Bright Dog Red (BDR), the alt-jazz, genre-fluid ensemble from Albany, New York, recently released two albums simultaneously, Bad Magic and Hegemonitized. The double release marks the ensemble’s sixth and seventh albums since signing with Ropeadope in 2018.
Despite being hailed as the “best kept secret in the avant-jazz underground” (JazzTimes), BDR continues to produce music with a fervent prolificacy. The ensemble’s "proudly unanchored improvisation" (Downbeat) has been widely lauded for “blending a potpourri of styles, while presenting a sonic personality and conceptual direction…propelled by gripping narratives of sociopolitical struggle” (Downbeat).
Described as “part Ornette Coleman and Prime Time, part Lounge Lizards, part A Tribe Called Quest” (JazzTimes), others have compared the group to “Mahavishnu Orchestra meets Digable Planets” (Paul Schulman), “Romantic Warrior era Return to Forever” (Rimas e Batidas), and “electronic Ahmad Jamal" (Don Lucoff).
Founded by Joe Pignato, BDR features an alternating cadre of contributors. In addition to Pignato (drums, percussion, concepts), Bad Magic and Hegemonitized feature Tim Lefebvre (electric bass), Tyreek Jackson (electric bass and guitar), Cody Davies (sounds), Mike LaBombard (tenor saxophone, effects, keys), Anthony Berman (acoustic and electric bass), Matt Coonan (poetry, freestyling, voice), and newest member of the collective, Martín Loyato (trumpet and flugelhorn).