New Music, Videos, Performances

Volume VII, 2022

On the Grasshopper and Cricket

by John Keats

"The poetry of earth is never dead:

When all the birds are faint with the hot sun,

And hide in cooling trees, a voice will run

From hedge to hedge about the new-mown mead;

That is the Grasshopper's—he takes the lead

In summer luxury,—he has never done

With his delights; for when tired out with fun

He rests at ease beneath some pleasant weed.

The poetry of earth is ceasing never:

On a lone winter evening, when the frost

Has wrought a silence, from the stove there shrills

The Cricket's song, in warmth increasing ever,

And seems to one in drowsiness half lost,

The Grasshopper's among some grassy hills."

New Works Commission Winner - Fly High as performed on June 4, 2022 at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel

My arrangement of Joni Mitchell's River to be performed on July 15 in Martin Luther King Park

Dear Friends

Back Home Again in Indiana after two months in Europe touring, presenting, working on projects, and preparing for new adventures over the next year. Exciting news and details soon - but for now, I look forward to spending the upcoming school year in Vienna starting in October. Musician friends in Europe, please count me in for musical adventures - you can best reach me at this email. US friends, I will be here July - September and December - February, same email to contact for performance opportunities. Similar to many others, I find myself rising from pandemic trauma with a new perspective on life and work - I'm excited to lead music and research projects across continents, art forms, and communities. Please feel free to share your new post-pandemic ventures, always happy to hear updates!

Some of the most recent adventures included a presentation at the 13th International Jazz Re:Search Conference in Graz/ Austria, June 9-12, and artistic research projects at the Gustav Mahler University in Klagenfurt June 13-15. Colleagues from the US, Australia, Netherlands, South Africa, and Serbia gathered (see pic above) to explore the process of improvisation from various angles - freedom of mind and body, exploring sound spaces, John Zorn's Cobra, and much more. Results will be published in an Oxford Elements Monograph, such inspiring three days!

Some upcoming performance highlights: The Joni Mitchell Project at Indianapolis Martin Luther King Park, Friday, July 15, the Chick Corea project at the Jazz Kitchen on Sunday, July 24, and the Sheroes Quartet version at Club 623 in New York on July 22, 10pm - performance schedule below, see you soon in person or virtually!

Our New Works Commission Premiere was sensational, I'm in awe of what my kid has accomplished as an acrobat, designer, choreographer, and creator. Here is the link to the video again, and he is available for hire!

Happy Summertime

Monika

Did you know that Talking Jazz is syndicated with WEFT South Bend and WICR Indianapolis and available through all podcast services. For your weekly jazz conversations with today's leading artists follow Talking Jazz on your favorite podcast service - here is the Spotify link and enjoy the youtube version of the conversation with recent Sheroes bassist Kristin Korb. Jazz musicians, if you're interested in doing an episode, send me an email.

The Routledge Companion to Jazz and Gender is set for release late July. Together with James Reddan (Western Oregon University) and Michael Kahr (KUG, Graz/ Jam Lab, Vienna) we edited (and contributed our own) 38 chapters discussing the topic from historical, social, philosophical, and pedagogical perspectives. This comprehensive resource provides knowledge and action items for practitioners, educators, and advocates. Please contact me via email to schedule talks and presentations and work on further initiatives. More info on the book is here.