Bright Dog Red (BDR), an improvising collective from Albany, New York, will release Under the Porch on May 20, 2022. Under the Porch, marks the ensemble’s fifth album since signing withRopeadope in 2018.
Under the Porch features twelve tracks, recorded part by part, layer by layer, edit after edit, over a period spanning late 2020 to late 2021. The album, arguably BDR’s most accessible to date, features a new take on the ensemble’s “signature sound” a mix of “free-form jazz, funk, rock, and hip-hop” (Glide Magazine).
Long recognized for their “improvisation that defies categorization” (Dan Ouellette), Under the Porch represents a departure from BDR’s typical approach to production.
Travel and gathering restrictions imposed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic prevented the band from meeting to record in studio, as they had done on previous releases. With the players scattered in disparate locations, the group began exploring a manner of production that had long interested BDR’s drummer and leader Joe Pignato.
"I thought it would be interesting to put grooves at the fore of a BDR album, to make them the foundations for the production process. So, I recorded improvised drum tracks, thinking they could serve as structures or points of departure for the other musicians."
Pignato sent those foundations to individual musicians within the ensemble, based on who he thought best suited the nascent direction of the music. When the individual parts came back, Pignato integrated them into the emerging project, sometimes exactly as they had been recorded, other times making edits or loops, and other times chopping and layering them to create entirely new ideas.
In some ways, Under the Porch, might be viewed as a counterpoint to BDR’s critically acclaimed live album, In Vivo, released in 2021. That album featured a single set, some 60 minutes of completely improvised music, captured live, end-to-end, with minimal editing.
Bright Dog Red, celebrated for “sublimely marrying jazz with hip-hop, funk, and electronic music" (JazzTimes), has long been “a fixture on the NYC jazz and improvisation scene” (Jazz Journal). The group’s "proudly unanchored improvisation" (Downbeat) has been 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 is comprised of a rotating cast of players. In addition to Pignato (drums, percussion, concepts), Under the Porch features Eric Person(soprano and alto saxophones, flute, effects), Tim Lefebvre (electric bass), Tyreek Jackson (electric bass and guitar), Cody Davies (sounds), Mike LaBombard (tenor saxophone, effects), Anthony Berman (acoustic bass), and Matt Coonan (poetry, freestyling, voice).
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Album Teaser: https://youtu.be/VZzi9jUvkVQ.
Under the Porch May 20, 2022 on Ropeadope.
For additional information, interview requests, or other media inquiries, contact fabian@ropeadope.com.
February 16, 2022: The nominees for New York’s Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Awards have been announced. Bright Dog Red’s 2021 live album release on Ropeadope, “In Vivo,” has been nominated in the Album of the Year category. This nomination marks the ensemble’s third such recognition and fourth overall nomination. The group’s 2020 release, “Somethin' Comes Along,” and the group's 2019 release, “How’s by You?” were also nominated for Album of the Year in 2021 and 2020 respectively..
Known locally as the Eddies, the awards nomination process involved 40 members of the Capital Region music community, which represents Albany, Schenectady, Troy, and the surrounding areas. Nominating committee members included local artists, members of the media and others working in the music industry. Roughly 100 local members of the music community have been invited to vote for winners among the nominees.
For additional information, interview requests, or other inquiries, contact fabian@ropeadope.com.
February 16, 2022: The nominees for New York’s Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Awards have been announced. Bright Dog Red has been nominated in the Jazz Artist of the Year category. This nomination marks the ensemble’s first recognition in this category and the group's fourth overall nomination. The group’s 2021 live album release, "In Vivo", the group's, 2020 release, “Somethin' Comes Along,” and the group's 2019 release, “How’s by You?” were also nominated for Album of the Year in 2022, 2021, and 2020 respectively..
Known locally as the Eddies, the awards nomination process involved 40 members of the Capital Region music community, which represents Albany, Schenectady, Troy, and the surrounding areas. Nominating committee members included local artists, members of the media and others working in the music industry. Roughly 100 local members of the music community have been invited to vote for winners among the nominees.
For additional information, interview requests, or other inquiries, contact fabian@ropeadope.com.
October 25, 2021: The nominees for New York’s Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Awards have been announced. Bright Dog Red’s 2020 Ropeadope release, “Somethin’ Comes Along,” has been nominated in the Album of the Year category. This nomination marks the ensemble’s second such recognition. The group’s 2019 release, “How’s by You?” was also nominated for Album of the Year in 2020.
Known locally as the Eddies, the awards nomination process involved 40 members of the Capital Region music community, which represents Albany, Schenectady, Troy, and the surrounding areas. Nominating committee members included local artists, members of the media and others working in the music industry. Roughly 100 local members of the music community have been invited to vote for winners among the nominees.
For additional information, interview requests, or other inquiries, contact fabian@ropeadope.com.
