Let me tell you what's happening...
Greetings All,
This fall I’m celebrating the release of For the Love of Fire and Water (RogueArt, 2022), in the US, with this exciting band featuring Ingrid Laubrock, Mary Halvorson, Tomeka Reid, and Lesley Mok.
We’ll be performing the music from the recording as well as new music. This project constitutes the first installment of a larger project I’m creating for many different musicians celebrating and inspired by the artwork of Cy Twombly entitled, “An Extravagant (for Cy Twombly).”
Recording available on Bandcamp & myramelford.com
Hear the Fire and Water Quintet live this fall:
- Angel City Jazz Festival, Los Angeles, CA: Nov 4
- SFJazz, San Francisco, CA: Nov 5 & 6
- Roulette, Brooklyn, NY: Nov 7
If you are in any of the cities where we will be performing, we’d love to see you!
Then we’re heading into the studio to make the second volume of music inspired by Twombly’s, “Gaeta Set, For the Love of Fire and Water.”
In other news, I’m back teaching at UC Berkeley this fall, and looking forward to performing on Saturday, October 29, at Mills College, Oakland, with two incredibly inspiring improvisers: Zeena Parkins and William Winant [register free].
I started out the fall performing with Tiger Trio (Joelle Leandre and Nicole Mitchell) at the Willisau Festival in Switzerland and the Kerava Festival in Finland.
May you all be well and safe until we meet again in person,
Myra
Photos: Fire and Water Quintet by Michel Dorbon, Tiger Trio by Sakari Puhakka
WBGO
“Among other things, Myra Melford is a master in the art of wringing sound out of color and line. An insatiably inventive pianist and composer, she has always found sustenance in modern art — notably the subversive, scribbly works of Cy Twombly.” - Nate Chinen
The Wire
“This feels like the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Melford.” - Stewart Smith
Jazziz
Myra Melford and All-Star Ensemble Craft Music Inspired By the Power and Possibility of Cy Twombly’s Singular Works of Art
Artsfuse
"For the Love of Fire & Water, reconfirms [Melford's] talent for whipping up musical excitement without sacrificing complexity and sophistication." - Steve Feeney
Myra Melford seamlessly traces the intersection of concrete and abstract, inside and “out,” managing somehow to play the piano as both a percussion instrument and a lyrical vehicle for melody.
| — | Paul de Barros, DownBeat |