David Lord, Hanami Quartet

David Lord opens on solo guitar followed by Hanami Quartet.

“David Lord is a six-string anomaly, a genuine diamond in the rough. Over time inhis search and discovery missions with his chosen instrument, he has cultivated a wholly unique vocabulary that is devoid of any direct influences. What the guitarist presents is so delightfully weird and wonderful, so refreshingly original that it stands as his own personal manifesto for an alternative six-string expression.”-Bill Milkowski

Guitarist and composer David Lord has developed a singular approach to composition and improvisation. His music has been featured in publications such as Downbeat,Dusted Magazine,A Closer Listen,All About Jazz,Under the Radar,Aquarium Drunkard,Pop Matters,Alternative Press,MagnetandTiny Mix Tapes.

Lord has released music on Astral Spirits,BIG EGO Records and Air House Records and has collaborated with Jeff Parker, Chad Taylor, Devin Hoff, Billy Mohler, Charles Rumback, Christine Tavalocci, Chris Schlarb, Nathan Hubbard,David Tranchina, Alex Sadnikand others.

Lord has released three albums as a band leader-Forest Standards Vol. 1, 2 & 3,all recorded at BIG EGO Studiosin Long Beach, CA. Several new albums are scheduled for release in 2024.

Prior to releasing music under his own name, Lord released music under the moniker Francis Mossand with the projects Elemental Trio,Miki Moondrops,TheWonder Revolution and Solagget.

Lord is the founder of Air House Music, a music academy, recording studio and record label based in Wichita, KS. After spending several years living in Montreal, Lord returned to the midwest in 2023 where he teaches at Wichita State University in addition to his work at Air House. Lord recently founded Nimbus New Music, a performance andrecording residency for creative music.

Lord has spent much of his musical life developing his own extended lydianpolychordal system which can be heard throughout his music. Grounded in the natural world, Lord’s musical logic involves themes of the forest, fungi and ecosystems.

Links:

www.foreststandards.com

http://davidlord.bandcamp.com

Instagram: @davidlord109

Formed originally in the spirit of raising funds to aid Japanese victims after the 2011 tsunami, Hanami is the long standing Chicago based quartet of guitarist Andrew Trim, drummer Charles Rumback, multi-reedist Mai Sugimoto and bass clarinetist Jason Stein. Previous releases include their self-titled debut Hanami Quartet (Off Records, 2014) and The Only Way to Float Free (ears&eyes Records, 2016). 

Featuring a rare melding of instruments in electric guitar, alto saxophone/clarinet, bass clarinet, and drums, Hanami paints dynamic sonic landscapes on a bass-less canvas. The chamber group qualities of the instrumentation combined with jazz rhythms and exploratory improvisations, both oblique & consonant, render a beautifully unique take on the traditional jazz quartet. A collective love of Japan emerges gracefully from the group’s artfully composed original compositions and arrangements of Japanese music.

There is something positively addictive about the Hanami quartet’s concoction of modern jazz improvisation, avant-garde edge and pop music sensibilities…a potent mix of sonic fluency and cinematic ambiance. – Dave Sumner, Bandcamp

The charged performances, which exploit contrasts between the instrumentalists (soft and loud, smooth and rough), create a tension that counterbalances the frequent sentimentality of the melodies. Tender and lyrical…biting and furious. – Peter Margasak, Chicago Reader

Edges of avant-garde, a keen mixture of rock and jazz inclinations, vigorous sonic overtones balanced against ambient moments, and traditional jazz melodies crisscrossed with contemporary individuality. – Doug Simpson, Audiophone Audition

Compositions and arrangements that are marked by refreshing idiosyncrasies and impressive ensemble playing. – Big City Blog

LINKS:

andrewtrim.com

hanami.bandcamp.com

https://www.jasonsteinmusic.com/

http://www.charlesrumback.com/

https://www.maisugimoto.com/

Presented by BlueStem Jazz:

https://bluestemjazz.org/

and Audio for the Arts:

https://audioforthearts.com/

This event is BYOB