NEW YORK (March 1, 2021): Bright Dog Red (BDR), an improvising collective from Albany, New York, will release In Vivo, a live album, on June 11, 2021. In Vivo is the ensemble’s fourth release since signing to Ropeadope in 2018.
From its inception, Bright Dog Red has pursued a singular approach to making music. Chris Sampson of the Joy Sounds Podcast explains, “Bright Dog Red is making it up as they go along, literally. All of their music is created in the moment, through free improvisation.” Each of Bright Dog Red’s Ropeadope albums reflects this same, “thoroughly improvised,” modus operandi (Downbeat).
In Vivo was captured in the course of performance, during a single set at Brooklyn's ShapeShifter Lab. The recording faithfully represents the music improvised that evening, as it unfolded, in sequence, and with minimal editing.
Bright Dog Red, increasingly recognized for “improvisation that defies categorization” and “ups the ante of free music,” (Dan Ouellette) has garnered comparisons to “Mahavishnu Orchestra meets Digable Planets” (Paul Schulman), “Romantic Warrior era Return to Forever” (Rimas e Batidas), and “electronic Ahmad Jamal,” (Don Lucoff), as well as to other psychedelic, jazz fusion, and hip hop luminaries.
Founded by drummer Joe Pignato, BDR is comprised of a rotating cast of players. In addition to Pignato, In Vivo features Eric Person(soprano and alto saxes, flute), Tyreek Jackson (guitar), Cody Davies(sounds), Anthony Berman (acoustic bass), and Matt Coonan(poetry, freestyling).
In Vivo releases June 11, 2021. Two singles from the album, “We Ain’t Gotta” and “Under the Porch,” will be released in advance May 14 and May 28, 2021 respectively.
For additional information, interview requests, or other inquiries, contact fabian@ropeadope.com.
NEW YORK (October 26, 2020): Bright Dog Red and ShapeShifter Lab have announced a live stream performance of the improvising collective at the renowned Brooklyn venue.
The event, scheduled for November 07, 2020 at 7:30 PM, will feature "the most dynamic incarnation of Bright Dog Red yet" (SF Gate, US) running through "a joyous gamut of music now synonymous with the BDR brand" (UK Vibe, UK). This will be the "innovative" (Alt Weekly) ensemble's first performance in support of their recent Ropeadope Double album release, Somethin' Comes Along.
Joe Pignato, Bright Dog Red’s drummer and founder, expressed his excitement: “We’re looking forward to getting back together. The current circumstances have prevented that and ShapeShifter Lab’s giving us the space and the platform to play and reconnect with fans, safely and in compliance with the best protocols. The venue has been critical to this group’s development, offering us some our first public bookings so it seems fitting for what could be our only performance of 2020 to take place in that space.”
In addition to Pignato, Bright Dog Red features Eric Person(alto/soprano saxophones, flute), Cody Davies (sounds, electronics), Tyreek Jackson (electric guitar), Anthony Berman(acoustic bass) and the award winning poet, Matt Coonan(rhymes, freestyling, and poetry).
Bright Dog Red’s appearance comes in the wake of Somethin’ Comes Along, a critically acclaimed double album released on Ropeadope in late September. Jazz Journalist Association Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Dan Ouelletteremarked, the album “ups the ante of free music…bursting with improvisation that defies categorization.” Bright Dog Red will employ the same “thoroughly improvised” approach for this event (Downbeat).
ABOUT THE EVENT: This is a live streamed improvised performance by Albany based Bright Dog Red. The live stream is scheduled for November 07, 2020 at 7:30 PM ET at ShapeShifter Lab. There will be no in person attendance.
TICKET INFORMATION: Tickets for the live stream, available for a minimum of $10.00 US, can be purchased online at https://shapeshifterlab.com/bdr. Ticket holders can watch the live stream event in real time or view the recorded event at their leisure for three days following the live stream.
ABOUT BRIGHT DOG RED: “Starting as a jazz-meets-hip-hop jam band with a loosely-defined membership, Bright Dog Red has become a fixture on the NYC jazz and improvisation scene” (Jazz Journal). The band’s “spirited, full throttle go-for-it charge for the line" (Marlbank) performances have distinguished BDR as "as group on the rise" (The Bolg), generating comparisons to “Mahavishnu Orchestra meets Digable Planets” (Paul Schulman), “electronic Ahmad Jamal,” (Don Lucoff), and to other psychedelic, jazz fusion, and hip hop luminaries.
LINKS:
Tickets
Bright Dog Red’s Website
Bright Dog Red’s Somethin’ Comes Along
Bright Dog Red on Ropeadope
ABOUT SHAPESHIFTER LAB: ShapeShifter Lab is a 4,200 square foot performance space. ShapeShifter Lab regularly hosts the world’s most innovative artists who are looking for a flexible platform to present their work. Bass player Matthew Garrison, son of Jimmy Garrison (bass player for John Coltrane), is the co-owner and creative director with his business partner, Fortuna Sung. With many years as a successful touring musician under his belt, Matt and his team have designed the space with versatility in sound, lighting and layout, each of which can be tailored to each artist. With state-of-the-art equipment and raw space, Matt and his team are creating something truly unique and desperately needed in today’s venue scene in New York City.
