet I also knew they never hired a vocalist in this capacity before so I put even more pressure on myself to deliver.  The day of the rehearsal at the BIM in Amsterdam, I checked into the hotel nearby and almost had a panic attack, worried that perhaps they made a mistake and what was I thinking.  What were they thinking? When I get to the rehearsal I run into journalist Kevin Whitehead, over to hang with the group on tour but I didn’t expect to see him here at the rehearsal.  My anxiety level rose toward overdrive…

But what was I thinking to be worried. Everyone in the group made me feel welcome almost immediately.  I was nervous and decided to share that fact with the members I already knew. The rehearsal started with a tune that I knew well too.  So I eased up gradually and we got into the thing. Three  hours later we worked out what was needed to hit the road and it felt good.  I could breathe again.  Freely.

That night I hung out with a dear friend and went to Zaal 100 (a funky, fun spot to hang) where I got to hear the FANTASTIC Chicago drummer Mike Reed, Amsterdam jazz stalwart Sean Bergin and lots more. I was so eager with anticipation to head to Cologne the next day to perform at the Musik Trienniale as part of a double Bill with Henry Threadgill’s ZOOID, that I ducked out early from this hang because if I didn’t, I’d have been there til 3AM.  Amsterdam is my favorite city to hang in.  With the right people the hang is GOOD.  But not this night.  I needed to be as ready as I could be.

Our first gig felt good though slightly tentative, since it was being recorded for radio and Cologne’s Philharmonie was very beautiful but uber-intimidating with its pipe organ the size of a Brooklyn brownstone  and all that wood.  Yet the next night, back in the Netherlands, the concert in Den Haag’s more gritty venue, made everyone feel at home and I felt freer.  The final night at a packed Bimhuis in Amsterdam was simply glorious.  A musical highlight of my life. The audience was incredibly generous and so were the musicians.  And the Music!  My husband Jochem, who flew in to be at the concert told me later “You sound like you’ve been in the band for years.” and to top it off Kevin Whitehead DJ’d in the bar afterward till 2AM! Here are some great pics of the Bimhuis gig taken by Jochem and some pics of Amsterdam here. At the end of the gigs with ICP, when I had a moment to reflect, I realized that the concerts went well because I fit into their thing but also was more and more myself. I comfortable to express myself with them and vice versa.  I’m happy I managed that at the end. It made me feel that I can try anything – no matter the outcome – because that’s the only way I’ll know what I’m capable of.  And what I can reach for. I am so grateful for this experience…I learned a lot and had an absolute ball.  That’s a hanging band!

I stayed a few days longer in Holland to see fam and friends and tried to steer clear of the volcanic ash which reared it’s ugly plumage again while I was over the Pond. But it worked out and Jochem and I got back home safe and sound.  I hadn’t a second to lose either.  That next day (WEDNESDAY, MAY 19th) I took  part in a Spring Concert at Claremont Prep in downtown Manhattan where I had been part of a mentoring program hosted by the Jazz Foundation of America and arranged by actor Michael Imperioli of The Soprano’s fame.  You can read more about that here. That same day I got a call to replace Madeleine Peryoux at the Jazz Foundation of America Annual “A Great Night in Harlem” Gala at the Apollo Theater the following night (THURSDAY, MAY 20th) as part of a special tribute to Billie Holiday with Vince Giordano & Nighthawks, performing Billie’s seminal “Don’t Explain.”

And May closed out with a whopper of a gig with the Fay Victor Ensemble!! We just past the 5-year mark as a group and had our first gig for 2010 at the INCREDIBLE Firehouse 12 in New Haven, Connecticut (FRIDAY, MAY 28th).  Wonderful audience and we just got back into our space and then took off in new directions.  Plus the venue simply takes care of you.  All we had to do was concentrate on getting there (oooh the traffic!) and making music.  That opportunity is priceless and I think the music we performed is reflective of that ability to just focus and create. I’ll get to hear it in a few and I’ll post some tracks…

Plus EVOLVING Voice & Music, the series I co-curate with Bradley Farberman through RUCMA/Arts for Art, Inc. had one of it’s strongest months in May, culminating with a tribute to Interstellar Space (John Coltrane/Rashied Ali) at the Local with only drum/sax duos this past MONDAY, MAY 31st.  It was a resounding success, the room packed from 7PM on and the music was FANTABULOUS!  Everyone who was there really loved it. How easy is that to do in NYC?  We couldn’t be happier.  Not to mention wonderful sets throughout May by the likes of Katie Bull, Sara Serpa, fellow Trillium E-ite Chris DiMeglio, Nora McCarthy and more AND we started the Vocal Improv Sessions with vocalists Nora McCarthy and Maryane DeProphetis and reedist Ras Moshe.  Woo…that was great! The next one is happening on July 26th.  Some pictures too: Click here to check out pics from (the mainly vocal ) sets in May 2010 and click here to see pics from Interstellar Space Night!

