Sunday October 18 * doors at 6:30, music at 7:00 * $20-$30 * TICKETS
María Grand (tenor+soprano saxophone, vocals, compositions), Gervis Myles (upright bass), Shakoor Hakeem (percussion), Eliza Salem (drums).
“I feel like I’ve found a place of sincerity in what I’m trying to say. It doesn’t really matter anymore whether technically it’s perfect; I feel that we bring something to the audience of our souls, and that’s important to me. I’m inspired by artists like Matana Roberts. This ensemble is a lot of free improvisation; poems; stories; songs we play and songs we play upside down; and whatever the moment calls. I’m done waiting for later. When we play, we’re in this together, now. I want to honor the elders who made it possible for me, a woman from Switzerland, to look in and be able to show up on stage with my saxophone, my voice, whatever context my life is in, and give back. I’m thankful for every chance I get to sit with an audience and make something together.” - Maria Grand
With this new ensemble, Grand focuses on drums & rhythm and goes back to her New York roots, back to the city where she learned how to play. This band features new compositions seeking to honor the continuum of Black music that is often called jazz, as well as focusing her intention of collective ritual with almost folkloric sounds; this is spontaneous, functional music; tangible music, music as a user’s manual- sounds, poems, stories, and songs that are made to help our souls live and thrive in these strange, tribal modern times.
The setlist is, in its essence, a meditation that travels spontaneously between screeching sounds of creation to sparse emptiness. This is Grand’s most intense project, promising to deliver concerts with high energetic inputs and expressive introspection for both listeners and players. For the love of sound. Grand’s new ensemble explores rhythm, collective improvisation, and vulnerable honest musical moments. Drawing from her New York roots, the project moves between raw intensity and spacious reflection, creating a powerful musical experience grounded in sound, ritual, and connection. The Maria Grand Quartet’s new album is Both Sides on Lilaila Records.