NEW YORK (September 25, 2020): Bright Dog Red (BDR), an improvising collective from Albany, New York, released “Somethin’ Comes Along,” a double album, on Ropeadope. Somethin’ Comes Along, marks the ensemble’s third release for the influential Philadelphia area music, clothing, and culture imprint.
Somethin’ Comes Along, the most ambitious of BDR’s three Ropeadope releases, "sees Bright Dog Red revisit the rulebook once again for a two-disc album showcasing some stunning compositions…the music runs a joyous gamut now synonymous with the BDR brand" (UK Vibe). Jazz Journalist Association Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Dan Ouellette remarked, the album “ups the ante of free music…bursting with improvisation that defies categorization.”
NEW YORK (August 28, 2020): Bright Dog Red (BDR), an improvising collective from Albany, New York, released “Somethin’ Comes Along,” the hard-edged title track to their forthcoming double album, on Ropeadope (September 25, street date). Somethin’ Comes Along, marks the ensemble’s third release for the influential Philadelphia area music, clothing, and culture imprint.
Somethin’ Comes Along, the most ambitious of BDR’s three Ropeadope releases, "sees Bright Dog Red revisit the rulebook once again for a two-disc album showcasing some stunning compositions…the music runs a joyous gamut now synonymous with the BDR brand." (UK Vibe).
A second single, “Trouble Come My Way,” culled from the second side will release on September 11, 2020. The album is available for pre-order on all major platforms.
NEW YORK (July 10, 2020): Bright Dog Red (BDR), an improvising collective from Albany, New York, will release Somethin’ Comes Along, a double album, on Ropeadope, September 25, 2020. Somethin’ Comes Along, marks the ensemble’s third release for the influential Philadelphia area music, clothing, and culture imprint.
Somethin’ Comes Along, the most ambitious of BDR’s three Ropeadope albums, features two hourlong sides culled from three discrete sessions. The first side, Somethin’, features the “fiery, free-flowing” improvisation for which Bright Dog Red has increasingly become known (Glide Magazine). The second side, Somethin’ Else, builds on the more abstract, “spaced out” tendencies of the ensemble (Jay Hunter).
The collective’s two previous Ropeadope releases, 2019’s How’s by You? and 2018’s Means to the Ends, have at once bemused and beguiled critics, fans, and music industry observers. Louis Marks, CEO of Ropeadope explains: “Bright Dog Red is perhaps the most unique band to grace the halls of Ropeadope, and that’s quite an accomplishment. Bright Dog Red hits the stage without charts or set list – they simply start playing and improvise, taking cues from each other and from the audience and room. It’s adventurous, and due to the skill and rapport of the players, surprisingly cohesive.”
Ropeadope, long at the nexus of jazz, hip hop, and electronica, has proven an apt partner for BDR’s “innovative and psychedelic mesh” of genres (The Alt Weekly). The label’s extensive catalog includes releases from DJ Logic, Snarky Puppy, Christian McBride, Ghost Note, Mark de Clive-Lowe, Christian Scott, Ramsey Lewis, and Eddie Palmieri, among many others.
Since partnering with Ropeadope, Bright Dog Red has enjoyed a widening audience, including increased recognition in North America, the UK, and Europe. Somethin’ Comes Along represents a bold next step for the Albany based collective.
ABOUT BRIGHT DOG RED: “Starting as a jazz-meets-hip-hop jam band with a loosely-defined membership, Bright Dog Red has become a fixture on the NYC jazz and improvisation scene” (Jazz Journal). The band’s performances have distinguished BDR as "as group on the rise" (The Bolg), generating comparisons to “Mahavishnu Orchestra meets Digable Planets” (Paul Schulman), “electronic Ahmad Jamal,” (Don Lucoff), and to other psychedelic, jazz fusion, and hip hop luminaries.
“We'd urge anyone not aboard the Bright Dog Red train to grab a ticket.
Theirs is an unrivalled approach to contemporary jazz” (Blue in Green Radio).
January 22, 2020: The nominees for New York’s Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Awards have been announced. Bright Dog Red’s 2019 Ropeadope release, “How’s by You?,” has been nominated in the Album of the Year category.
Known locally as the Eddies, the awards nomination process involved 40 members of the Capital Region music community, which represents Albany, Schenectady, Troy, and the surrounding areas. Nominating committee members included local artists, members of the media and others working in the music industry. Roughly 100 local members of the music community have been invited to vote for winners among the nominees.
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