What a month…

For June: I’m taking a small breather before the Fay Victor Ensemble meets again to play at Vision Festival XV!  Please SAVE THE DATE (FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 2010) for this one and come on down. The entire night is too damn cool for school. Seriously.  We open things up at 7PM and we’re followed by the Sabir Mateen Ensemble, then JAYNE CORTEZ and the Firespitters (I LOVE her…a MUST see) and finally the legendary Amira and Amina Baraka round out the night!! Check it all out here.  It’s such an honor to be included in the Festival in the first place but getting to present my own group as well is very special, so please do try and make it if you can. I’ll be bugging you about the Vision Festival gig throughout June but hopefully not too much.

Before that join the party and celebrate Anthony Braxton’s 65th birthday!! two nights of music and celebration on FRIDAY, JUNE 18th at Le Poisson Rouge and SATURDAY, JUNE 19 at Issue Project Room.  We’ll be doing excerpts from the Braxton opera Trillium E at Issue Project Room.

I close out June with an appearance at Rose Live Music with the Jazz Vault Project as part of a evening called Brooklyn Experiments Groove Series on SUNDAY, JUNE 27.  We’re up on the 10:30 Set.  All details for the gigs on the PERFORMANCES section of the site.

A monthful and a mouthful for sure. Thanks again for reading and thank GOD for music!

Happy trails and sunlight,

Fay

I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am to play at Firehouse 12 tomorrow night on FRIDAY, MAY 28th with the Fay Victor Ensemble!!  It’s our first gig for 2010 and we are stoked. And what a venue with an esteemed reputation for great sound, programming and for being a very hip spot to check out improvised music in the Northeast. They also have a state of the art recording studio (and record label) plus there’s a restaurant with and stupendous winelist to boot. We are honored. www.firehouse12.com and please checkout two previews of the upcoming gigs here and here!

And I’m just back from a magnificent tour with the ICP Orkest.  We played 3 concerts starting in Koln, Germany as part of the Koln MusikTrienniale and ended at the Bimhuis in Amsterdam, the Netherlands 2 days later.  It was so much fun and musical enrichment packed into just a few days.  I haven’t laughed like I did and been this challenged all at the same time.  It was exhilarating!!  I will write more about it when I get into June and if you’d like to see some pics from the Bimhuis concert, take a look here: http://www.facebook.com/album.phpaid=57680&id=1049977735&l=8418d26088

I’m hoping all is good with you and lot’s more coming soon…and if you have friends in the New Haven area, please send them our way. Thanks for your support.

In music,

Fay

In about a week I head to Amsterdam, the Netherlands to perform with the world renowned Instant Composers Pool (ICP) as a special guest, performing a program of Herbie Nichols, Thelonious Monk and Misha Mengelberg’s compositions. Even though I write these words, it’s still hard for me to believe that it’s really happening and until I get on the plane, I think I’ll stay in a state of suspended reality. But I’m rambling.  I’m thrilled.  I’m floored.

I remember the first time I heard ICP live.  Probably about 12 years ago, I went to the Bimhuis to see them play.  Some friends had been talking about ICP and they are an institution in the Netherlands so I thought it time I go and see what this was all about.  I had no idea what to expect except mayhem. So I walked past the bar in the old Bimhuis and into a loosely crowded space. I’m late and the concert was already underway.  Lights up. Audience members at all levels.  Standing, sitting, dancing, kneeling, bending over to drink or extinguish cigarettes and when I could finally see the stage, the music to some unknown tune had stopped and Misha Mengelberg got up from the piano and Han Bennink got up from his kit.  They moved center stage and sat at a small table and started having a random conversation!  Some band members still played, others just stood around.  Like the audience.  This conversation between Misha and Han turned into a free jazz foray that sent the crowd wild.  Me included. Then they played a dixieland tune.  Like a dixieland tune.  No funny business.  Then they played a Monk tune.

