The AJW has created its own performance series in order to provide a platform for new jazz in Santa Fe -
July 19 - Glass Key Trio
7:30 pm / Entropy Gallery, Santa Fe / $10
Based in Santa Fe, NM and led by Jeremy Bleich’s eclectic guitar and compositional style, the Glass Key Trio produces and explores compositions inspired by Americana, Balkan, Arabic and contemporary classical music and film noir. Each composition is a vehicle for spirited dialogue between the players ushering the listener into a narrative exploration of musical landscapes.
Jeremy Bleich is a composer and multi-instrumentalist who incorporates a wide palette of sound and culture into the process of creating music. He has toured extensively across Europe and the U.S playing bass and electronics with critically acclaimed trio Birth, award winning Kodama Trio and oud with Zevk Ensemble and Trio Andaluz. He resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he is involved with presenting new music on his Grasshopper Music record label, producing House Concert Chamber Music events, and teaching Orchestra at Los Alamos Public Schools. Jeremy has played and/or recorded with musicians as diverse as Count Vu, Joe Maneri, Chris Jonas, Carmen Castaldi, Jason White, Keven McCarthy, and Rick Elias. Jeremy has composed, conducted, and produced a variety of musical theatre works including "Love and Emma Goldman" A Rock Opera made possible by a generous grant from The California Foundation for Peace and Justice.
Ben Wright from Dixon, New Mexico plays double bass. He cut his teeth in Philadelphia punk rock, and has since been working the bass for 40 odd years, bolstered by intense spats of incidental formal training. A lover of the lowest frequencies, Ben has explored many disparate forms of music through the bass, yet always returns to the wellspring of improvisation. Currently, Ben plays with Glass Key Trio, Santa Fe Avant Jazz Workshop, Irksome Trio, Radio Free Bassanda, Jack Wright, and assorted eclectic partners locally and nationally. "I play music for the bliss of that instant when I lose consciousness of my surroundings, my instrument, and myself… there is only music. That is the crux where spontaneous creation between performers and audience is conceived."
Milton Villarrubia III grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana and has been crafting his music art in Santa Fe, New Mexico since 1996. Milton has performed with Ellis Marsalis, Myra Melford, Anthony Braxton, Peter Bernstein, Steve Masakowski, The University of New Orleans Jazz Studies Program,
The Santa Fe Opera, New Mexico School for the Arts, William A. Thompson, IV, Circus Luminous, The Academy for Technology and the Classics, Candyman Strings and Things, Ray Francen's Drum Center and Drummer's World. In 2016 Milton and the Santa Fe based group Kodama Trio won best Jazz Album as well as Best Jazz Song in the Prestigious New Mexico
Music Awards.
Entropy Gallery is at 1220 Parkway Drive, Santa Fe, NM 87507
Tickets are $10 at the door
Aug 21 - James Emery Neo Trio
7:30 pm / Entropy Gallery, Santa Fe / $20
Guitarist and Composer James Emery
James Emery, a virtuoso guitarist and composer, is now leading his own trio, performing across New Mexico, and has recently released his latest recording, Inner Drive. "The album presents a compelling blend of technical mastery and expressive improvisation. Emery's distinctive and harmonious compositions leave a lasting impact amid the trio's remarkable unified force (AllAboutJazz.com). The James Emery Neo Trio features Alex Murzyn (saxophones) and John Funkhouser (bass). Earlier in 2024, Emery recorded Inside Outlier, which acclaimed jazz critic Glenn Astarita described as "a bold declaration from a musician who’s spent a lifetime honing his craft—not just a celebration of the guitar's possibilities but a showcase of Emery’s sheer musical genius" (All About Jazz). This album was selected as the #1 jazz record for 2024 in AllAboutJazz.
In the spring of 2022, Emery relocated to Santa Fe, NM, after nearly 50 in the New York area, marking a new chapter in his illustrious 45-year career of touring and recording worldwide. A Guggenheim Fellow, Emery has performed at some of the world's most prestigious concert venues, including Great Performers at Lincoln Center (NYC), Philharmonic Hall (Berlin), Royal Festival Hall (London), Espace Cardin (Paris), Bunkamura Hall (Tokyo), City Hall (Hong Kong), and Chowdiah Memorial Hall (Bangalore, India).
As the co-founder of the pioneering chamber jazz ensemble The String Trio of New York, Emery has earned international acclaim for his innovative and highly original approach to both improvisation and composition. Since 1975, he has been an active performer and a frequently commissioned composer in the international jazz and contemporary music scene. With more than two dozen albums as a leader or co-leader and live performances spanning over 25 countries, Emery’s artistry has been described as "innovative and imaginative" and "utterly distinctive" by the Penguin Guide to Jazz. His orchestral recording, Transformations, was selected for The History of Jazz in the 1001 Best Albums by the same guide.
Emery’s ensembles and collaborations have earned him critical praise, especially for his work with The String Trio of New York, which celebrates its 47th anniversary in 2024. Throughout his career, he has performed and recorded with an array of contemporary music masters, including Anthony Braxton, Steve Reich, Wadada Leo Smith, Henry Threadgill, The Human Arts Ensemble, Joe Lovano, Muhal Richard Abrams, Leroy Jenkins, and many others.
To date, Emery has composed over 170 works, including a recent double concerto commissioned by the Skidmore College Orchestra. One of his proudest moments was performing the piece alongside his daughter, clarinetist Hannah Emery.
In addition to his performance career, Emery has contributed to music education through master classes and residencies at institutions such as Stanford, Columbia, Skidmore, Dartmouth, UCLA, and USC. He also taught jazz ensemble and private guitar lessons for eight years at SUNY/Orange in New York state.
On August 21, James will be premiering a new version of his Neo Trio with Alex Murzyn on woodwinds and John Funkhouser on bass. Entropy Gallery is at 1220 Parkway Drive, Santa Fe, NM 87507. Tickets are $10 at the door