“I Wanna Be With You” - Single
The new Three Visitors single is out today - “I Wanna Be With You” featuring the incredible Becca Stevens.
I’m so proud of this collaboration with the amazing Becca Stevens. Her evocative lyrics and expressive singing succinctly captures the essence of this song’s exploration into the depths of unspoken love.
Featuring a repeating 5-note motif, Brian Blade and Scott Colley funky Brazilian-inspired groove, Rogerio Boccato’s tasteful percussion, and my keyboard work.
This is the second single from our upcoming album, Three Visitors, which will be out on GroundUP Music on November 1.
Zellerbach Family Foundation Grant
I’m excited to share that I have been awarded a Community Arts grant from the Zellerbach Family Foundation in support of my new multi-disciplinary work, When Dogs Howl. This project, in collaboration with SFJAZZ, brings together jazz big band, Afro-Venezuelan percussion, dance, storytelling, and immersive video to explore the powerful stories of migrants, refugees, and immigrants, with a special focus on Venezuelan refugees.
Inspired by the experiences of Venezuelans who have embarked on a 3,000-mile journey across eight countries in search of a new life, When Dogs Howl will reflect their struggles, resilience, and evolving identities. Through a series of original jazz compositions and boundary-pushing multimedia elements, the work will depict these stories using music and video projections that capture the emotional and physical challenges of displacement.
This grant from the Zellerbach Family Foundation will help bring this vision to life, culminating in one or two live performances at SFJAZZ’s Miner Auditorium during the 2025-26 season. These performances will highlight the fusion of jazz and Afro-Venezuelan rhythms with vibrant storytelling, offering a unique perspective on the immigrant experience and the ways in which these communities contribute to our collective identity.
I’m incredibly grateful to the Zellerbach Family Foundation for their support in making this project a reality. Their generosity enables me to share these important stories and create a platform for dialogue around migration, identity, and belonging.
Thank you all for your continued support. I look forward to sharing more updates on When Dogs Howl as the project unfolds!
Find out more about the Zellerbach Family Foundation Community Arts Grant here.
Creative Work Fund Award
I’m thrilled to announce that I have received a Creative Work Fund grant, in partnership with SFJAZZ, to create When Dogs Howl, a new multi-disciplinary and multimedia project that reflects a deep, personal connection to the ongoing migration crisis. This work will bring together jazz big band, Afro-Venezuelan percussion, dance, storytelling, and immersive video to explore the powerful and often untold stories of migrants, refugees, and immigrants.
When Dogs Howl is inspired by the experiences of Venezuelan refugees, individuals whose journey covers more than 3,000 miles across eight countries in search of safety, opportunity, and a new identity. I aim to capture the emotional and physical challenges of this epic migration through a series of original jazz compositions and boundary-pushing multimedia elements. By combining music with video projections, we will portray real stories that highlight how these individuals' identities have shifted or evolved throughout their lives, as they confront displacement, hardship, and hope.
The culmination of this project will be one or two live performances at SFJAZZ's Miner Auditorium during the 2025-26 season. These performances will feature a powerful fusion of jazz, Afro-Venezuelan rhythms, and vibrant storytelling that will paint a sonic and visual portrait of the struggles, resilience, and contributions of immigrants and refugees to our collective identity, particularly focusing on Venezuelan refugees. Through When Dogs Howl, we aim to give voice to these stories in a way that resonates with audiences, sparking conversations about migration, belonging, and the shifting notion of home.
I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to the Creative Work Fund and SFJAZZ for their generous support, which makes this important work possible. I’m excited to bring this deeply personal and timely project to life, and I look forward to sharing it with you all. Stay tuned for more updates as we move closer to the premiere!
Read the official press release here.
“You Are” - Single
We’re excited to share “You Are”, the first single from Three Visitors’ debut album—available on all streaming platforms!
Three Visitors is a new collaborative project featuring Edward Simon, Scott Colley, and Brian Blade.
“You Are” is a meditation on human potential and self-discovery. It opens with piano, setting a reflective tone that hints at life’s mysteries. A melodic piano and strings ostinato symbolizes our inner dialogue, while Brian Blade’s dynamic drumming propels the trio into an improvisational journey. As the track builds, Chris Potter’s soaring tenor saxophone solo reaches an intense peak, only to dissolve into a moment of silence. From this stillness, the initial motif returns—this time with Jana Dagdagan’s voice, offering a reflection on the ideal self. The track closes with the reminder: “You Are” already what you seek.
At its heart, Three Visitors aims to explore the ephemerality of life, reminding us that through art and music, we can visit and experience new realms.
This is the first single from our upcoming album, Three Visitors, which will be out on GroundUP Music on November 1.
Chamber Music America - 2024 New Jazz Works Award
I’m honored to receive the Chamber Music America 2024 New Jazz Works award. My sincere gratitude and appreciation goes to everyone at Chamber Music America and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
With this support, I will be creating a new work for my trio and the Grammy Award-winning Harlem Quartet with special guest saxophonist Chris Potter. I’m thrilled to be working with these amazing artists and look forward to our musical adventure together.
Read the official press release here.
New Music USA 2024 Creator Fund Award
I’m pleased to share the news that I’ve been chosen as a recipient of the New Music USA Creator Fund! With this grant, I’ll be able to create “When the Dogs Howl: The Migrant Soundscapes of Venezuelan Refugees.”
Read the official press release here.