Then they went somewhere else. Still they sounded cohesive to me, even though they touched on many different things. It was thrilling!  It was inspiring and I went back to hear them more, always enjoying the music AND the Grateful Dead-esque atmosphere they conjure up.  Not only did I find the music and approach beautiful, their music went on to inform how I think and create my own music.  I’ve been fortunate to have performed with different members of ICP over the years but never with the entire group.  How important is this group? Well if it weren’t for Misha Mengelberg and Han Bennink, there would probably be no Bimhuis. Members of the 44-year old ICP Orchestra were instrumental in getting respect for improvised, new and jazz music on conservatories and in the arts funding corners of government in the Netherlands. Moreover the group was the first to release music of Herbie Nichols compositions back in the 1980′s and countless other recordings as well.  So I will play three concerts with them. In Amsterdam and Den Haag in the Netherlands. In Cologne in Germany, where we share a double bill with Henry Threadgill’s ZOOID, which happens to be one of my favorite bands on the planet!  Wow. Learn more about ICP here.

A week after I return home, The Fay Victor Ensemble will debut at New Haven’s FireHouse 12! We’re terribly excited to play in this amazing acoustic space and it will be the FVE’s first gig in 2010.  I know many of you in the NYC area won’t be able to make it, so please SAVE THE DATE of JUNE 25, 2010 when the FVE debuts at the Vision Festival!!!  The Fay Victor Ensemble opens an amazing evening of music I’m honored to be part of.  Please check the entire schedule here.

But before that, a couple things happening in town that I am excited about as well! Please join us this SATURDAY, MAY 1, 2010 for another double bill with Kyoko Kitamura and Mark Lamb as a Remarkable Lollipop for Adult Consumption. And guitarist Anders Nilsson and myself (as the ExPosed Blues Duo) spar with cellist Tomas Ulrich. We three have ‘met’ about 3 times now and each meeting gets hotter and hotter.  No telling where it will go tomorrow!  We hope to see you at the 5C CAFE and the fun starts off at 8PM! Then next SATURDAY, MAY 8, 2010, I’ll be a guest as part of dancer Mark Lamb Second Saturday Salon Series at 7. It will be a cozy evening of music, community and dance interweaving with each other and connecting. Learn more about Mark Lamb and his work here and come join us. You can find all the gig details on the PERFORMANCES section of the site.

I may dance a little myself, just to celebrate.

I hope things are wonderful with you.

In music,
Fay

How is life and Spring treating you? I’ve been rather busy working on new music, mentoring some lovely teen-aged girls and seeing family I haven’t seen in awhile.  All this, and with the warming of the weather, has me feeling positive and grateful.  Not to mention the shiny afterglow of a great 2-night stand in Chicago, IL earlier this month (APRIL 8 & 9).  Guitarist Anders Nilsson and I went there to perform pieces from BARE, our upcoming debut as the ExPosed Blues Duo and play with some special musicians based there.  TimeOut Chicago and The Chicago Reader gave great previews in their respective publications and WNUR asked us to do an on air performance as well! What a welcome…

On top of that the concerts were great, organic happenings with new musicians that felt like old friends.  Our first night at the Elastic, we played with Tim Daisy (drums) with Dave Rempis (reeds) joining us on the 2nd set.  A mostly free improvised evening of music with a few original pieces thrown in. The small wonderful turnout made us feel so welcome by listening intently and giving  strong, warm feedback after the show. We played the Velvet Lounge the next night – very different repertoire & line-up, working from the ExPosed blues bag with cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm joining us for the night.  Wonderful audience again, warm and listening.  Such a great experience to play at both venues and the openness of the audience and the musicians was, well…heartwarming.  I can’t say enough about how well received I felt. There is also the gorgeous city that Chicago is.  And the weather gods were mostly on our side, so I took loads of pics and you can check some out here through this link…

I can’t wait to go back.

Yet there is no place like home and I miss playing in town. I haven’t done so since the end of last month’s hit at the 55BAR.  Luckily, there are some things coming up.  I’ll be on the EVOLVING  Voice & Music Series this coming MONDAY, APRIL 26, 2010 performing the 8PM set of free improvisation and text with Oscar Noriega (reeds), Ken Filiano (bass), Simon Jermyn (guitar).  Following us will be a rare appearance of downtown stalwarts Jim Stately(trombone), Ikue Mori (laptop) with  Kyoko Kitamura (voice) for the 9PM set and Daniel Levin’s group finishing out the night at 10PM!

