(Vertical Sounds – L-R Melanie Dyer, Kess Southpaw, Mnisibass; photo – James Koblin)
While the world around us is depressing and full of outrage, the arts continue to be a refuge and a model for the world we want to live in. The recent M³ (Mutual Mentorship for Musicians) Festival at Roulette on October 4th was a great example of both of these salutary aspects of art—the music was a wonderful escape, but the festival also displayed how to support and renew the practice of creative music.
This was the fourth annual festival staged at Roulette by M³, an organization created by co-founders Sara Serpa and Jen Shyu. The press materials explain that M³ “serves as a platform for creative risk-taking, exchange through musical commissions, peer-led mentorship, publication of anthologies, performances, festivals, and awards” with the mission of “advancing professional and artistic growth for women and gender-expansive musicians.” The growth of organizations like M³ is both a sign of the bounty of the current music scene, and a generator that promises to feed and replenish the arts through the model of mentorship. Mentorship is especially important in the practice of contemporary creative music (aka, jazz) – a form with a deep and creative vocabulary that faces the economic challenges of an art not consistently promoted by consumer and capitalist structures.
(Kenny Barron; photo – James Koblin)
That mentorship was on display at M³, which featured established artists like pianist Kenny Barron as well as rising stars like saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins. Especially fascinating were sets that paired veteran players like violist Melanie Dyer with newcomers Kess Southpaw (bass) Mnisibass (vocals and guitar), who played a unique type of folk/jazz hybrid as the group Vertical Sounds. What I especially loved about the M³ festival was the sheer range of sounds. The night started with a beautiful set of folk/pop from singer-songwriter Becca Stevens, went on to the propulsive jazz/classical hybrid of VORTEX (the piano duet of Shoko Nagai and drummer Satoshi Takeishi), and featured a diverse array of styles and ideas over the course of nine sets. This link to the M³ homepage has the full rundown. With four hours of music I could write a lot here, but this time I’ll let the music do the talking. On my radio show, Where Is Brooklyn?, which is on WVKR (Vassar College), I’ll be playing records from many of the musicians who performed at the M³ festival – so maybe you can tune in? The episode airs this Sunday (10/12) at 2 AM and can be heard in the Hudson Valley at 91.3FM and elsewhere and everywhere at wvkr.org. I know on the East Coast this is playing rather late, but the playlist is below for your further exploration. Make sure you support this music and organizations like M³, which are keeping the arts alive!
Playlist for Where Is Brooklyn?, Sunday October 12th at WVKR FM:
-Shoko Nagai, “The Sirens of TITAN” from Vortex (released July 22, 2014)
-Kyoko Kitamura, “Slide” from Protean Labyrinth (released August 10, 2018)
-WeFreeStrings, “Baraka Suite” from Love in the Form of Sacred Outrage (released June 17, 2022)
-The Mara Rosenbloom Trio, “The Choo” from Respiration (released October 23, 2020)
-Immanuel Wilkins, “Emanation” from The 7th Hand (released January 28, 2022)
-Micah Thomas, “Hide” from Mountains (released September 13, 2024)
-Immanuel Wilkins, “AFTERLIFE RESIDENCE TIME” from Blues Blood (released October 11, 2024)
-Immanuel Wilkins, “MOTION” from Blues Blood (released October 11, 2024)
-Kenny Barron, “Tragic Magic” from Beyond This Place (released February 15, 2024)
-Kenny Barron & Dave Holland, “The Only One” from The Art of Conversation (released January 1, 2014)
-Kenny Barron and Dave Holland Trio, “Porto Alegre” from Without Deception (released March 5, 2020)
-Kenny Barron, “Isfahan” from The Source (released January 20, 2023)
-Kenny Barron, “Memories of You” from The Traveler (released August 26, 2008)
(Immanuel Wilkins’ evening-closing solo saxophone set; photo – James Koblin)