The following performance is titled Sam Newsome Trio + Amir Bey | AFA On_Line Salon. This was streamed live on Feb 18, 2021. It features an improvised musical performance by my trio with Hilliard Greene and Reggie Nicholson and some captivating visual art by Amir Bey. Arts for Art began taping the On_Line Salon series to provide performance opportunities for our artists who lost all in-person gigs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, they've presented over 40 performances featuring over 100 artists. Before the concert I was asked to give a brief statement about the music I'd be making. Here's what I wrote:
"The visual and aural aspects of the artistic expression, collectively serve as vestibules to the most vulnerable areas of our humanity. They can expose the least compromised parts of our soul. My goal as a performer has always been to speak to the eyes as well as the ears. .
A little about my trio:
The Sam Newsome Trio was formed in the fall of 2017 initially to perform as a part of the 2017 InGardens / Arts of Art Series. The chemistry was so strong, that I knew this collaboration needed to be explored further. This inspired ME to book several gigs around New York to give them a platform to find their sound.The trio performs all improvised music, often taking visual and sound oriented musical cues from Newsome on the soprano saxophone, dictated from any number of his prepared and extended saxophones techniques—ranging from hanging chimes from his horn,balloons, tube extensions,and various sound manipulations such multi-phonics and unconventional tonguing techniques. As far the music, Newsome says, “Our goal is to take the listener on a sonic journey. There will pretty moments and ugly moments. But we all come out on the other side having experienced something very magical.
And we can't forget Amir Bey:
Amir Bey is a multi-discipline artist whose installations, costumes, instruments, and performances have been used in collaborative Happenings with varieties of musicians and visual artists in the US, Japan, Turkey, and France in the past few years. Recently he has been painting 11 foot scrolls in Sumi ink for themes ranging from “Lockdown,” (our current state!) to “Horizon,” (Sky and Earth).
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