Checkout the complete schedule EVOLVING Music & Voice Series here.

Then next SATURDAY, MAY 1, 2010 -  I’ll perform another double bill with the wonderful vocalist Kyoko Kitamura. This will be the second double bill after the first one which took place at the Brecht Forum in January,  where both sets received standing ovations!! Kyoko will play piano and sing with dancer Mark Lamb and clarinetist Mike McGinnis doing avant-cabaret and more devilish things as A Remarkable Lollipop(for Adult consumption). Then its myself and Anders Nilsson as the ExPosed Blues Duo meeting cellist Tomas Ulrich.  Where we perform stream of consciousness blues and flow in and out of sound, words and form.  It’s electric.  It’s dynamic.  It might make you scream. Just maybe…

Check all FV show details on the PERFORMANCES section of the site and thanks for reading.

Also if you have an volcano stories, please share.  I heard a sweet one about a musician’s wife, who is a sculptor, went to Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport to make sculptures with the passengers waiting in the airport.  I thought that was a loving gesture! Did the volcano detain any of you?

Will post soon as May is shaping up to be quite a month!

-Fay

Dear Friends,

Tomorrow morning I head to Chicago, IL to perform for the first time, doing a couple of concerts in town with Anders Nilsson and we’re uber-excited!!  I just love Chicago.  About five years ago my husband and I went there for Labor Day weekend just to hang and it turned out to be one of the best mini-vacations we ever had.  Beautiful city, vibrant cultural scene, incredible history and a major hub for that part of the country. Plus going out the hear music was sublime.  Audiences seemed to be there for the music, not any opportunities for themselves.  Audiences also took the music very seriously.  I loved the vibe and the openness in this HUGE city where the first skyscraper was born. I had such a good time that if it didn’t get so darn cold and windy, I could envision myself moving there.

So I can’t say it enough how thrilled I am to be going there and if you have anyone in the nabe, please let them know what’s up and here’s where we’ll be: On THURSDAY, APRIL 8 we’ll play at the Elastic and then the legendary Velvet Lounge on FRIDAY, APRIL 9 performing pieces from THE FREESONG SUITE, the upcoming release of BARE and free improv forays.  We’ll be joined by a couple of Chicago ‘s finest for the proceedings as well – cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm joins us at the Velvet and drummer Tim Daisy (+ reedist Dave Rempis joining in the 2nd set) at the Elastic.

TIMEOUT CHICAGO was generous enough to spotlight our visit here and we can’t wait to get there.

Happy Spring time to you and stay tuned for more postings talking about Trillium E (Anthony Braxton’s opera), upcoming gigs and more.

Best wishes and enjoy the sun,

Fay

If you are in the North Eastern US like I am then the last few days must feel like heaven.  It seems that spring has just sprung up out of nowhere and was it needed!! I’m so happy to see sunny days and warmer temps.  This fresh infusion of Spring happens to coincide with the conclusion of Anthony Braxton’s Trillium E Opera recording, the project I am so proud to be a cast member of.  The experience so far has been one of vast growth and community.  I will delve it this more in a later post when I’ve had a moment to take it all in.  And I haven’t even recorded yet.  The first day of recording was this past Thursday but my first day in is this Saturday . Sunday, March 21st is the last recording day plus the last day of this tremendous experience of making music with a 57 person ensemble and getting a small glimpse at Braxton’s genius.

Soon after..as in the VERY next day…Anders Nilsson and I (as the ExPosed Blues Duo) play an 8PM set as part of the Evolving MUSIC/Evolving VOICE Series on MONDAY, MARCH 22 2010.  Please stop by and hang out with us as we do our bit with free improvisation and blues.  And give us a send off to Chicago in April , where we have a couple performances lined up.  The first that great city!

Then just two days later on WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24 join me at the 55BAR for the Early Set where the Jazz Vault Project grooves on with a personnel change for the date:  Oscar Noriega on reeds instead of Michael Attias along with Jose Davila (tuba) and Anders Nilsson (guitar).  We start things off at 7PM. Details and more on the PERFORMANCES tab as well.

In other news, I’ve been given my first fellowship and will spend 2 1/2 weeks this summer as fellow for Music Omi! More info on that here….and stay tuned for info about the final concert in New York. Next posting – much, MUCH more about Trillium E.

Enjoy the sun if you’ve got it near you…

Fay